Dear Tomkins Institute friends,

We have just completed an exciting year for the Tomkins Institute, and I am writing so that we can share some collective joy and excitement about where we've been together.  Through renewed engagement of our board and our members we have found new ways to explore and deepen our understanding of the ways that affect shapes our lives and our world.  Here are a few highlights in which to revel:

NEW BOARD MEMBER: Paul Marshall has been acclaimed and will be returning to the board for another three-year term. We wish to thank Paul for all that he brings to the board and to the Tomkins Institute!

NEW WEBSITE:  TI Board Member Maria McManus worked along with Paul Marshall to completely revamp our website, making on-ramping easier for newcomers, providing exciting member-only content, and improving the administration of memberships (Jan 1 renewals for everyone is a thing of the past, you will now receive a renewal reminder 12 months after).   Please let us know what you like and what you might like to see in the future!

INCREASE IN MEMBERSHIP:   The board has worked hard to provide our members with more juicy content and opportunities for learning.  As a result, the institute has seen an increase in our membership over the past year.  

SOUND GOVERNANCE, SOUND FINANCIALS:  The Tomkins Institute remains an all-volunteer-led organization.  With over 30 years in operation, we have maintained a committed board of directors and remain in sound financial standing.  Thanks to our board and our members for keeping the flame alive!

VIRTUAL GATHERINGS:  Our virtual gatherings have provided an opportunity to hear from featured speakers and interact and learn in real-time with members.  This year we had wonderful presentations and time together with Amy Demorest, Joseph Izzo, Margaret Thorsborne, and Ellen McShane, Marc Tomkins and Lauren Abramson, and Wesley Novak.

PUBLICATIONS: The Tomkins Institute published "Unpublished and Obscure Writings of Silvan Tomkins, Volume 1,' edited by board member Lauren Abramson.  This volume is chock full of easily accessible writings by Tomkins, with some lectures, some letters, and many other pieces of interest curated from the papers left in Tomkins' home library.   This volume has been available to members for $80 (www.tomkins.org), and will soon be made available to the general public at a cost of $160.   

FIRST TI AFFECT RESEARCH GRANT AWARDED:   Spearheaded by board member Maria McManus, the Tomkins Institute awarded our first research grant of $3,000 to support a small research project related to affect and affect script theory to Karen Pei-Sze Tan of Temple University, who is drawing upon Tomkin's affect theory to investigate how people experience paid time off. 

WIKIPEDIA ENTRY UPDATED:  The Silvan Tomkins Wikipedia entry has been thoughtfully updated by board member Duncan Lucas.  Be sure to check it out at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvan_Tomkins

TOMKINS READING GROUP: The monthly Tomkins reading group continues to meet and to provide an outlet for members to read and discuss Tomkins' work, and the scholarship of others that draws upon or further probes Tomkins' Human Being Theory.

On behalf of the Tomkins Institute Board of Directors, I'd like to wish you all the best for 2025 and express my appreciation to each and every one of you for continuing to journey with us.  

Warm wishes,

Phil Rose

TI President