Letter From The Founder
I’ll tell you how I do it. Every Saturday the automated deadline notice pops up in the Soaring Twenties Social Club Discord and that is my cue to sit down and collect all of that weeks work into a new Omnibus. It’s a tedious process of cutting and pasting and making sure I don’t miss out any entries. But it’s worth it for the next part.
On the following morning, Sunday morning, today, the fun happens. I take my iPad, I go to a cafe, I get myself a drink and get myself situated with my pen and paper and open document. And just like you reading this several hours later I begin the ritual of reading and listening to all of the weeks work. Sometimes I get funny looks when the Wednesday Audio makes me laugh out loud or when I exhale loudly as a striking sentence or powerful paragraph of fiction knocks the wind out of my sales.
It’s one of the highlights of my week reading this work and leaving a sentence or two of explanation of commentary. And I hope that likewise reading the Omnibus that follows is one of the highlights of yours. As I always say we have the best essayists and storytellers around and it is a true pleasure and privilege if mine to be able to pay host to them all.
And as always if you want to support me in this project and join us as a member and contributor click the link below and sign up as monthly, annual or founder member. It means a lot.
Until next week,
Live well,
Tom.
Essays
bookmark #395 by Deepansh
I won’t quote it for fear of spoiling the rhythm of the short piece where every sentence matters but suffice it to say this very short piece is very good indeed
Some things I've learned from journaling for 754 days in a row by Lyle
I’ve read many observations that people make about the supposed benefits of journalling but they’ve always seemed a little… fake. Or if not fake, then second hand. Received wisdom. This however is the real deal and clearly completely authentic in what it discusses. You’ll see what I mean.
The Morning Run by Clint
I live simple, slice of life, observational realism. Outside of the STSC circles I don’t think there is enough of it, in both fiction and essays. The business of living and experiencing gets drowned out by ideas and thinking. This latest by Clint about running is a great example of simple, clean, observational work. Excellent stuff.
Never Coming Back by Pr0ph3t
The second in Pr0ph3ts ‘meditation’ series/format which collects together quotation, verse, scripture and short observations into a delightful tapestry. I love the fact it gives you the freedom to connect the dots and make the links yourself. Looking forward to more of these.
Choosing Your Online Identity by Andrew Hanley
An interesting first person perspective on twitter, anonymity vs public, playing the online game, scale and how to do things going forward. There is definitely something that everyone can glean from this great piece from Andrew.
Travel Diaries #27 - Muay Thai by Gavin
‘In a gloriously dingy hall near the Thephae Gate leading into Chiang Mai’s Old Town, I found exactly what I was looking for, that which I never knew I needed nor even existed.’
Gavin is a regular fixture here and for my money one of the best travel writers around today. His eye and his voice are both highly, highly trained as this discussion of Thailand’s bloody, brutal and beautiful national sport shows.
Mathematics will kill you by Katavasis
Mathematics, truth seeking, young mens madness and more in this brilliant and utterly unique piece by the inimitable (and definitely human) Katavasis.
On horizons & pinnacles by Simon
A discursive yet focused, fractured yet carefully structured and whole essay on death filled with keen observations and insight. Maybe one of Simon’s best to date. Always a pleasure to host one of his essays here.
7 Ways to Raise Healthy and Happy Kids by Ryan Stephens
There are quite a few new parents in the STSC and I’m sure they would all stand to benefit from this direct, wise, skin-in-the-game list of advice from Ryan. Timeless and true.
Anti-Mimetic Communication by Luke
As much as I enjoy Luke’s more philosophical and searching works (and I do adore them) I am also a big fan of when he takes these thoughts and distills them practically. Read this piece and you will see why I think this. There are things in here that could prove to be life-changing for you.
Contemplation to Intention by Zach C
I enjoy this round up format of Zach’s (a round up within a round up, it’s all very fractal). Plenty of good thoughts, observations and recommendations in here. Check it out.
Fateful by Charles Schifano
Issue 100! That’s all I have to say. What an incredible achievement of pure tenacity alone, let alone that Charles has remarkably never put out a bad piece and never phoned it in once. If anything he is going from strength to strength based on this essay.
Splitting the Bill by Olli
A wonderful discourse on the nature of splitting bills in restaurants by our resident chef/ one of many bon vivants. Such things are what essays and indeed life should all be about. The daily business of living and merry-making. Read this and then buy Olli’s fantastic cookbook.
