Doomer Optimism

I met Stephen this summer at the Woodcrest Bruderhof + DO + Savage Collective event in NY. Alan from Plough suggested Stephen for a panel and he instantly agreed! He gave a fantastic talk about the wonderful characters in his neighborhood, and the very real sense of place that happens when you invite the colorful characters into your life.He had to run off to a family event after but he and I instantly hit it off and are slowly but surely planning a DO + Cracks in Pomo event in Manhattan, once we find the right format and speakers. In this episode we cover:Stephen’s backgroundPostmodernism and the return of religionSuburban disenchantmentLiving tradition vs. traditionalismCivic life over culture warThe Staten Island saint feast and MAGARoots, immigration, and integrationHumor, friction, and HR cultureSubsidiarity and overcentralizationThe Catholic Worker and in-person eventsFollow Stephen's work at: https://cracksinpomo.substack.com/

Jason initiated this get together of some of the original DO crew to discuss the life, work and legacy of Wendell Berry. It is no secret that Berry’s work has been an animating force for nearly everyone orbiting DO, especially those of us interested in food and ag systems. We discuss not only the legacy of Berry’s nonfiction work — how he suggested the agricultural system would collapse and so far it largely hasn’t, but also his fiction and poetry which actually has a great contribution on love, companionship, and romance.

Every once in a while someone comes into the DO world and it is so clear how well they fit in it’s amazing you hadn’t found them yet! This is true of Mike, Chicagoan, Northsider (boo!), who has a vision for how to make good things in the world and is working to do so. Right now that looks like a manufacturing business he started, but Mike talks through his whole trajectory from fancy universities, working in politics, Chicago river ship boat captain, to trying to revitalize middle side American cities (with the help of Nick Offerman).You can support Mike’s work here: www.wilmot-productions.com

This episode explores how Josh and Hannah Centers built Chapter House, a publishing project designed to restore beautiful, culturally literate children’s books to homeschool families. From Homer and Shakespeare to Beowulf, Greek myth, and Our Island Story, they explain why classic literature still matters for forming attention, imagination, and virtue in a distracted age.They also share the homeschooling experiences that shaped their philosophy, including Hannah’s background as a public school teacher, their journey with a dyslexic child, and why Charlotte Mason’s ideas about habit training and whole-person education continue to guide their work. Josh makes the case that the liberal arts are even more important in the age of AI, while Hannah describes how the right book can open a reluctant reader’s world.If you care about education, great books, or raising kids with depth and resilience, this conversation offers a thoughtful and hopeful vision for what learning can be.

"But at Least They're Human: Face-to-Face Living -- With Joy and Without Illusions"From the conference: Another Life is Possible co-organized by the Woodcrest Bruderhof community, Doomer Optimism and Savage Collective, July 2026https://doomeroptimism.substack.com/p/do-308-bill-kauffman