Yesterday, Trump threatened to annihilate an entire civilization. He backed off, because that’s what he does. (🌮) And I’m glad for that - because it means we avoided a nuclear winter. But he meant what he said, because he always means what he says. And he should be held
At the beginning of the year, I wrote about what I'm focusing on in 2026 - that whole piece is linked here, but the salient point is that I'm now posting about things beyond 'deconstruction-oriented' topics. As part of this expanded/inclusive new framing,
Writing
Last week I traveled to NYC (my first time ever visiting the city) to speak on a panel alongside Mattie-Jo Cowsert, Josiah Hesse, and BK O’Connor. Two memoirists, a novelist, and me. The panel was expertly moderated by MJ, and followed up by a lively Q&A. I
đź”— Linking
Shit talks, money emotes.
đź”— Linking
By giving talk radio a pass, Carr gives away the game. There's nothing "equal" about this enforcement.
❌ Exvangelical
Since my book was released in September 2024, I have received three letters in response: two from relatives, and one from a former pastor. Today I want to talk about the one from my former pastor. I won’t address everything my pastor said, but I did want to talk
đź“š The Good Books
Available across the web.
Since my book was released in September 2024, I have received three letters in response: two from relatives, and one from a former pastor. Today I want to talk about the one from my former pastor. I won’t address everything my pastor said, but I did want to talk
New year, same struggle.
Hi there. 👋🏻 If you're reading this, it's likely because you're on the mailing list for my newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post. I'm migrating off of Substack to my own Ghost website. In November 2025, after almost a decade of working full-time and publishing
Writing, podcasting, and other human-created content from Blake Chastain.
Available on YouTube & all podcast platforms.
Necessary considerations for 2026.
My first interview of 2026 with Sara Moslener is now live.
Some good cultural analysis for you.
Gemini is winningCould Siri be the last piece of the puzzle?The VergeDavid Pierce Being an incumbent and a company with a $4T market cap has its advantages.
New year, same struggle.
Yancey was a significant influence on me in my teens and 20s as I wrestled with evangelicalism. This is how his career ends.
(A brief look back, and a quick glance ahead.)
Hi there. 👋🏻 If you're reading this, it's likely because you're on the mailing list for my newsletter, The Post-Evangelical Post. I'm migrating off of Substack to my own Ghost website. In November 2025, after almost a decade of working full-time and publishing
The ugly Pebble 2 Duo is the smartwatch for meThis is a welcome new-old idea about smartwatchesThe VergeDavid Pierce Pebble is so back.
I just recently started the latest Cory Doctorow book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It. I'm early on in the book - he's still providing case studies of enshittified platforms such as Facebook, Amazon, and Apple - but I'
The Trump Administration Wants Immigrants to Self-Deport. It’s a Shit ShowThe Trump administration has been virtually begging immigrants in the US to self-deport, even offering money. But some immigrants say it’s been nearly impossible.WIREDVittoria Elliott What a surprise.