Something Exciting This Way Comes
A new book and engagement with Geeky Stoics
Hello Geeky Stoics! We’ve been on this journey now for almost four years. That’s crazy to say aloud. I’m not sure where the time went. I began this newsletter around the time I was leaving a job hosting a political talk show, and I wanted to stay in touch with the audience from that show, as well as with the people who had purchased my book. How The Force Can Fix The World. Since launching as “This Is The Way,” we have grown a lot and merged with fellow creator,
, to form what is now Geeky Stoics, a community of nerd philosophers looking for wisdom within their favorite stories. Star Wars. Tolkien. Narnia. Marvel. Avatar: The Last Airbender.Something even bigger is coming!
I’m emailing you today because after an extended pause on Paid Subscriptions, those have been reactivated so that enjoyers of this newsletter can continue to support the work we do here.
Why? Riley and I are writing a book.
This will be my second book project, something I’ve been itching to do for a few years now. Geeky Stoics has provided a platform and narrative direction for a book we know you’ll all enjoy. Its working title is YOUR FOCUS DETERMINES YOUR REALITY, a nod to Star Wars: Episode I and a core principle of Stoic philosophy (among others).
The book will lean on the stories we love most to point the reader toward FOCUS, BALANCE, and WONDER. These are the key pillars of the project. Things we think matter in addition to the Cardinal Virtues of Courage, Justice, Temperance, and Wisdom.
As a Substack and YouTube channel that relies on key insights from Stoic philosophy, we think that the self-control element of Stoicism is only as good as what you use it for. We believe that “Wonder,” or looking to the heavens, is a missing piece of the Stoic “self-help” tidal wave in book publishing.
With the help of our literary agent, we are pursuing a publishing deal for this book. However, we want to maintain some independence in creating the best possible book for all of you in this community.
That means having a base of financial support here on Substack. It’s really important as we aim to fund original artwork within the book, professional editing, and marketing support. To do that and to take Geeky Stoics on the road, we need your help.
Paid backers of Geeky Stoics get access to additional articles, invites to the Discord channel, and will be the first folks to see new videos before they go up on YouTube.
In this cohort, you’ll also get the invitations to our book clubs, which will resume this year with a few selections from Star Wars, C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien.
As a Founding member, you’ll also be invited to help us shape key elements of this book and be mentioned in print in the acknowledgements section of the book. We hope we can share chapter drafts with you in advance of completion to get your reaction and any notes. You’ll play a part in shaping the book.
So! We’d love if you joined us as a Paid Subscriber. If you opt for the annual subscription, you'll receive $10 off the overall cost.
I have so enjoyed having Geeky Stoics in my life and getting to know you all, and hearing from you about tools for living the good life. Several friendships have blossomed within this community, and I believe the best is yet to come.
This is the way.
-Stephen Kent & Riley Blanton