An Invitation

Let's start the New Year off right!

Dear Friends,

The New Year is upon us! Rest and relaxation are good and necessary. But soon, we’ll put down the egg nog and champagne and get back to work.

Substack has been a great experience for Mark Brahmin and myself. In a year-and-half, we’ve reached thousands of new readers and developed a strong community. Substack will be the basis for everything going forward.

If right now you’re a free subscriber, I would love it if you leveled up and became a full member.

It’s $9 per month. That’s the cost of, say, two-and-half cappuccinos, a glass wine, or an appetizer before a meal. In other words, it’s not a whole heck of a lot. And unlike Netflix, we offer enlightenment. And joining is more than giving us support: we’re building a community of the mind.

Here are the benefits.

No doubt, the main thing that attracts subscribers, and keeps us together as a team, are the “Members Only” calls. These occur at a healthy rhythm of twice per week: on Thursday evenings and Tuesday afternoons. Usually, 30-50 people join us live and ask questions and offer commentary. That is essential. As the community grows, these conversations will become even more lively. The podcast versions are posted within 24 hours; and the full archive is available forever. But again, this is for Members only.

I’m happy to announce that ALEX, our online university, will be open to all subscribers in 2024. Each month, we focus on a masterwork (like Hamlet, The Republic, or 2001). Mark or myself presents a lecture with slides, and the rest of the period is dedicated to discussion. We recently analyzed all of Kubrick’s major films; we read Nietzsche’s Birth of Tragedy; and I broke new ground on Shakespeare.

Previously, we charged for registration for these courses. But in 2024, things will be more accessible and better. Registration is free for all subscribers, and the full archive of courses is available as podcasts.

ALEX U is major project. It is, indeed, for lack of a better word, my dream. A lyceum—and organization that produces original writing and scholarship; teaches courses, soon to be in-person; and pursues the path of unrelenting intellectual radicalism. For too long, education has long been wasted on the young. So many Members have told me how enthused they are to return to—or encountering for the first time—the most challenging works in the tradition. And it’s certainly not academic drudgery; all the classes are fun.

Of late, we’ve seen a renaissance of “alternative education” across the board. This is a positive development. By I can confidently say that what Mark and I are doing—particularly, in integrating mythography and REM analysis—is not found anywhere else.

And, of course, there’s more… But you have to join us to find out!

I hope you consider our offer and participate in our community.

Best wishes,