A recent email correspondence confirmed that all of our wonderful websites aren’t always reaching the people who should be hearing this message. Self publishing a book is almost as easy as starting a blog so why not put together a booklet of a website’s essays? You can order the first edition of the “Quaker Ranter Reader”:http://www.cafepress.com/Quakerranter.18423631 for $12.00 through Cafepress (a few dollars of each sale comes back to me to support the website). The Reader is also available from “Quakerbooks of FGC”:http://www.Quakerbooks.org/get/11 – 99-01749 – 3.
h3. Table of Contents:
Introduction to this Collection
*I: Quakerism Today*
“We’re All Ranters Now”:/Quaker/ranters.php
“Conservative Liberal Quakers”:/martink/archives/000401.php
“Sodium Free Friends”:/martink/archives/000300.php
“Eldership and Under-Running One’s Guide”:/martink/archives/000520.php
*II: Generational Turmoil*
“The Lost Quaker Generation”:/000096.php
“Passing the Faith, Planet of the Quakers Style”:/martink/archives/000266.php
“It Will Be There in Decline Our Entire Lives”:/martink/archives/000086.php
“Are Catholics More Quaker?”:/martink/archives/000111.php
“Peace and Twenty-Something’s”:/martink/archives/000100.php
*III Our Testimonies and Witness*
“Quaker Testimonies”:http://www.nonviolence.org/martink/archives/000450.php
“Quaker Peace Testimony: Living in the Power, Reclaiming the Source”:/Quaker/peace_testimony.php
“Testimonies for Twentieth-First Century: A Testimony Against Community”:/martink/archives/000264.php
“My Experiments with Plainness”:martink/archives/000080.php
*IV The Future*
“Emergent Church Movement”:/Quaker/emerging_church.php
“How Insiders and Seekers Use the Quaker Net”:/martink/archives/000333.php
“Visioning the Future of Young Adult Friends”:/martink/archives/000079.php
A Youth Ministries Proposal (redeveloped into the “Quaker Ranter Vision”:/Quaker/vision.php essay)
I’ve pondered the idea of greater fluidity between books and the WWW. Years ago, the book Shopping for Faith by Richard Cimino and Don Lattin came with a CD-ROM that included Web hyperlinks — my first introduction to the idea of linking print and the Web. Gerard Kelly’s book Retrofuture linked up with Cafe-net (now bless.org.uk), and http://www.msainfo.org links up with Tom Sine’s books. No reason the flow shouldn’t go in both directions
I’m confused, Martin. Do you mean that you’re thinkiing of self-publishing some of your posts as essays; or a compilation of several bloggers in a self-published book; or both???
I’ve often thought that some of the posts I’ve read on your blog, as well as others, would make for a good occasional article in something like Friends Journal.
Maybe someone could write up an article on Quaker blogs for FJ or Quaker Life?
Ooooh, an article on Quaker blogs sounds exciting and scary. smile
Hi Joe: sorry for the confusion. I think it reflects my concern that I not rush things. Being an old book typesetter I’ve actually put together a dozen articles from my website into a PDF that could be turned into a book, a “Quaker Ranter Reader.” It’s available (theoretically) from a print-on-demand service and for an hour or so I had a link to it from this post.
But: do I want to have these articles in print? Is this a strong leading? And is is okay to do it with articles that haven’t been re-edited and re-written? I would want them in print so I could get them out to some powers-that-be that don’t use the internet, but is that 1) vanity or 2) my being too impatient that institutional awareness is happening too slowly?
In related matters, I do have a proposal to a Quaker funding group for a sort of web/journal hybrid that would pull together the writing of a lot of Friends. Who knows if and where that might go.
Sometimes the only way to test a leading is to do the thing and see whether it is fruitful. I, for one, would like to see what you have compiled.
What a coincidence. I just spoke with the editor of Friends Journal three weeks ago about whether anyone had proposed an article on Quaker blogs and if she’d be interested in printing one. The answers were no and yes.
