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Letter From The Founder
Recently I have had to audit my time. One of the realities of becoming a professional writer is you have to take such things seriously.
I realised after the success of my latest essay (both creatively and in terms of reception) that I had to devote more time to this real work. And so something had to go. I briefly flirted with the idea of letting go or these weekly omnibuses (omnibi?) but was immediately told not to by the Social Club regulars. They are usually right, and I was pleased to here how people already feel invested and attached to this project.
So it’s not going anywhere! In fact, more effort will be put into it and given the vast array of talented creators we have on our roster- painters, essayists, storytellers, poets, satirist, podcasters, reviewers and more- I am sure it will only go from strength to strength.
So thank you as always for reading and supporting us, and thank you to the new members who have chosen to join our ranks and start creating.
One of my favourite parts of the Soaring Twenties Social Club, and one of the most gratifying things in my life is to see new members join, say hello, enter the fray and rapidly start growing into their unique creative expression. Being able to in some small way help incubate this dormant talent is one of my great pleasures in life.
So sit back and enjoy our offerings this week. And join us in the Social Club if you want to be a part of this.
Have a great weekend,
Until next time,
Live well,
Tom.
Essays
It Happened Again- Lyle
‘I thought, of course it happened again. Of course, just when we thought we might get a bit of respite and time to properly attend to our work, we’re in for at least ten more days of full-time care.‘
Once again Lyle gives us a glimpse of the joys and trials of fatherhood in his open, honest, heart-on-sleeve fashion. I never miss an issue. Powerful stuff
On Attention, Addiction and Algorithms- Thomas J Bevan
I’m proud of this one. It may well be my best essay to date and it is certainly my longest. This is now the benchmark that I will be holding myself to. And the several messages I have received telling me that this piece has led to people reducing their own internet use has been the icing on the cake.
A Different Kind of War- Luke Burgis 🔒
In this subscriber only piece (if you haven’t joined already you should, Luke is one of the best writers and above-the-fray critical voices around today) Luke gives us a vital and much needed lens through which to look at current conflicts. Everyone should read this, just as they should read Rene Girard’s Battling To The End, an essential book for these times.
280 Characters- Craig Burgess
Show, don’t tell. This is what they say. Well in his latest Craig has taken this to heart and in his own utterly unique way has managed to dismantle twitter threads as a concept. Beyond the fun and the absurdity there is a real important point to Craigs work in this ‘content’ series. Excellent stuff.
Minimum Viable Little Platoons- Theofuturism
The second of our man’s ‘Field Notes From The Future.’ In this weeks instalment we learn about the importance of turning localist friendships into ‘squads’ if we are to bring about a meaningful future for coming generations.
This is vital work. Many moan about the present and our current lot but very few offer ideas towards a way out. And even less do it as incisively and entertainingly as our man Pr0ph3t here,
On depth, treasure hunting, and Kawaii Skull- Simon
Simon breaks down the success of a recent NFT project by introducing us to the ideas of ‘depth’ and ‘treasure hunting’ in the NFT space.
This is a thought-provoking and accessible piece and may well change some minds regarding the nature and utility of these expensive JPEGS
Book Review: The Stalin Front — Gert Ledig- Charlie Sherritz
Charlie is a great essayist, as regular readers will already know. And he is also a fantastic book reviewer. This mammoth discussion of Ledig’s classic debut novel is a case in point. An erudite unearthing of a novel that may have passed many by since being rereleased by the outstanding New York Review of Books inprint.
And as an end note Charlie teases us with the promise of more reviews to come. Exciting news.
A Preliminary Effort Towards a Theory of Reading- Brady
On the subject of reading, our resident philosopher Brady presents us with some fresh (and also age old) perspectives on what reading is and what it is for an why we should do it. In an age where reading is rapidly being usurped by mere scrolling this is an essential read for everyone. Fantastic.
The Land Of Eternal Youth- Gavin
This week Gavin regales us with a legend from Irish mythology which naturally lead on to a very Irish discussion of the idea of travel, which is to say of leaving home.
Gavin is consistently excellent with his travel pieces and this may be one of his best yet. Outstanding work.
