Source? -Recommendations for further reading & looking
Other substack writers, artists and thinkers and some other stuff
I don’t mean to bombard your inbox with too much stuff, but I keep getting asked where you can go to find more stuff, and what my recommendations are generally for further reading and viewing. This is all just stuff you can get access to for free or very cheap on the internet. Books are another issue, and we’ll be releasing a Big Important Reading List later.
Other Substack publications
One of the big things Substack does as a platform to create connections between writers and readers is allow “recommendations”. This is where a publication like World of Hilarity formally links to another publication and suggests readers go check it out. If you go to the main page for World of Hilarity, and scroll down a bit, you’ll see a list of other sites on the right side…
In general it’s becoming Substack etiquette to recommend back when someone recommends you, and I’ve done that in some cases. But I’ve been saving making a big list for when I’ve had a longer look at some writers and really come to like and think their work worthwhile to pass along and suitable for this audience.
NB: Substack has informed me that the post is “too long” for certain email accounts, esp. Google-related email. If it’s cut off at the bottom, just click on my main page and you’ll find the whole thing.
You’ll immediately see that not all of these are sites by Catholics, or sites about art. It’s OK to like and find interesting or useful people you don’t entirely agree with. I say this only because, though I know Substack people get this, it can produce a lot of friction on Twitter for some reason.
So, here’s my updated list that I’ll be adding to the site as official, World of Hilarity recommendations:
Steve Skojec, the “Skojec File”:
Steve talking about life, parenthood, sci-fi and the weird, politics and faith and mostly just trying to figure things out as he goes along. Steve and I have been close friends for over 20 years. A lot of water has gone under our respective bridges and we’ve been there for each other for all of it. Whatever else he comes up with, while he wrestles like Jacob with God, he’s never going to lie to you, or hold anything back.
~
Peter Kwasniewski “Tradition and Sanity”: Almost everyone in the traditional Catholic world, and quite a few of our opponents, have heard of Peter, listened to his talks, read his books and heard his music. He hardly needs an introduction from the lowly likes of me, but Peter and I have been friends since we met in Norcia, where he is one of our brother oblates of our monastery, and he’s always been a tremendous personal support. I talked him into starting a Substack, which instantly rocketed into the stratosphere in popularity, so he owes me.
~
Paul Kingsnorth, “Abbey of Misrule”: A new-to-me writer and Orthodox Christian who lives in Ireland. He is on the cutting edge in all our mutual effort to figure out how to live as Christians in a world that seems increasingly hostile to our ideas. Paul Kingsnorth and I share a grave distrust of the artefacts and methodology of Modernia.
~
George Bothamley: Another new-to-me site where I have come to appreciate his approach to art. He has two sections, one of general meditations using his drawings - not always representational but always interesting - and another, “Art Every Day,” where he simply posts a piece of art every day and comments on it to let us take a closer look. Very much a palate-cleansing site.
~
A.M. Hickman “Hickmans’ Hinterlands”: I first started following this odd guy on Twitter when he was writing against the Modernian tide. Anyone who’s followed me a while know one of my maxims is “You don’t have to live like they tell you” and the “Adriondacker” - as he used to go by - was obviously someone who really embraced that idea. Reject the wealth-chasing paradigm; reject Modernia’s entire programme and find peace. Live like a real person and don’t give the oligarchs your soul or your children’s souls.
~
Mary Harrington, “Reactionary Feminist”: I don’t follow many news commentary sites anymore. Hardly any of them tell me anything I don’t already know. But Mary Harrington’s razor sharp critique of feminism and all its little friends and relations is worth a follow, if only because she keeps up very closely… and brother, it’s weird out there. If you don’t get it I hardly blame you, but Mary can really help sort it out.
~
James Gurney, “Paint here”: There aren’t a lot of drawing and painting instructional sites on Substack yet. It’s not really aimed at that crowd on the whole, being more about long-form writing. But there are getting to be more and some of Substack’s features - especially direct video uploading - are making it more compatible. James Gurney is one of the most important contemporary illustration and drawing/painting instructors out there right now. He’s best known for the book Dinotopia, and even if you don’t know the title, if you’ve ever seen the illustrations you’ll definitely remember those. (Bonus points to anyone who can name the famous 19th century genre painter whose style he is emulating…)
He gives instruction in all the technical aspects of drawing by observation, and if you’re looking to improve he’s one of the go-to guys. I was bouncing up and down when he suddenly appeared on Substack just the other day.
Caution: he posts a LOT, and hasn’t yet really found his feet on Substack. I don’t subscribe to his emails for that reason; my inbox gets pretty choked. But you can follow his posts without emails on the Substack Home website too.
~
Jack Leahy, “Stillness in the West”: Jack’s tagline is “Seeking silence, solitude, and simplicity in community. Waiting for a new, and altogether different, St. Anthony. We have entered a new desert in a New Dark Age,” and that’s about a perfect description. He is another one trying to live a life based on monastic ideals, and writing about how that’s going.
Sacred art and art history websites: tricks of the trade
Just a couple of recommendations for places to go explore art history, and … let’s face it… look at the pictures. You probably already know most of these. Some of them are just straight-up eye-candy sites: including some blogs and Facebook pages.
Before Chartres blog: (Italian). A blog all about Romaneque art and architecture. They have a great Facebook page too.
~
Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze: pretty much needs no introduction. It’s the Michelangelo David place.
But it’s also the Lorenzo Monaco place, so …
~
Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria : Perugia. I made regular visits to this incredible gallery when I lived in the neighbourhood. Jammed with Trecento and Duecento paintings, as well as a sizeable collection of Big Names, including Fra Angelico, Pinturicchio, Duccio di Buoninsegna and Perugino. And loads of good ultra-close up images.
~
Sacred Medieval Latin Iconography: a FB group that has the same idea as I do, that there is a legitimate form of sacred iconography for the western Church, and it’s mostly the Romanesque and Gothic. Lots of pics, mainly medieval but also contemporary artists working in the style.
~
Orthodox Arts Journal: If you want a place to hear a totally different - Orthodox/Eastern Christian - point of view on sacred art, what it is (and isn’t) what it’s for and how to think about it as Christians have always thought about it, this is the place to start.