McAllister's Mates Two
An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.
Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.
You can meet some of my other friends in McAllister’s Mates Part One https://www.graememcallister.com/p/mcallisters-mates-one
Stefan Baciu’s fable “The Apostle to the Auks” is simply enchanting. The intriguing prologue/teaser jumps straight into the second act with a nail biting premise and some gorgeous descriptions and metaphors.
The story proper starts in a monastery where Stefan sets the scene beautifully. The peaceful yet eerie nature of this holy place soaks through every word. Stephanus is simultaneously a strange mystical figure and relatable everyman hero. We see him navigate everyday relationships and wrestle with a huge (yet ubiquitous) dilemma, but all of this is seen through a lens of sharp philosophical insight and a deep spiritual connection.There follows a touching scene between the fatherly abbot and Stephanus as he takes his leap into the unknown.
Now we’ve reached the place where I’m reluctant to write more for fear of spoiling the story… What follows is a wonderful fantasy tale in the tradition of Aseop’s Fables. The fabulous characters are given real personalities, every word and event drives the story on, nothing is wasted in idle effect or spectacle.
This post is a chapter of a larger story and the ending suggests hints at even greater danger and wonder to come. I very much look forward to the next installment. Stefan’s work is sincere and carries great conviction.In the modern world many writers take on a persona of indifferent sarcasm, their work loaded with winks and jokes to the reader. Where characters hold spiritual or heroic ideals they are often cut down to size by contrived circumstance or framed as insincere hypocrites. Not so here. If you want an escape from Game of Thrones-esque cynicism where everyone is awful, foolish, or both to various degrees then I highly recommend Stefan. While the old tales will always be there Stefan takes the fruits of those ancient trees and by literary alchemy blends and enhances them into an exciting new vine to lead us somewhere very special.
Josh Dakto captures the grand dignity of an ancient forest and its eternal battles with the elements. Full of sharp details and evocative language, reading this makes you feel small, and yet part of the greater world. He paints a scene of a wanderer stumbling into an arena where the wind and the pines fight like ancient deities.
The poem takes a poignant turn in a moment where we find the toppled bodies of the pine warriors who didn't make it. Josh reflects on the beauty of the pine needles clinging to their fallen parents. He speaks of “crying conifers” highlighting how these grand behemoth pines hold such delicate structures, and that even they, stories high, anciently rooted as they are, cannot resist a storm's fury.
This story of Old Pine Gods battling older Storm Titans comes to a beautiful, gentle conclusion with a wistful couplet about Forget me Nots and healing.
As an added bonus Josh has recorded a beautiful rendition of this poem with sound effects, music, and some very talented voice work.He has also recorded a beautiful reading of In Flanders Fields by John McCrae, and even a fascinating insight into the history of the poem.
Playing the audio is HIGHLY recommended as Josh’s personality shines through with his reading of both his own poem and “In Flanders Fields”, His additional commentary is also well worth your time.
This one is interesting.. I initially pushed back against Phillip’s arguments against our beloved substack (gasp!) and I made ferocious arguments of how it gave us lone writers a voice, independence, and a chance to reach out to each other. All true BUT Phillip’s bigger point is an intelligent analysis of the loss of apprenticeship and nurturing discipline in the world of journalism, and by extension storytelling and poetry.
I’m still in two minds about this subject as I do think there is something to be said for throwing work out to the marketplace (for want of a better word) and letting the public decide. However, we (independent writers) are perhaps left wanting for guidance, objective standards, and even external encouragement when we need it.
The weakening of some of the larger publishers and news outlets due to online publishing is not something I will shed many tears over. While I don't resent private enterprise, they became increasingly focused on the bottom line of the cash-flow statement as opposed to the end of the article. The price we pay though (as Philip points out) is that we’ve lost the smaller magazines where fiercely independent writers formed friendships, kept each other's grammar (and egos) in check, and cheered each other on when times got tough.
It is a subject he writes about with passion and clarity, and it's an article I would encourage fellow writers to read and ponder. Are you becoming locked into your own bad habits as a writer? Should you seek out an editor to review your key pieces? Are you courting real feedback and acknowledging those comments that aren’t quite so positive? Are you doing enough to engage with the other members of the community (the reason why I started these reviews). In the spirit of engagement I encourage you to read and support Phillip’s work. Maybe we should even look for ways to start our own mini-communities and collaborations on the substack platform, he’s certainly got me thinking…
Tim’s poem swimming lessons uses our paradoxical relationship with the water to explore the space where preparation meets real experience.Swimming is an odd activity, full of trepidation, and danger, and yet familiar. Most of us need swimming lessons at first, but quite soon something rises from within. An ancestral memory? Genetic code buried within millenia of evolution from when all life swam the oceans?
Tim has chosen an excellent metaphor for those times when we rise to the new challenge. The job interview, the exam paper, submitting your first piece of creative writing online (gasp!). Yes, maybe we’ve done “similar things” or imagined this new scenario vividly, but the moment comes with all its power and we flounder. And yet we find something deep within, a calm centre.. A drawing down of power from the spirit world? The strength of our ancestors as they faced hardships we coils scarcely imagine? I think Tim puts it best “The island of the heart” - a strange unfamiliar strength and calm from deep within that we actually held all along. A power that only reveals itself when we “jump off the deep end”.
Tim accompanies his poem with his own mini-essay that compliments the poem beautifully. His direct philosophical conversation, and abstract lyricism dancing together and weaving through each other to capture the mind and the heart. These informative and engaging notes are an integral part of his writing, and serve to anchor his flowing lyrics and subjective imaginings with more direct thoughts on his chosen subject. However they always maintain a literary tone and a careful obeisance to the poetry so as to provide a discrete doorway into the gentle sanctuary of his poems without allowing the storming giant of rationality to break the sanctuary. A balanced writer and one I have enjoyed reading.
I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading them and writing about them.
You can meet some of my other friends in McAllister’s Mates Part One https://www.graememcallister.com/p/mcallisters-mates-one
Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.
See you soon.
G
Catching up on your other recommendations. The "hate substack" piece is interesting. I've done published and magazine stuff before but mostly technical non-fiction. I've had editors work with me but I don't know, it was a utopia.
Then there's the feedback. Someone would have to write a letter to the editor or such, than that will have to filter back to the author.
I feel like substack is more like a newspaper. Well it even started as a platform for newsletters! Tomorrow, there will be another post. Ooops there is a mistake, we can just edit the post after the fact.
It's very ephemeral. So I'd argue that the mediums that are more permanent (books, vinyl records) probably deserve a higher degree of editorial review.
Very kind, thank you. Thanks for listening too -- I realize substack is visual heavy so I appreciate it when readers also engage with the audio.
Also, this is a very nice thing you are doing here. I looking forward to reading the other work here but thank you for helping to elevate this community.