New Escapologist was a small press magazine for over a decade, beginning with a pilot issue in 2007 and ending with a chunky final edition in 2017. Since then, I’ve kept the spirit alive with a blog (digested monthly in this newsletter), a column in the Idler, and two books.
The theme of this franchise has been escape, typically from the alienating concerns of work and consumerism, with a sense of style and grace and humour.
Over the years, New Escapologist saw contributions from Alain de Botton, Caitlin Doughty, Mr Money Mustache, Will Self, and Tinky Actual Winky from Teletubbies. Most importantly, we published over 200 essays designed to temper the work ethic.
In 2023, it’s clearer than ever that “honest hard work” is not the answer to poverty, loneliness, boredom or ill health. Moreover, people are questioning the primacy of centralised digital platforms. The time is ripe to bring the mag back! So that’s just what we’re going to do.
In the meantime, please enjoy this Substack and our good old-fashioned website.
