Editorial from Vol. 1, No. 3 & 4 - Fall 2003 posted by Susan Meeker-Lowry, Exclusive AccessFriday, September 4th 2009 @ 2:27 PM (not yet rated)    post viewed 319 times

Editorial from Vol. 1, No. 3 & 4 - Fall 2003

Procrastination seems to have defined the process of putting this issue of Gaian Voices together. It was supposed to have come out in summer, then late summer, and now it’s fall. Many things conspired to make this issue late. Summer and the garden, for sure. I also got a new computer, a super eMac, and getting used to it is taking time -- I still have a long way to go. My old computer served me well for about ten years but new technology and souped-up web sites befuddled it and it was time to upgrade. Plus, a new addition to the family arrived on June 8. Silas joins his oh-so-grownup brother Nicholas, almost four. That’s them in the photo on page 6. Like his father Jason (my oldest), and Nicholas, Silas was born at home. He’s an old soul, and a true delight.

So there’s the outward stuff that took up my time. But if I’d been truly inspired I would have started work sooner. One of the main blocks was my desire to create a newsletter that provides some solutions. I keep on coming back to the same thing: we need to change how we see the world and then change will happen. While that is true, there’s a huge disconnect between knowing it and making it happen. How can we help others see the world differently? How can we inspire people so that they are not only willing, but eager to make changes that will inevitably make their daily lives harder, less convenient? How can we help people understand that what we will be given — in spirit, in love, in compassion, in inspiration, in connection to the places in which we live and the people who share our lives — will more than make up for what we lose? And more to the point, how can Gaian Voices, now in it’s third issue, help the process?

I didn’t start publishing this newsletter so I could see my own precious words in print or to add a line to my resume. I did it because I felt compelled to put the Gaian, Earthy perspective out there, something that is sorely lacking even in the best of environmental work. But in order to be effective the newsletter needs to get out there, number one, and, number two, I need feedback from readers. Gaian Voices cannot evolve in a void. My ability to market the newsletter is limited by lack of funds. I can’t afford to print hundreds or thousands of copies to distribute throughout the region, nor can I afford mailings or ads to reach outside the region. To date, approximately 700 copies have been distributed, the vast majority of them locally (Conway and North Conway, NH and Bridgton, ME). A few have been distributed by the contributors and a few more to colleagues and a smattering of subscribers. Unfortunately, the feedback has been minimal. When I run into people who have read it, they say it’s great, but I need letters to the editor, ideas for articles or interviews, contributions of poetry or pictures or drawings or articles. And if folks are so inclined, a donation every now and then to defray the costs of printing would be welcome as well. I hate to say it, but without input from readers, the future of Gaian Voices is unclear.

I’ve had many people tell me that an on-line newsletter would be both more effective and less costly. Before I got my new computer this was not a possibility. Now it is. The only thing holding me back is my own lack of knowledge of how to do it. But I’m surrounded by people who can. However, I’m very aware that not everyone has a web-friendly computer and publishing on-line would exclude many people, including folks like myself who don’t relish spending any more hours than necessary in front of the computer. Perhaps this is another instance of me having to make peace with the advance of technology. I resisted getting my first computer — strongly — and I resisted computer layout. I loved the craft involved in standing in front of the light board, pasting in strips of typeset and graphics to create each page. I’m not an artist but I felt like one when I did layout. But I soon realized the craft is in the design and a computer is just one more tool. Moving Gaian Voices on-line would certainly lend justification to my new computer, printer, and scanner. And the newsletter could be gorgeous. The print version doesn’t do justice to the beautiful photos that have graced the covers and pages of this and past issues.

There are many web sites that would gladly link to Gaian Voices. The newsletter would reach thousands of people which would hopefully generate feedback so the content could evolve and grow. Who knows? It might even create a demand for a print version and make raising the money for it a possibility. As always, I encourage your thoughts and suggestions. And if you feel strongly about keeping this newsletter in print form, I especially need to hear from you.

Photo Credit: Colin Lowry

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