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Letter From The Founder
The Soaring Twenties Social Club is now one year old! One whole year of group chats, in-jokes, book recommendations, photography, art, memes, spurious gambling parlays, actual serious life conversations, people sharing successes and challenges, guys going through the journey of starting a family and much much more.
At the risk of getting a bit emotional I can say that this is the best thing I have ever created and been a part of and this is down to the now more than 200 wonderful members we have in the group. I can’t take much credit other than being a catalyst, who has somehow managed to attract the best group of writers and creators, which this weeks Omnibus is once again a testament to.
Before starting the STSC I always thought writing was a solitary pursuit, but I now see that it is a team sport, or at least it should be. Everyone seems to be growing through the atmosphere of healthy competition, insightful feedback and genuine encouragement we have cultivated.
It’s a delight to witness and be a part of. And this is still only just the beginning…
Have a great weekend,
Until next time,
Live well,
Tom.
Essays
It's got no place to go by Lyle
“Grief is love that has no place to go.”
As is so often the case Lyle’s latest hit me hard. One of the realest, most heartfelt writers around who talks about the big, real, true facts of life with a tenderness and delicate balance (it never once slips into mawkishness or woe-is-me which is hugely commendable). Remarkable work.
No News Is Good News by Thomas J Bevan
‘The news does not matter. It has little, if any real impact on your life besides what you allow it to have. Like a vampire, The news- whether mainstream, alternative, printed or screen-based- is a parasitic force that will drain you of your energy, happiness and rationality if you welcome it over your threshold and in to your life. The key is to simply never invite it in.’
This is my contention. And in this piece (which I’m pleased to say appeared to resonate with many, judging by my emails) I make my case.
Ramblings on Different Forms of Communication by Jonas
So, a parting thought: what instead of thinking of yourself as a writer (inhabiting a role), you start to think of yourself as a human, that writes (choosing a behavior)?
A short piece by Jonas on labels and the limitations of restricting yourself to one strict medium of expression.
Cities Within Cities by Pr0ph3t
Our man reviews Tobias Buckell’s short story Stochasti-City from the MEATropolis anthology. I had never heard of it but now feel compelled to read it, which is an indicator of Pr0ph3ts ability as a reviewer, one of the many strings to his bow. I genuinely learn something completely new with every piece from this criminally underrated Substack.
Ukraine in the news by Simon
I may have argued above for ignoring the news. But the Omnibus here is a collective effort. It allows for a plurality of opinions and voices and worldviews. So in this piece Simon adds nuance to the situation in Ukraine from a zoomed out perspective.
‘The key, I think, is to understand that the news is not the place to go deep on any issue and that it's beyond our abilities to go deep on many topics. That means it is on us to focus our attention wisely, in the right places.’
Well said.
Crossing The Threshold by Zachary George
A brief, yet penetrating discussion of the idea of ‘the threshold’ in Jospeh Campbell’s theory of storytelling. I personally hope this piece is just the beginning of a whole series on this as Zachary is clearly a very capable guide to this fascinating but often misunderstood theory.
Words, Words, Words - Issue #4: “Humility” by Brady
From the opening salvo of quotations alone (Homer, St Matthew, C.S. Lewis, Shunryu Suzuki) you can tell that Brady is not fooling around. His erudition, incisiveness and real wisdom are on full display as he discussed ‘humility’, a word that has perhaps been more abused and misused in modern times than any other. Excellent work here.
Travel Diaries #24 - Holiday by Gavin
Bourdain, Bali, The Beatles, Barbarian Days, and more. For me Gavin’s work fills the gap left by the sad passing of Anthony Bourdain (his travel shows were the only new thing I made efforts to always catch on TV) and I can’t wait to have a collection of his work grace my bookshelf, hopefully some day soon.
My Personal Leadership Philosophy by Ryan Stephens
Now this may all seem like ‘simple’ stuff in Ryan’s discussion of leadership but you can tell that these lessons are actually lives rather than merely quoted. A crucial difference and these concepts will surely prove to be a very handy and applicable reminder for many.
I Texted All 1,340 of My Contacts by Ryan Lambert
‘Hi! You're receiving this text as part of a small social experiment. I've had the same phone number for 15 years and have never deleted a contact. Recently, I had this (Vans) off-the-wall idea: what if I reached out to all 1,370 of you individually? It feels no more absurd than passively watching each other's lives unfold online, just a bit more confrontational - in a good way, like a clown shaking your hand with an electric buzzer.’
Now if this idea doesn’t hook you (and perhaps get you to imitate this mass texting idea) then I don’t know what to tell you…
Every Mistake is an art by G K Gaius
‘A really good friend of mine at the age of 13 told me while he drew his comics that every mistake is an art. Instead of erasing his drawings, he would find a way for it to make sense anyways.’
A thought-provoking and probing discussion on the artistic process and why mistaoes are not just mistakes.
