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Letter From The Founder
Wow. This new influx of members- as well as the great work from all of the regulars- means that this must be our biggest issue ever. Maybe I’ll have to raise prices to stop yet more people joining and making future issues even more massive. (These are all great problems to have!)
I haven’t got the space to say much else other than to thank both the many contributors and also you the reader for digging into this work.
Feel free to let us know what you think either below or in the comments of the respective creators pages.
Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Until next week,
Live well,
Tom.
Essays
The Psychedelic Renaissance by Lou
Lou is not wrong, there is definitely a psychedelic renaissance happening at the moment. And fortunately for you Lou is one of the most informed and engaging voices to help navigate the curious around this fascinating topic.
Reflection #17 by Clint
These are powerful, heartfelt and deeply real words from Clint here. I admire anyone who can find the strength to reflect and search for meaning in such trying times.
The 3 Word Question That Can Improve Your Creative Work by John P Weiss
And as I strive for remarkable, I came to terms with a sad reality in the online world:
The more elegant your work, the fewer online followers you’ll have.
A great piece from newcomer John. His cartoons that are scattered throughout are incredible too. A real talent.
Reading list for 2023 (part I) by Oleg
If your tired of the same old lazy recommendations for the same dozen books that are plastered all over social media then this is the post for you. Insightful and thought provoking as always.
FTX, Hijacked Attention, and Re-Adjusting Our Focus by Luke Burgis
So I’ve said enough. I did not want to rush a Bankman-Fried piece out the door. This newsletter is called Anti-Mimetic for a reason. What I would like to do, though, is help one another direct our attention to the things that are truly worthy of it.
So Luke is a genuinely insightful and gifted analyst of current events (and the deeper themes and meanings that lay behind them) he really comes into his own when he stretches beyond this as this latest piece amply demonstrates. I was captivated throughout.
My Digital Setup by Siddhesh
Though it is subtitled ‘An exhaustive breakdown (that no one really asked for)’ I am still glad that Siddhesh has gone to the effort. I have been thinking a lot about our technology and the tools we use recently so I think it is a great exercise for us all to follow the example of this piece and really look at what we use and why.
Week in Review: November 20 - 27, 2022 by Frank Theodat
Rejection letters and gentleman’s wagers. This is the real process of a writer putting in the work. We can all learn from the aptly named Frank here.
making rituals of routines by kimia
And yet, my writing practice is one of the best things in my life, if not the best thing. My forever favorite—far more dependable than a soul plagued by disquiet. Perhaps it’s because the two go hand-in-hand. Maybe there will always be a restlessness in my soul: the same restlessness that has always driven me to write, and dream, and obsess over art—my own and otherwise.
There’s a fantastic excitable vibrant energy to this piece. Really refreshing stuff.
To Live as Close to the Gutter Without Dying by Cody Clarke
There is no one out there doing what Cody is doing, both with a movie camera and- judging by this piece- with a pen. An utterly unique and valuable voice.
Creator Spotlight - Oleg Volkov by Mark Dykeman
Once again Mark interviews a fellow STSC member. These really add to the Sunday supplement replacement vibe we are going for with these Omnibuses. You have to have a review section. And fortunately Mark is a great reviewer and Oleg (as expected) is a great subject. Loved this.
Weep for the Half-Life Warboys by Pr0ph3t
Mad Max, JoJo Rabbit and the Gospels. Easy work for our man from the future and a delight to read for us still stuck in the present.
Love myself? Knowing what I know? by Alex Dobrenko
Alex wins the ‘title of the week’ trophy and makes a good case for taking the overall essay of the week prize. Hilarious stuff.
Curious Realizer - 30 day challenges by Mark Dykeman
The lesson here is this: you may do work that you feel (or know) is not great during a 30 day challenge, but doing the work is its own reward. Plus you may find the seeds of a better idea.
I’ve never been too big on 30 day challenges but Mark may have just changed my mind with this piece.
The Stranger in Paris Who Stood Up to the Nazis by Samantha Childress
I’m not someone who seeks out interaction with random people, but on a rainy day in Paris, I approached a stranger at the urging of my mother. After climbing a rickety spiral staircase from the underground dankness of the Catacombs, we emerged on a quiet street, where the only other soul was an elderly gentleman.
What a fantastic story. Really heartwarming stuff. And of course the photography is terrific as always.
Book/Movie Recommendation: White Noise by DB
Well, I’m sold. DB does a real service with this film recommendations, as I have said before. For me personally at least, a recommendation from him is money in the bank and the reasoning is always compelling too. You always come away having learned something with these reviews.
Is satire dead? by Terry Freedman
This was absolutely fantastic. Hugely entertaining and incisive. The additional picture of Terry as a youth in 1970 with his flowing locks elevated this to full marks for me. Who knew?
The Wit's Guide to Manners by Benjamin
Shaw, Twain, Crisp and more. These weekly guides have a way of making me become (or at least seem) more worldly and erudite while also getting a good laugh. What more could you ask for?
The Decision Dilemma - Chapter 3 by Victor Casler
I get the feeling this serialised book is going under the radar so I’ll be extra emphatic: READ THIS!
