The Evil Empire

in which our hero feels like he's living through one of his stories

Dear Readers,

This week, the U.S. Government disappeared Rümeysa Öztürk—a PhD student who studies and teaches at the university where I work. To quote the writer Catesby Holmes:

“Disappeared” is how Argentines and Chileans talk about the citizens kidnapped by military regimes of 80s and 90s. Today Mexicans use it to refer to those who vanish in the cartel war. “Disappear” is a verb, noun & adj: When ppl are disappeared, they become los desaparecidos—the disappeared

As angry as my government’s actions made me, I’m afraid to even say anything publicly. I’m afraid to type these words. I might delete them in a second. Because, to quote the writer Jason Kottke:

When Trump comes for Substack hosting so many "Marxist activist" newsletters, it'll be interesting to see if they defend themselves with the same vigor they used in protecting the Nazis, antivaxxers, antisemites, and transphobes on their platform.

Anyway, here are some sneak peeks from the next issue of The Blood of Seven Queens.

Stay safe out there, friends. That’s all from me for now. Paid subscribers can keep on scrolling for their full look at pages 9-12, and I’ll see everyone back here in a week.

Yours,
Chris