Vortex by Adam
Adam has been on a creative tear of late. The hand drawn illustrations, the poetry like shorts glimpses or prose, the virtually daily output. Everyone provokes thought and reflection. Every one hits its mark. This is quite the body of work he is putting together in no time flat. Another one which I hope is turned into a physical volume soon.
Flyover Towns/Meet Me in the Back Room After You Take That Shot of Brandy by Tony
Italicised bookeneds, vivd prose, life-being-lived, a title that (fittingly) sounds like a Mid West emo song, nicotine. Another Tony classic here.
Sense of Booty by Kieran Moran
Here we have Kieran’s entry for this months symposium. The topic is beauty. I will reveal more about this in next week’s Omnibus. But for now I will simply say that the great comic voice Kieran has put perfect words to something I have spent ages trying to articulate:
‘The phrase ‘stop and smell the roses’ isn’t about roses at all, it’s about stop.’
Perfect
The Expert's Curse by Craig
Craig and I have had a weekly essay publishing challenge going for a few weeks now. This week I failed (apologies to all readers who for some unknown reason received a blank email yesterday) and Craig got in just under the wire with this piece. So I owe him a fiver. Fair is fair. So I’ll take my loss on the chin while you read this piece from Craig here.
Fiction
An Android’s Testimony by Ivan
I’m going to quote the opening sentence to give you a flavour of the prose here:
A courtroom is packed as a jar of sprat, where the air is stale and the brine of room is salt and oil, for every spectator is sweating, all, except androids – androids don't sweat, don't shit, don’t shed a tear, say no lies, and see no dreams, except seldom electric sheep, and mere meandering into the neural latent space.
Isn’t that great? Ivan is an utterly unique storytelling talent and I am thrilled that he is pursuing short fiction more and more. Perhaps we can all push him to release a physical collection with the STSC logo on the back. This would absolutely be one of the highlights of the year for me.
Podcasts
Notes about Notes about Notes (Tragedies of Modernity #6) by Thomas J Bevan and Craig Burgess
A Silicon Valley anecdote from guest caller Vita followed by a fairly serious discussion of note taking as a form of procrastination, getting stuck in research mode and learning by doing rather than thinking. You might just learn something with this one.
The Thursday Audio (The Wednesday Audio #53) by Craig Burgess
However with this one you will learn nothing. Serial soundboard abuser Craig is back with another episode of the (day late) Wednesday Audio. Members of Craig’s crazy podcast cult (I believe there are 5 of us) know what to expect but for those not in the loop I can’t even begin to explain this thing.
N.B. Our friend Matt a.k.a Madspace has not put out a podcast this week because he is sick with a nasty cold by the sounds of it. Get well soon, Matt.
TJB Film Recommendation
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
D. Monte Hellman
W. Rudy Wurlitzer, Floyd Mutrux, Will Corry
S. James Taylor, Warren Oates, Dennis Wilson
A real piece of stripped back Americana here. A rad trip where the road itself and the cars and the sounds of the muscle car engines take precedent over acting, plot, establishing shots and other cinematic conventions. This could have descended into amatuerism especially with its musician lead (James Taylor) and its loose minimalist style but the performance by the ever reliable, ever enjoyable Warren Oates as G.T.O. combined with director Monte Hellman’s craft and ability to imbue scenes with resonance and feelings of weight hold it all together beautifully.
Though it has somewhat faded from the collective consciousness (as has everything mad before the monoculture franchise age that aims itself at grownups) Two Lane Blacktop was held up as a classic and film of the year candidate upon its release in 1971 and it still holds up as a great piece of cinema today, and it it one that you can watch again and again and again.
Enjoy.
Thank you for reading/listening. Feel free to share this email and the individual authors work and also feel free to leave comments either here or on the authors own sites.
Finally, Craig and I will be recording another episode of the Soaring Twenties Podcast tomorrow at 8pm GMT. We’ll host it and record it live from the Discord and then post it onto this Substack on Monday.
All exclusive for STSC premium subscribers.
So if you want to hear that either live or via recording (and if you want to join our ranks and contribute your work) then click the button below and choose either monthly, annual or founder member.
I look forward to seeing you over at the Social Club Discord.
Cheers!