One suggestion I have is to experiment with social or hobby type threads once a month or so. Interacting with other commenters here usually feels like a deep and high stakes conversation, which is great, but it might be nice to interact like we're friends getting coffee every once in a while.
I'd also like to ponder over the idea of having some sort of live conversation on a topic, or at least to try it out. It could be in the form of picking one time and using Zoom breakout rooms to ensure that we discussed in smaller groups. I think it's one of those things that might be a big success or might be a flop and we might as well give it one or two tries to see how well it works.
Sort of related, I was thinking about what conditions might make in-person meetups or connections feasible. I don’t know the geographic distribution of Other Feminisms readers, but a lot of y’all seem like people I’d like to know in real life. Of course there are safety considerations. Idk.
Scott Alexander of Astral Codex Ten (formerly Slate Star Codex) has arranged / his readers have arranged a number of meetups worldwide, and (COVID aside), safety considerations are similar to those of online dating- any publicly advertised event should be held in a well-trafficked public space, for starters. Leah could start by only letting people host meetups whom she personally knows, or at the very least has met via Zoom + can vouch for. The organizer brings a sign, is identifiable by sitting on a blanket of an advertised color, etc. An outdoor space such as Sheep Meadow in Central Park solves a lot of the COVID risk, as well as being both public *and* free to access without anyone having to purchase anything. And then, it's up to everyone to use their own judgment, follow their instincts re: safety, and not be afraid to involve the host if something seems off.
I also like the idea of compiling a quarterly series of essays based off of the comment exchanges in the threads.
Or, alternatively - spin up an online publication (relatively easy and cheap) and you could commission writing from other authors (or, better, make it a writer owned publication!). Digital advertising could provide revenue, substack & social could feed you readers.
I also think you could be an incredible convener of thoughtful conversations between opposing activists and leaders. Perhaps each conversation would have a goal of finding 3-5 points of commonality or agreement as well > that could be the unique value of those conversations.
I like some of these ideas, but as someone who works on web publications, digital advertising would definitely *not* cover fair pay for guest writers (or for me!)
It would be dependent on your website views, but I think you could get $500/week for the top-of-website banner in 2022 fairly easily. Other ad placements would be lower. Enough to sustain you and other writers full time, nope. Enough for this to be a decent side project, probably?
You could also toy around with different ways to structure the project. I mentioned a writer owned coop, but what might be even more (quickly) worthwhile is making this a c3. If you were a nonprofit entity, you could fund the project through tax exempt donations, and there are many grants tailor made for this work. You could also carefully choose corporate 'partners' who would receive prominent thanks on your site.
I think it would be awesome to have a conference or symposium of some kind to have a concentrated dose of these great exchanges in an in-person format.
I'd like to see a discussion about developing a college course(s) on pro-life feminism. Considering what is being taught in Women's Studies programs, we need textbooks and students of our own to counter their message. I know of a few scholars and colleges that are interested, so I'd like to see this happen. If Roe is overturned, we need to be prepared to train a new mindset.
What topics would you like to see covered in the next year?
Some more discussions of book we can read that cover alternative perspectives on feminism that support the Other Feminisms perspectives, for example, thinkers like Erika Bachiochi. But not especially Roman Catholic. Some Protestant conservative-leaning feminists? Secular women?
What more could I do to support connections among readers and commenters?
Reading groups and book reviews.
What other voices would you like to see incorporated into Other Feminisms, whether through interviews or guest posts?
Other feminism type thinkers and activists, like Erika Bachiochi or others of a similar vein.
What would you hope could be possible if I had five additional hours a week for the community and the project?
Yes, reading groups and book clubs would be great! There were a couple of books I've read this year that I thought would be great for a Christian feminist type book club!
Tomorrow has a little exploration in that direction, but to podcast regularly, I'd need enough revenue to cover the cost of hiring someone to help with editing and producing.
