UPDATE ON POEM-A-DAY

Dear Subscribers to “Poem-A-Day" (a not very accurate name, it turns out, as I often go many days without publishing a poem, then will suddenly publish many poems in a single day sans explanation):

This will be the 848th post since I started this Substack three or so years ago. Most of those posts were poems (at least 840 of them). Of the 840, I expect that approximately ten of them are actually good poems. This Substack is not the means by which I hope my poems remain in the world. It would be nice to have a third collection some day, but that is out of my hands.

Recently, I used this Substack to provide updates on the situation in the Creative Writing Department at Stanford. I won’t say anything more about it but that 23 beloved, vulnerable teachers were fired by four tenured male faculty, and the deans will not reverse the decision due to “faculty governance,” meaning faculty can pretty much do whatever they want to whoever they want. The last chapter in this battle was last week, when the faculty refused to meet with our students, whose tuition pays the faculty’s hefty salaries. So it seems they have “won,” though we know we won in a moral since, which is all that matters. Everyone shall receive their just reward in time. After this calamity, I am no longer interested in being in academia, unless I find teaching at a school that more closely aligns with my values.

Because I am being fired (as of now, on August 31, 2026, so I have some time), I need to find other sources of income, which is why I’ve decided to put my Poem-A-Day project behind a paywall. I’m going to set it somewhat on the high side of the spectrum, at $25 a month. I may also change the name from “Poem-A-Day” to something more accurate, since I will not be posting a poem every day as the name promises, and will also be posting fiction and nonfiction occasionally.

I have a theory that the publishing world, as well as the academic world, is in its death throes, and this Substack will most likely be the most effective way for me to see that my work finds its way to readers, which is why I feel more comfortable now in charging for it.

If you fall away because of the paywall, I’ll be sorry to see you go, but I absolutely understand (and if you’re a teacher or artist yourself, reach out to me and I can figure out how to wave the fee). Thank you very much for reading my work, whether you wish to continue doing so going forward or not.

Austin Smith