All Those Fanatical Writers by Charles Schifano
‘Writers should have drive, a little teenage compulsion, even an edge to their passions, but there’s still a meaning in tone and proportion and ease, especially since the old rock that we’re all stuck on is spinning just fine.’
The unbelievably consistent and prolific Charles delivers another sterling piece, this time on some of the quirks and finer points of the writers temperament and disposition. Another bullseye.
bookmark #335 by Deepansh
Some start the day off with coffee, a bite to eat, a smoke, yoga, all kinds of things. Me I included Deepansh daily ‘bookmark’ piece into my routine. And I recommend you do likewise. Always thought-provoking, always excellently written are these bite-sized meditations. Give them a try.
The Homeless Man by Tony
If you are a fan of the ‘Humble Wordsmith/Depressed Suburban Pulp Writer’ Tony (and if not, why not?) then this meander on a homeless man dumpster diving is for you. All of the trademark Tony wit and keen eyes for both tellings detail and for the foibles of the human condition. Excellent stuff.
A forcing function for excellence by Vita
And on the subject of excellence, Vita continues his own exploration of what excellence is and the may it manifests in different individuals and roles. As always there are very valuable practical lessons to take away from this piece. Vita’s consistency and craftsmanship in his work is proof itself that he knows what he is talking about here.
The Irony of Age by Kieran Moran
‘At university you’re broke so you want money, but then you start out in a job and you’re someones bitch and so you long to be not someones bitch and instead make someone else your bitch. The American Dream.’
Kieran yet again delivers the goods- and the laughs- as he discusses ageing and the different stages of life. Humour is hard to do well. Kieran makes it seem effortless.
Repeating In the Name of…? by Olli
Olli delivers his best piece yet (in my opinion) as he discusses Marco Pierre White, class, mastery, repetition, shuhari, onion chopping skills and more. Really, really wonderful stuff.
Target Practice by Paul Publisher
Metaphor master Paul discusses the Virgo Full Moon, effortlessly hitting the bullseye, Robin Hood, glitching scoreboards and more. There is no one out there who writes the way that Paul writes and can weave together insights and ideas from the stars in the way that he can. Give this a read and tell me I’m wrong.
Don't Feed Your Conscience to the Dogs By Luke Burgis
‘We should not let our monoculture to become a monoconscience; we should fight to erect healthy boundaries around our conscience while also respecting the boundaries of others. And we must understand that nobody should be forced, or ever expected, to manifest their innermost thoughts.’
Even more than his writing chops, erudition and intellectual abilities it is Luke’s heart and moral searching that always draw me to his work. And Luke’s latest shows all of these fine qualities in spades. Important and much needed work as always.
Fiction
A Clockwork Human by Ivan
Ivan’s stories are an experience unto themselves. A completely unique voice and sensibility. So rather than say anything else and potentially spoil your reading pleasure I will simply say- enjoy!
Click the button below to purchase a beautiful paperback edition of my debut essay collection. It has now sold literally tens of copies!
Podcasts
Rogue Sewage Pipes by Madspace
Apart from wishing the Soaring Twenties Social Club a happy first birthday (which was very nice) perpetual commuter Matt also gets into Daylights Savings Time, thinking in monologues and nor tweets, and the Transatlantic biscuit discussion rumbles on.
It's a podcast about making a podcast whilst trying to make a podcast (WA #44) by Craig Burgess
Instead of doing his usual pre show preparation/coming up with ideas Craig instead decides to hit us with the entire soundboard of music snippets and soundbites as he scrambububles around trying to think of what to say next.
Does he pull it off? Does the train that has somehow stayed on the track for 44 consecutive weeks finally derail? Give this a listen and find out.
TJB Film Recommendation
Smoke (1995)
D. Walter Wang
W. Paul Auster
S. Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Stockard Channing.
The cigar shop in my city closed a year or two back. Shame. So rather than being able to swing by the tobacconists and talk Cubans vs new worlds and all the rest of it I now have to order my sticks on the internet and have them be delivered. Another victory for the machine over real life human living.
But anyway.
Enjoy a cigar quite often brings to mind this Paul Auster written cigar shop set drama from the 90’s. It has a nice, laid back pace to it, competent and unobtrusive direction, dialogue that rings true (as you would expect from a script written by an often first rate novelist) and across the board excellent performances from Hurt, Channing and especially Keitel. The whole film has a lovely and at times heartwarming tone and offers some slices of life that I often find myself wanting to revisit.
It reminds me of the casual, witty, philosophical conversations that are often the accompaniment of good company and a good smoke.
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. It really helps everyone who is featured here.
Finally, Craig and I will be recording another episode of the Podcast That We Still Haven’t Titled yet sometime on Thursday evening GMT. We’ll host it and record it live from the Discord and then make it publicly available later. It will be available to all.
We will pursue this recording of the inner glimpse into the STSC until it stops becoming fun/until the hate mail becomes overwhelming
So if you want to hear it live from within our Discord (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!