The STSC Omnibus #30
The STSC Omnibus #30
14th August- 21st August 2022
This Omnibus is brought to you by The Soaring Twenties Social Club. Everything you want to know about our community and why you should join is contained within this post ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Letter From The Founder
We had a good discussion over in the Soaring Twenties Social Club community the other day about the numbers. About how the metrics can become an obsession, can become maddening and that ultimate you most overcome them and (almost) ignore them to create the kind of work you want to create.
I stand by this and I advocate this approach although of course it is much easier said than done.
An obsession with the numbers can lead to you feeling overlooked and disgruntedly when (seemingly) less talented, less hard working, less deserving people than you get ahead in the number of followers and number of likes games. And their bigger brothers the number of books sold and amount of money made game.
But ultimately it is only the quality of the work itself that can offer the possibility of true fulfilment. Increasing the numbers can never equal the satisfaction that comes from truly adding to your body of work and truly making something that you know is genuinely the best you can do.
I mention this because judging by this weeks issue there are many, many creators here who have every reasons to be extremely proud of themselves and their achievements regardless of what the dashboards and the metrics say.
It is once again an honour to showcase the STSC’s collective work for you all.
Enjoy!
Until next week,
Live well,
Tom.
Essays
Lost and Found by Huw
The Neverending Story, the Archimedes principle and Wigan Pier mod tearing it up. What more can you ask for? Another belter from Huw.
Reinventing Buddhism by ?!
‘For the rest of this post I will butcher the history and metaphysics and psychology of Buddhism, as I know very little and understand even less.’
I’m not a religious scholar so I can neither confirm or deny that this is what in fact happens. However I do know good writing and honest, heartfelt exploration when I see it and this one has plenty of both.
Week in Review by Frank
I wasn’t going to include Frank’s weekly round up of the work he has put in but I saw that he had achieved the fantastic feat of his first rejection letter so I had to give it a shout out. Frank is playing the game the right way. Can’t wait to see his success unfold.
Fictitious vol. 12: The consequences of not punching a Nazi by Oleg
New member Oleg comes out of the gate strong with this one. I absolutely loved the iconic woman with a handbag image, the tone, the story aspects and the word origin component. Oleg has made his mark straight off the bat here.
Become Your Neighborhood Wizard by Pr0ph3t
Regular readers know how much I love the Field Notes From The Future series of Pr0ph3ts work. And regular readers can also imagine just how the ‘master your craft’ message resonated with me, a sentiment that our man has clearly taken to heart himself.
loaded question: what movie have you seen the most times in its initial theatrical run? by MaryAnn
Not an essay as such, but I really like MaryAnn’s emphasis on getting a conversation going with her readers and I think this is a great example of that in action. Letter her know your answer.
Reflection #9 by Clint
‘I write. I see. I create. I see. I write. I hear. I play. This is the artists’ path of creation and it is the only formula one needs for fulfillment.’
Beautiful stuff from Clint. I love to see people proudly raising the flag of who they are and what they do with confidence like this.
The Quincunx by Paul
Two lessons for me from this piece. Firstly I learned a new word- Quincunx. Secondly I learned the same old lesson again of just how good Paul is at what he does and just how unique and needed a voice he is today. If his words resonate with you, you should book him for a reading before the world catches up to just how much he is undercharging
The infamous 10000 hours assertion by Mark
An excellent and nuanced discussion of the Gladwellian 10000 Hour idea from our man Mark. Also check out his interview with Craig, it’s outstanding.
Obssessive Niche Disorder by Craig
On the subject of Craig and outstanding… without wanting to build up the Barnsley Badman’s ego too much I have to point out that this is one of the best pieces he has put out to date. Timely, well argued, funny and a little bit righteously angry in the best possible way.
Context Clarity by Victor
For me, Victor is one of the dark horses of the STSC. He can slide under the radar, but every piece is excellent and consistently getting better. This particular essay is genuinely useful and will be of great help to the attentive reader.
Bewilderment: Getting Modern Parenting Right and Wrong by Maya
Along with Oleg we have the debut of new member Maya this week. What we have here is an excellent in depth review of the Booker shortlisted novel Bewilderment by Richard Powers. This is excellent analysis from a woman who is clearly a great fiction practitioner in her own right. Honoured to have Maya join the roster here.
