the internet might go away, but you'll still be here

Internet Bedroom is BACK BABY (but will she stay?)

I hope by now we’ve all learned our lesson.

The Internet is forever, but nothing good can stay.

I am writing this on the morning that I turned on my phone and opened an app and read that it had been banned by the U.S. government but that the new administration was going to save us all. I am writing this as the ink is still raised on my hand from a tattoo I got on the second day of this year. I am writing this while looking at a book mockup — my book mockup, which I’ve been working on every weekend for the past month.

You have to make stuff that’s going to last, that’s going to endure. You have to make stuff that they can’t put an algorithm in or targeted ads. You have to make it for you and for everyone who came before you and everyone who will come after you. Because when you make it yourself, you own your art. But even better than owning it: you can give it to other people.

So I made this book. And I’m putting it out myself. It’s all the essays I’ve written for you here plus a new essay that’s too personal for the Internet and a short story that made me cry when I finished it.

I made this book for me but I also made it for you and for all the people I have yet to meet. Because that’s what we used to do: we made stuff and put that stuff into the world, trusting that it would find its way to the people who need it most. Given the choice between trusting the universe over an algorithm, I’ll pick the universe every time.

So, here’s my book. It drops on March 7th (my bday!!).

Here’s what the cover looks like:

Here’s the table of contents:

👼🌙And you can click here to pre-order it👼🌙

The first 150 preorders between now and March 7th, 2025 will get a paid subscription to Internet Bedroom for a whole year for free.

Because this is my first time printing a physical book that’s not a zine that I’m just giving away on the streets (true story), I do need to limit preorders to 150 books and I’m only shipping domestic right now as I figure out how I can do international shipping in a way that makes sense and won’t bankrupt me. I’m the only one printing and distributing this book, so thank you, international besties, for bearing with me while I figure this out.

Also!!! If you were a paid subscriber last year (2024), you get a copy!!!!

All you have to do is click here and fill out this form so I know where to send your book. You chose to pay to support me as a writer without any added benefits and, in doing so, you helped fund the writing and printing of this book. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

I really, really hope that every writer on Substack copies this and puts out a book of their work, too. And if you’re one of my Substack pals reading this right now and wanna know how I put this book together, please just DM me. Maybe I’ll even write a post about that if enough people are interested.

Ok, now that I’m done talking about physical books and why they’re so important, you might be wondering:

What’s going to happen with Internet Bedroom this year?

I will be totally honest, I did not go into this year with much of a plan.

I had a vague idea that I wanted to self-publish a book but I had no idea how I was going to actually do that. And then I was just like, fuck it, I’m going for it because I’m really in this “now or never” era of my life I guess.

But I needed time and space to figure out how to lay out a book and make the art for it and finish writing the exclusive pieces for it and the intro. So things have been a little quiet around Internet Bedroom land while I did that, and I so appreciate everyone still reading and sharing and showing so much love to this little newsletter.

It really means more to me than you all know.

While I was figuring out how to design a book and listening to the new Ethel Cain record late into the night, I decided that this is how I want Internet Bedroom to look moving forward:

• I want to keep delivering longer essays to y’all on a monthly basis. And I want to make these essays free because I want people to discover them and read them and talk about them and share them with their friends and get in my DMs so we can chat etc. etc. etc.

• I also know that writing longer takes a little longer research wise, thinking wise, feeling wise, so I’ve decided to follow the lead of some other writers I love on this platform and create a paid tier issue of this newsletter that will be my monthly curated picks called Ephemeral Archive. Because nothing is permanent, even the things we love.

So at the top of the month, paid readers will get access to the Ephemeral Archive, and then at the end of the month, everyone will get a longer essay like the ones I’ve been writing!

What’s going on with the OTHER book I’m writing? The one about girls’ bedroom culture?

Earlier this month, I made a silly little comment on a video from a tech insta girlie I adore in which she does a 3D scan of her childhood bedroom. And that comment really blew the fuck up and I think I got a lot of new subscribers and followers from that so if that’s you hiiiii! Thank you for reading so far - everything is for you but also this section specifically!

I started this newsletter as a place to put stuff I was finding while I finished writing my third book, which started as my dissertation get my Ph.D. and then became a history of girls’ bedroom culture and THEN became essays about girls’ bedroom culture a la other essayists I adore like Jia Tolentino and Hanif Abdurraqib.

I don’t want to say too much about that book but it’s called In The Girls’ Room: Essays on Girls’ Bedroom Culture from the 90s to y2k and Beyond. And I’m super happy because that manuscript is finally in a place where I can start querying. I’m hoping to work with a literary agent to get it to the right publisher, and right now the best way to support me is through subscribing here or buying the book I’m self-publishing so I can show agents and/or publishers that there’s a readership that’s interested in this book.

I plan to keep giving updates on that book as I go through the querying process, but in the meantime if you found me because of that comment and are into girl culture and bedrooms and stuff like that, here are some of my older posts that I really think you’ll like!:

the first girl blogger

I 💓 Internet It Girls

snoopy pilled

The only other important thing I have to tell you is I finally got the kewpie hand tats I’ve been dreaming about (shout out to my friend Hakim who did them for me! He does amazing anime and comics inspired tats and also officiated my wedding so you should follow him!) and I’ll write more about them next time because Kewpie Girls really deserve their moment, ya know?