Introducing: Convenience Stories
Confessions of a 'Lottery Guy'
CONTENTS
BACK COVER BLURB
Convenience Stories details my experience as a lottery machine repairman in the rural western counties of Pennsylvania. This book is a vehicle to ponder the nature of reality, the occult, and the role of magic in everyday life. It also considers the history of the region, examining how its exploitation as a resource colony has impacted its inhabitants and culture. The reader will encounter a variety of characters, ranging from conspiracy theorists to reality TV stars—people trying to find their place in a strange and increasingly complex world.
INTRODUCTION
It’s been quite a while since I posted—​​646 days, to be exact (that’s 1 year, 9 months, 1 week, and 4 days). Since I’ve been gone, groceries have doubled in price; DEVO has played its final tour; something called The Bear has inexplicably captivated streaming audiences; and I undertook the most distressing assignment of my journalistic career.
For 18 months, I repaired lottery machines for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And I’m here to tell you about it.
You might be asking yourself, what does this have to do with the culture of American decline, this newsletter’s ostensible beat? If you had spent the last year-and-a-half hanging out in convenience stores in rural Southwestern Pennsylvania, you wouldn’t have to ask about American decline.
But if you’re morbidly curious, I invite you to check out my new book, Convenience Stories. This project documents over a year spent wandering the rust belt in a white Ram ProMaster City cargo van, driving from gas station to vape shop to grocery store. You’ll meet lottery junkies, occultists, and conspiracy theorists; you’ll also witness a possible nervous breakdown and get some insight (but not too much) into my childhood in the Reagan 1980s.
As you know, authors hardly get paid anymore, and people don’t really buy books anymore. That’s why I’m publishing Convenience Stories on Substack. It's a great opportunity to share my work with the many hundreds of smartphone addicts who read this newsletter.
SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS
Subscribers to Convenience Stories will receive a chapter in their email three times a month for $7/month or $75/year. In addition, they will have full access to the Failed State Update archives, featuring damn near every feature article (and many shorter articles) I’ve written. And if you subscribe using the Founding Member option on the subscription page, you will receive an actual, autographed, physical copy of the book Convenience Stories when it is published in 2025.
Thank you to everybody who has supported my work over the years. I have some pretty exciting stuff coming up in the near future, so be sure to keep an eye on this space.
— Lenny