tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5360814020056871156.post5216717993209851812..comments2024-03-03T13:55:46.243-08:00Comments on Ambling Along the Aqueduct: Calling all Activists! Time For More (yes more!) Instigation!Timmi Duchamphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00673465487533328661noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5360814020056871156.post-37281058076055236642009-08-13T06:03:39.535-07:002009-08-13T06:03:39.535-07:00A WisCon panel is a good way to get things moving ...A WisCon panel is a good way to get things moving along. We could talk about writer's communities, co-op publishing, online publishing, new takes on the small press, networking among a variety of groups, etc., etc.Nancy Jane Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01030267999537291250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5360814020056871156.post-48707123882533010252009-08-08T18:01:13.495-07:002009-08-08T18:01:13.495-07:00Perhaps we could do a panel on this next year at W...Perhaps we could do a panel on this next year at Wiscon?<br />The COOP idea was something running around in my head, but I hadn't defined it yet at all. That is, how do we use our collective force to support our values and our artistic wealth? How do we negotiate the economic challenges?Andrea Hairstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08533238589541221316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5360814020056871156.post-48847054555378334312009-08-05T11:44:48.117-07:002009-08-05T11:44:48.117-07:00Diane Silver and I have been discussing the idea o...Diane Silver and I have been discussing the idea of writer communities over the past year. We did a panel on this at WisCon and are preparing a short report for the WisCon Chronicles. The general idea is a co-op or other group housing situation, with a variety of writers (and perhaps other creative types). We could share resources from Internet connections to laundry facilities to cars; provide assistance to each other (babysitting for young parents, health aide services for the eldest); and have the advantage of another writer next door when we desperately need someone to read something we've done. And if the place we set up right, we could even offer residencies to other writers on a short term basis. <br /><br />Diane and I keep debating where to locate such a place, but the truth is that the best solution is a whole lot of them in a lot of different towns, preferably networked. <br /><br />This would help some of the vulnerable among the writers and other creators we know -- the people producing fine work who lack well-off spouses, accommodating day jobs, and other ways of supporting themselves. (So few of us can make a lot of money writing, and some of the people doing the best work are making the least income.) And it could also provide a decent living situation for many of us as we get older and need some support from our friends to deal with daily life. <br /><br />This is very much just in the talking stage right now, but the ideas aren't proprietary: Anyone can pick up on this and run with it. There's more than one way to do it, and I'd love to see a variety of places around the country. <br /><br />The other thing I'm part of that sounds familiar from your post is <a href="http://www.bookviewcafe.com/" rel="nofollow">Book View Cafe</a>. We're a consortium or collective or cooperative of experienced writers publishing online and trying to find ways to continue writing careers in this ever-changing world. To some degree, all creative persons are vulnerable in the current world, because all of us, even those with fat book contracts (very few of us) are subject to the whims of the big corporations. The more things we can do for ourselves, the less vulnerable any of us will be.Nancy Jane Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01030267999537291250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5360814020056871156.post-79588955387495279372009-08-03T13:12:12.878-07:002009-08-03T13:12:12.878-07:00I don't have many solutions yet and am still t...I don't have many solutions yet and am still trying to work out how to do this myself, but I wanted to say thank you for bringing it up at that panel, and that I've had it on my mind for a while now.Oyceterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015948736643816202noreply@blogger.com