The Anti-Mimetic Act of Obedience by Luke Burgis
That this is an outstanding, well written, astute, insightful and psychologically nuanced piece goes without saying at this stage. This is Luke we are talking about. And it’s for all of these reasons that I can’t wait to have the opportunity to sit down and have an in depth chat with the man on Tuesday. You should join us.
bookmark #493 by Deepansh
I write short stories. I know the amount of practice and craft it takes to poetically get something across and make the reader feel something in just a handful of sentences. Which means that I grasp just how good Deepansh is at what he does. Let alone the crazy consistency with which he does it.
In Case of Emergency Break Glass by Charles Schifano
‘Although it is difficult to spot the jester amid the gallows, I do think that it is vital in your worst moments to ensure that the ironic mind overcomes the literal mind. In hospital rooms and funeral parlors you’ll find both the most intense silences and the loudest laughter; the cliché, it is worth remembering, is gallows humor for a reason.’
Read this. That’s all I’m going to say. Do it.
Travel Diaries #31 - Revy Summer by Gavin
Glad to see Gavin’s triumphant return last week was not a one-off. If anything the hiatus seems to have refreshed him and he is back and better than ever. The ‘hustle and grind’ folks can learn something from this example.
Seething - A Derangement in Many Shapes and Forms by Tony
Tony’s like that talented, hard-living athlete type. You think ‘if he doesn’t screw this up he’s gonna be a future great.’ And when it comes to this writing game he is holding it together. Excellent stuff as always here.
On The Futility of Offering Advice by Thomas J Bevan
I’m advising everyone to stop dispensing generalised advice. Myself included. Judging by the reception this one is getting many seem to agree with this sentiment.
Some thoughts about Lyle McKeany by Lyle
Love both the concept and the execution on this one. Imagine being the only person with your name. Entertain stuff as always from the literally, demonstrably unique Lyle McKeany.
Fiction/Poetry
Just A Joke by Chekhov (Translated by Vanya)
As much as I love the work of Vanya the short story writer, Vanya the essayist and yes Vanya the STSC Discord tech support guru, I have a special place in my heart for Vanya the Chekhov translator. Read this to find out why.
Another War by G.K. Gaius
G K adds another ultra short, dialogue heavy story to his growing catalogue. I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this one.
How I met your mother by AJ
Above all else I absolutely love AJ’s voice in his stories. There is a simplicity and a direct clarity to it that seems effortless and natural but I know is deceptively hard to achieve. Wonderful.
No Duplicates. A short story by Oleg
Oleg makes his second appearance in his debut Omnibus. And across two mediums. Very impressive.
Four Sonnets of Petrarchan Origin by Trilety
And on the subject of crossing mediums, out of nowhere Trilety has decided to prove that she is an outstanding poetry writer as well as an essayist. Every week the STSC members find ways of surprising me with their talent and range.
Podcasts
Dehydrating Water and Sammy Swoops in to Save the Show (Tragedies of Modernity #15) by Thomas J Bevan & Craig Burgess
I present this as exhibit a for why we should all keep hounding Sammy to finally get his solo comedy podcast off the ground.
How to say 'welcome' in Russian (Wednesday Audio #66) by Craig Burgess
Russian words pronounced interestingly, monstrous pitch shifted voices, muzak, missive and madness. Yes it's the Wednesday Audio (hullo, welcome) we all know and love. Enjoy.
TJB Film Recommendation
Goodbye Lenin! (2003)
D. Wolfgang Becker
W. Wolfgang Becker, Bernd Lichtenberg
S. Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova
A perfect balance between comedy and drama. The laughs all land as do the scenes or emotional heft and real drama and emotion.
The central concept is as original and simple as it is outlandish (the Berlin Wall comes down while a mother is in a coma and so her adult children contrive to make it appear that they are still living under Communism) and yet this conceit is pulled off without the film falling apart. It works brilliantly which takes really remarkable skill in writing, directing and acting.
The young Daniel Brühl is fantastic as always and I have a real soft spot for this film. It’s one of those films that I probably wouldn’t leap to name as a favourite but in reflection I can see that I have seen it 3 or 4 times now and that I always enjoy it. So I thought I’d mention it here today.
Thanks as always for reading/listening and thanks in advance for pressing all of those various buttons at the bottom which help the Omnibus spread further.
Also I can again confirm that Craig and I will be recording a new episode of the Tragedies of Modernity podcast tonight at 8pm GMT. We’ll host it and record it live from the STSC community and then post it via this Substack tomorrow.
If you want to join us live and listen in and post questions/comments/heckles in the podcast channel chat you are more than welcome. You simply have to sign up to the community first.
I look forward to seeing you over at the Social Club.
Cheers!