Welcome to Philosophy and Fiction!

Let me show you around...

Hi. I’m Tina Lee Forsee.

Here I write about—you guessed it—philosophy and fiction. I also manage the Substack for a publication called After Dinner Conversation.

This is my personal Substack.

I’m an old-school blogger, not a brand. If you’re okay with a bit of randomness, join me and chat with other philosophy and fiction fans.

About me…

I switched my major from creative writing to philosophy early on as an undergrad in the hopes of turning philosophical knowledge into fiction. Last year I published my debut novel, so I guess that makes me a novelist. I’m also an unabashed maker of bad, zero-budget films, a mediocre musician,¹ and an amateur flamenco dancer. My list of interests and hobbies is like this “About Me” page—ever-evolving.

But one thing stays the same: I have always wanted to be an author ‘when I grow up’. Little did I know that spending an entire decade of my life immersed in writing a literary novel—a genre I used to refer to as books—would turn out not to be viable occupation. I could gripe about it (and maybe I will!) or I could do something.

I’m not the sort of person who joins causes. But when I found out about a nonprofit publication called After Dinner Conversation that specializes in philosophical fiction, I knew I had found my place. Indeed, ADC became my first short story publication. Around that time I volunteered as a reader and this year I offered to manage the Substack when the editor had to go back to his day job and needed help. Juggling both blogs is time-consuming, I’m not gonna lie, but there is literally no other publication like it. Readers outside the literary and publishing world often don’t realize how precarious the situation is, how many of the creative endeavors they take for granted rely on volunteers, donations, patrons—a small but enthusiastic community. It takes so little to make the whole thing come crashing down.

The situation is true, of course, for artists of all stripes. While opportunities in the so-called creative economy proliferate, too often the artists themselves are left feeling like flotsam in a sea of ‘content’. To compete, or so we are told, we must offer our work for free and be happy anyone bothers to glance at it. Unfortunately, this may just be the reality we have to face. Substack promises to be different…we’ll see about that. I think it’s just one of many shiny new platforms, but at least for now it doesn’t charge fees to use and it’s ad-free, which I think is fabulous. If there is an audience to be had here, I think it will most likely be other artists and thinkers seeking an audience. I’m okay with that. Community is what I seek.

Some will say we’ve created nothing more than echo chamber.

Well I say let it reverberate.

Support the niche you love in any way you can.

My published books…

• FICTION: I’m posting my literary campus novel, A Footnote to Plato, as a FREE podcast right here on Substack. Watch the book trailer below to find out if it’s right for you, or just start listening to chapter one. I hope you love it and tell all your friends about it. :) Or leave a review—now that would be really really nice.

• PHILOSOPHY: Truth and Generosity: How Truth Makes Language Possible—a collaboration with my husband, philosophy professor, Neal Weiner. It’s about the relationship between language and truth and what that relationship reveals about the nature of reality. Don’t be scared. It’s written for a general educated audience. No symbolic logic or word math. Trust me. I don’t do math. Start reading.

By now I’m sure it goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway, I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber if you can. Or you can support my work (and whatever’s left of my writer’s ego) by leaving a small tip to show your appreciation. Or just say hey in the comments section.

Whatever the case may be, I’m glad you’re coming along for the ride!

Click here to find out how all this subscriber stuff works.

Watch these book trailers to find out more!

Truth and Generosity:

A Footnote to Plato, a novel:

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Some housekeeping…

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You can always see everything on the website.

Thanks again, and please tell a few friends if you feel like it.

Tina Lee Forsee

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