America is an oligarchy organized by the hierarchy of the white supremacist patriarchy. Pancake Brain is a (free) Friday newsletter dedicated to replacing the status quo with equitable public power. If you’re into that kind of thing, I hope you’ll subscribe and share. This project is based on my book, How to Start a Revolution. I hope you’ll read (or listen to) it.

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Dearest Pancake Brains,

I thought I was going to send along a roast of Mitch McConnell this morning, as the Senate majority leader continues to hold up pandemic aid / openly wielding the power of obfuscation to block the American people from anything even remotely resembling democracy, but I think I’ve already written something more satisfying than the piece I started last night, and that is this (premature) obituary for Mitch McConnell. (I published it in November, but it still kills. 🤪)

To be honest with you, I’ve been depressed. I’m sure that I’m far from alone in feeling like my soul has been trapped in a jar at the bottom of the ocean for the past several months. I’ve been meaning to write you a full essay each Friday, and then felt myself asking the increasingly terrifying question, “What’s the point?”

In order to address the temptation to go numb, my previous writing would inform me that hope is hard work. The effort to choose to feel it all and do something about it requires much more effort than despair. And yet, here I am, shutting down. My inner voice has informed me that means I need a break from the internet, and I’ve decided to listen to my own advice. I’m currently working on a project that I am thoroughly convinced is the thing I was born to write. I’m going to focus on that for a month without shoving myself into the brain dungeon that is social media. And as for us? I don’t think I should be writing to you about un-fucking your brain while my brain is fucked.

I am planning to be back in your inboxes on Tuesday, September 8th. I have something special planned for that day. I want you all to know how much I appreciate you, and I really mean that. We are all drowning in an overload of content, and the fact that you have chosen to spend even a few minutes with my writing means a lot to me. I hope that I can continue to be worth your time.

If you think you’ll miss these emails, I humbly recommend checking out How to Start a Revolution, if you haven’t yet. There is also an audiobook, if you’re into that kind of thing — it’s free with a 30-day trial of Audible. (Pro-Tip: Set a calendar reminder to cancel that shit.)

Your friend,
Lauren