Letter From The Founder
I’ll be honest, I never would have thought of this. In the early days of this Symposium project (it’s been two whole years already!) I personally chose the themes each month and as such I naturally gravitated to topics I was interested in and/or knew that I could write about without too much difficulty.
But now I leave the decision for topic choosing up to others and I go along with it just like any other member of the STSC community.
I regret not doing this sooner. I’ll admit I was way out of my comfort zone and my wheelhouse with this topic (which is why I was the very last one to post my work) but I think I may be better off for having worked through this challenge.
It’s easy to regret the things you have done improperly or badly but it is also easy to regret the things you didn’t do, whether it be out of a lack of courage, a lack of self-belief, or a simple lack of the desire to roll up your sleeves and do something that might bring with it the chance of failure.
When it comes to creative endeavours I think you have to risk the possibility of looking back on your older works with regret. Because that regret is nothing compared to the regret of never having gotten involved and putting your work out there in the first place.
Clearly everyone who has contributed here today agrees. And everyone, as you are about to see, has submitted outstanding work which you will not regret taking the time to take in at your leisure.
Enjoy.
Essays
Selling Out to the Digital Era by DB
DB pulls no punches with this one. This is a classic example of what I take to be the DB format of essay writing: courageous, carefully argued and backed by real numbers and above all willing to say what others will not say out of conformity or fear of not going along to get along. I’ve used this word with DB’s essays several times before but truly this one is Important.
Regret: removal and prevention by Vita
Vita once again does what he has proven himself to be so good at which is to distill big concepts and ideas into actual useful, practical steps. He brings a wonderful balance and counterpoint to a lot of the themes we get into in these Symposiums. The economy with which he can get to the heart of the matter is a real skill.
My visit with Norm by Jeanne
In the days leading up to this Symposium Jeanne S and I were consoling each other in the DMs about just how hard this topic of regret was proving to be to write about without it degenerating into a massive downer. I can’t speak for my own contribution below but I can tell you that Jeanne has really knocked this one out of the park and gotten the tone and balance just right. Which I can tell you from my own struggles is not an easy thing to do at all.
My regrettable Steampunk phase by Michael K
It’s very big of Michael K to admit to this! The title itself takes guts to publish. As to the piece itself it is the combination of light and fun but with a real message at the heart of it that we have come to expect from our man in the Big Apple. A very enjoyable piece.
No Regrets? by Thomas J. Bevan
This is the first essay I have published in a while. And it didn’t come easy, I can tell you that. But I hope that you get something from it.
Fiction
Blood Brothers by Clint
Just look at this synopsis:
Alor has become the top gladiator. A killing artist. A national hero. But today he faces his greatest challenge in the arena. Can he do what needs to be done to save his country?
How can you say no to that? Clintavo delivers on an excellent premise yet again. I keep on saying that he is an extremely underrated story writer and I think this one proves my point.
Deathbed thoughts by William
The ever-innovative William Collen takes what is essentially a fairly standard meme and expands and contorts it into art. Some artists thrive under constraints and limitations but even then I think what William has managed to do under these limits is impressive.
A Short Introduction To Syllogismatics by Vanya
Vánechka is the consigliere of this whole operation, and arguably the power behind the throne. And this is one the reasons why I have allowed him to feature this story both here in the Symposium and as an STSC Substack contribution a week or so ago. The other is because this is an excellent, excellent piece of fiction. He’s annoyingly talented.
Concerto for Elevator and Orchestra by Konstantin
This might be Konstantin Asimonov ‘s best work to date, just an absolute pleasure to read.
REGRET by GK Gaius
Regular readers will know about gkgaius ability to evoke a lot with a very, very small amount of words. His latest here is another fine example of this gift in action.
Poetry
Self-slaughter in a Psychiatric Suburbia by Harley
Harley Claes in here Symposium debut claims the coveted ‘best title of the month’ award. She has also submitted some truly excellent poetry. You should keep an eye out for her upcoming individual STSC debut coming soon. This is another extremely talented individual who I am pleased we have been able to bring into the fold.
And then I Walked Home by Minna
This one appears to be simple- just a handful of ordinary, everyday words assembled together. But it is so much more than that. And it takes a lot of effort to appear this effortless, believe me. Very Impressive.
Art(?)
PREANUPS by Elliot
Elliot Lessing is a genre unto himself, and his manic high energy and sheer creative exuberance and wildness is infectious. Bracing. A good tonic for if you fear you are becoming just a little too ordinary and boring.
Film
Regret - Again cuz ugh by Trilety
To properly describe the latest film from Trilety Wade (who has unexpectedly emerged in these last few Symposiums as a filmmaker) I am going to blatantly steal a comment that DB left in the comments section of the link above:
Trilety made a road trip movie! And like the best of the genre, there are hypnotic long takes through the landscape of the soul, ponderings on what has been lost, and a breakdown at the end.
Hear, hear.
So that was the STSC symposium on Regret. We hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Thank you for your support with these projects we share, thank you for reading them and thanks for all of your comments, feedback and notes. Thank you for taking the time to share them and pass on the word.
And of course above all thanks to all of the contributors and those who help keep the STSC going via their kind support, especially those who keep a low profile, I hope we will be able to coax more of you into taking the plunge and participating in future issues.
Cheers.
What a bounty. Great work all involved. Look forward to digging in to these pieces throughout the week
Oh wow, thanks!