Opportunity and Hope by Stephanie Losi
Realism, optimism and truth. Stephanie knocks it out of the park once again. Unbelievable consistency with each of these clearly heavily researched and thought out pieces.
Maths Robots by Timothy
One of the strangest and saddest things about school from my recollection was how boring and irrelevant they made maths seem. As an adult I can see how great a shame this is and how much of a disadvantage it can put people in. So it’s no surprise that Timothy would cover the subject of maths education and show us a better way.
Revivification by Adam
He’s back. The sentences are dense tapestries, the references come flying thick and fast, the prose style is still utterly unique and inimitable. Basically, you either get it or you don’t.
Bookmark #598 by Deepansh Khurana
often when people get drunk together, as drunks often do, someone says something nobody wants to hear or, worse, admit. they say it simply because it is true, and all true things should be said. most brawls are started by honest men, and most fires are fuelled by a need for warmth.
This, friends, is what great writing looks like. Remarkable work.
Thought Bananas 21 by Charlie Becker
What a great issue from Charlie this week. It’s called Thought Bananas but this is a whole banquet, a feast rather than a snack to grab on the go. I highly recommend digging in.
Four in the Morning by Charles Schifano
Heaney, Rilke, Banville all features as Charles truly goes deep and surveys those big existential questions that always appear brightest in the darkness before dawn.
Travel Diaries #39 - Hanoi to Saigon by Gavin Brennan
I’ve got to say that vicarious travel with Gavin has been something that on reflection has been a quietly significant influence over the past year or so for me. He has a way of waking up the wanderlust does Gavin.
Our Tools and Us by Thomas J Bevan
This one turned out a little longer than expected. And I still suspect I only scratched the surface. The comments for this one are fantastic as always, which I always consider to be a blessing. I couldn’t ask for a better readership. I learn more from them than they do from me.
Trust me, he's lying by Lyle
You don’t have to be deep into the crypto space to appreciate this insight into the FTX scandal from Lyle, a man who shows that web3 and crypto don’t have to be about dubious ethics and making a quick buck. Check out Invisible College for proof that Lyle has plenty of skin in this game.
Dream Whispers by Yardena
A short, evocative discussion of dreams, those things that so often go unremarked upon and unconsidered. The Soccer vs Football link in the ‘potpourri’ section also blew my mind I must admit.
Fiction/Poetry
A Meeting with Death by Adam Kozak
“Me? I’m Death,” said Death.
“Like the Death?”
“The very same.”
“Why are you here?”
“Everyone asks me that as if the answer isn’t obvious. It’s your time to go.”
David stared blankly. “Go where?”
I loved every second of this. A hugely enjoyable read.
In Too Deep #6 by gkgaius
GK is back to the fiction after a brief essay break. This is very short, but very good which is a deceptively difficult thing to achieve with storytelling.
The Adventure of the President's Lawyer by AJ
A good old-fashioned dialogue heavy page turner of a story. Has that mixture of breezing by while also not being lightweight, which is exactly what I look for with work like this.
Closing Costs (Part 2) by Maya Sinha
Perhaps seems a little unfair to nestle this in with the other fiction offerings as this is a whole novelette here. And it really evokes a whole world, which is what fiction at its best is designed to do.
Pieces From the Year by James Maynard
I suppose I could have posted this in the essay section but seeing as it concerns poetry and features so much of James’ own outstanding verse it seemed only fitting to put it here. What a year he has had creatively.
Podcasts
Digestion, Cognition and the Hot Take Klaxon (Tragedies of Modernity Episode #26)- by Thomas J Bevan and Craig Burgess
Rapport building, the contents of a carrier bag, an annoying Klaxon noise and Craig pulling a cable out. Exactly the type of rigorous professionalism Tragedies of Modernity podcast listeners have come to expect.
TJB Film Recommendation
Targets (1968)
D. Peter Bogdanovich
W. Polly Platt, Samuel Fuller, Peter Bogdanovich
S. Boris Karloff, Tim O'Kelly, Arthur Peterson
The late Peter Bogdanovich has a few great, great films in his body of work, notably The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon. He also has some, shall we say, lesser films (you probably don’t need to see Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women, to be honest).
And his directorial debut Targets is right up there with his very best. Targets is a real showpiece of New Hollywood and Bogdanovich clearly knew it too given how this tale uses a faded horror actor (I mean that to reference the character Orlok , not to be disrespectful to Karloff, the man who portrays him) to show one era giving way to the next. The old world of black and white Frankenstein horror gives way to the late ‘60’s world where real horrors like a clean cut Vietnam vet becoming a spree shooter can occur.
This is an economical (in every sense of the word) picture given Roger Corman was the studio head and, as with several other New Hollywood luminaries, this is where Bogdanovich learned his craft. And already here he proves to be a steady and assured hand.
I also want to mention that the great writer/director Samuel Fuller apparently helped with the screenplay and refused to take either payment or a screen credit for his services. A stand up guy. You should also go down the Fuller rabbit hole, starting with Shock Corridor. Thought I’d mention that seeing as I’m here recommending films.
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 will tentatively declare that Craig and I will be recording a new episode of the Tragedies of Modernity podcast tonight at 8pm GMT, even though Craig has a bit of a cold and the football is on. 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!