Bookmark #321- Deepansh
An incredible (and to me at least incredibly relatable) meditation on the nature of money and career and all the rest of it.
there was always going to be worry. it was about the kind of worrying we were okay with inviting into our lives. if i had to work on something—which i have to anyway since coffee grows expensive by the day—i was better off making smaller bets that saved me time and did not once ask for my soul.
Hear, hear.
A reason to be excellent- Vita
As out man points out: it’s never been easier to be mediocre. So why then do some choose to instead forgo this easy option and become excellent. Any why should we also follow this path?
Read this piece from the consistently thought provoking Vita and find out for yourself.
Revenge of the Amateur Psychologist- Ryan
New Social Club member Ryan picks up the film reviewing mantle with this fantastic piece on George Cukor’s 1944 classic Gaslight- the film that later spawned the verb.
Go and say hello to Ryan the new guy, leave a comment and help his Substack grow. He clearly has a great voice and tons of promise.
Untitled Essay on Passion- Tony
Right under the wire, Tony delivers this untitled stream of consciousness. And it’s very good. You’ve got half remembered bar room conversations, parenthetical asides, reminiscences, intimidating blocks of (actually very readable) text. Dig in and enjoy.
The Correspondents- Charles Schifano
A discussion of the phenomenon of the often young and romanticism fuelled foreign correspondent—‘the war reporter, the embedded journalist, the in-country stringer’ that references both Evelyn Waugh’s Scoop and Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia. Further proof that to understand the world you have to understand human nature, and to understand human nature you have to understand literature.
Last Act- Paul Publisher
Another masterclass in metaphor and understanding the present moment from the great astrologer Paul. Every magazine needs an astrology section, and as I always say Paul’s work is much more than a premium phone line mystic. Give it a read and see what I mean.
Fiction/Verse
Isaac- GK Gaius
I’m not sure what genre you’d but this piece in. It’s an essay but it features poetry. A glimpse into the process of creation, a meditation. So I’m putting it under poetry this week. Completely unique. Give it a read and see what I mean.
Art
Dionysus- Samuel Capper
A copy of Albert Bierstadt’s “Sunrise on the Matterhorn”. (Oil on canvas)- Dominic
Podcasts
Average Satire (WA #42)- Craig Burgess
Hullo.
Welcome.
Happy forty secundst wepisode.
YES.
You all know the drill by now. Enjoy another Wednesday instalment of alleged ‘satire’ from our man Craig.
Enjoy.
The Episode That Almost Wasn’t But Probably Shouldn’t- Madspace
In spite of catching the old Cocovida, aka the Wuhan spesh, Matt still valiantly managed to record an episode this week.
Lesson learned: ‘all of you shut the f*ck up and get of the internet, it’s a cesspool’.
Wise words. Also there’s some talk about Tool, $50 parking, TV, artificial flavourings and more.
TJB Film Recommendation
[Note: Due to time constraints I have decided to mothball my weekly film review essays. The time they took will instead be devoted to further improving my long form essays and to writing more fiction. But to appease the few diehard fans of the reviews, I will be adding a quick film recommendation to each Omnibus issue from now one. Everyone wins!]
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
W. Preston Sturges
D. Preston Sturges
S. Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor
One of the great screwball comedies and one of Preston Sturges’ best. Divorce, money troubles, the Wienie King and his ludicrous bankroll, a train full of rich guys singing and firing shotguns, crushed pince-nez’, orchestras, yachts, a ridiculous plot twist at the end. This film has everything and it whizzes by in a mere 85 minutes. Good fun, and not just for those who want to investigate the influences of the Coen Brothers.
Enjoy.
So there you have it.
Thank you for reading/listening. As always feel free to share either this Omnibus as a whole or any individual piece that resonate with you. It helps all of the creators here immensely.
Also Craig and I will be recording yet another episode of our still not named or branded private podcast tomorrow at 8pm GMT. We’ll host it live in the STSC discord as always.
If you want to catch that then sign up to the premium STSC by clicking the button below.
THAAANK YOOOOU.