I’ve been toying with writing it myself, but have been hesitant because I’m new to the area and Quaker Ranter seems to be Blog Central of Quakerdom and wouldn’t want to trod on plans you may have, Martin.
Also, I wondered about any unspoken assumptions hosts or contributors may have about the privacy of posts (especially comments).
Is this something to pursue? Any caveats?
Martin, I’m heartened to read of some of the seasoning and discernment you are engaged in around the Quaker Ranter Reader. It still may be that you are, in fact, led to publish this text. It is clear (to me, anyway) you have a gift for articulating things that require a fair amount of thought and discussion, and I also appreciate the gift you have in weaving a unique community together (Quaker bloggers, i.e.).
I have wondered what the clearness committees for Friends like Patricia Loring or Marty Grundy have been like, as they’ve written or edited books and pamphlets over time. Have you been in touch with them or any other Quaker author to learn a bit about their experience with clearness committees for writing/publishing? …I wouldn’t be surprised, given your connections!
Keep us posted about your continued discernment… And I affirm that I’ll do the same!
Blessings,
Liz
*Hi Isabel:* You all have had seen or had access to just about everything as everything but the intro and the final article are online.
Hi Paul: I haven’t had any plans to write about the Quaker blogosophere for _Friends Journal_. Despite talk of a book, my strategy so far has been to just remain quietly puttering away on my site, ignoring official Quakerdom except for lowly staff positions. Since one of those positions was as the Web Manager of the _Journal_, I can sneak a peak over at the visitors logs and report that the Quaker Ranter received 1700 more visitors in February than FriendsJournal.org did (maybe you should do an article on print publications for my website?). I don’t own anything so if you want to do an article you don’t need my permission. I think it’s a great idea. I’d be happy to be interviewed and of course I already let you know about my “favorite Quaker blogs”:http://www.nonviolence.org/quaker/quaker_places.php
***
Hi Liz: As I explained privately to you, I’ve been thinking about what a printed collection of blog posts would look like for awhile but the immediate impetus Friday was an alarmed email I received. I panicked in doubt over the discernment ability of an organization I respect. But faithfulness demands that I not act out of panic and that I allow an organization to stumble: change and awareness with happen on the Spirit’s timeline and until then it’s my job to simply be obedient, even if that requires suffering disappointment.
I don’t have anything particularly relevant or deep to say, but I feel moved to offer thee my love and support in thy ministry, whatever papery or non-papery form it may take. And if it takes a papery form I will make sure my literature table has several copies.
Amanda
ps. on a completely unrelated note, I’d love to see new pictures of the Theoling. I’m in a particularly baby-fixated mood because my mom’s 12th is ever-increasingly on the way. (God help us)
I’ve added the link back in for those brave enough to want to try ordering this. It seems silly not to have it available to the regular readers who might want to see it.
Hi Martin,
I’m not sure my thoughts on this issue are well thought out, but something has been stirring around in mind for some time about the collection of voices in the blogosphere and whether there is a case to be made for some other venue to lift them up. It feels vain to suggest such a thing, and given that I’m not overly familiar with what’s newly available in Quaker print today (i.e. books, anthologies, periodicals, etc.), it’s unclear whether a new book or alternative publication is necessary. Perhaps though. What I have to come to enjoy most about our blogs is their perspective from the Quaker fringe, if you will. The flow seems to be increasing across old boundaries (yearly meetings, geography, liberal vs. conservative, etc.) and I feel a very small but subtle sense of being gathered.
Anyhow, that’s what I have to share today.
Hi Rob,
Oh yes, there’s enough out there that it might be interesting to compile it together. I always think I should keep track of the extraordinary posts I see. I actually can’t think of any Quaker publisher that would put it out though. It might not have an audience and it would threaten to cross the institutional lines we all continue to hold too dear. This is definitely an idea to hold onto, though I’m not clear just where it might lead…