I'm going to second reading groups and breakout groups and actually suggest against podcasts -- I never have the time or mental energy to listen to someone talk for that long, but I can definitely read longform pieces a lot easier (in part because I'm a faster reader than many). I like the idea of book clubs or article-discussion groups, especially if they occasionally have an angle towards the concrete! This is a big, thoughtful group and something I've consistently appreciated reading is proposals and propositions for concrete change in the world, even if it's just at the level of our individual communities.
I have two suggestions. The first is a podcast! The second is a discussion forum-type format, where there would be a home page listing all the discussion topics, possible divided into subcategories. websleuths.com has the kind of format I have in mind.
One suggestion I have is to experiment with social or hobby type threads once a month or so. Interacting with other commenters here usually feels like a deep and high stakes conversation, which is great, but it might be nice to interact like we're friends getting coffee every once in a while.
I'd also like to ponder over the idea of having some sort of live conversation on a topic, or at least to try it out. It could be in the form of picking one time and using Zoom breakout rooms to ensure that we discussed in smaller groups. I think it's one of those things that might be a big success or might be a flop and we might as well give it one or two tries to see how well it works.
Sort of related, I was thinking about what conditions might make in-person meetups or connections feasible. I don’t know the geographic distribution of Other Feminisms readers, but a lot of y’all seem like people I’d like to know in real life. Of course there are safety considerations. Idk.
I think this is worth exploring!
Scott Alexander of Astral Codex Ten (formerly Slate Star Codex) has arranged / his readers have arranged a number of meetups worldwide, and (COVID aside), safety considerations are similar to those of online dating- any publicly advertised event should be held in a well-trafficked public space, for starters. Leah could start by only letting people host meetups whom she personally knows, or at the very least has met via Zoom + can vouch for. The organizer brings a sign, is identifiable by sitting on a blanket of an advertised color, etc. An outdoor space such as Sheep Meadow in Central Park solves a lot of the COVID risk, as well as being both public *and* free to access without anyone having to purchase anything. And then, it's up to everyone to use their own judgment, follow their instincts re: safety, and not be afraid to involve the host if something seems off.
I think this would be lovely but right now I have no idea if Other Feminisms is large enough for it to be a success!
Oh, I like the social/hobby type threads idea!
I think you should write an Other Feminisms book!
I also like the idea of compiling a quarterly series of essays based off of the comment exchanges in the threads.
Or, alternatively - spin up an online publication (relatively easy and cheap) and you could commission writing from other authors (or, better, make it a writer owned publication!). Digital advertising could provide revenue, substack & social could feed you readers.
I also think you could be an incredible convener of thoughtful conversations between opposing activists and leaders. Perhaps each conversation would have a goal of finding 3-5 points of commonality or agreement as well > that could be the unique value of those conversations.
I like some of these ideas, but as someone who works on web publications, digital advertising would definitely *not* cover fair pay for guest writers (or for me!)
I hear that, but I also think you have a quite-valuable niche , and could charge a pretty steep weekly fee for banner ads.
I am v. curious what you think the going rate is! My belief is that it is v v low.
It would be dependent on your website views, but I think you could get $500/week for the top-of-website banner in 2022 fairly easily. Other ad placements would be lower. Enough to sustain you and other writers full time, nope. Enough for this to be a decent side project, probably?
You could also toy around with different ways to structure the project. I mentioned a writer owned coop, but what might be even more (quickly) worthwhile is making this a c3. If you were a nonprofit entity, you could fund the project through tax exempt donations, and there are many grants tailor made for this work. You could also carefully choose corporate 'partners' who would receive prominent thanks on your site.
A larger newsletter than I is $50 for a week of ads!
Ah, but this wouldn't be a newsletter - this would be a "publication" :)
Yes, I like this idea, especially insofar as there might be support from nonprofits or universities that might support this type of mission.
I think it would be awesome to have a conference or symposium of some kind to have a concentrated dose of these great exchanges in an in-person format.
I recently discovered the work of Leah A. Jacobson and would love to see an interview between the two of you!
https://giveninstitute.com/leah-jacobson/#:~:text=Leah%20founded%20The%20Guiding%20Star,in%20all%20stages%20of%20life.
Thanks for the heads up!
Oooh, if we are recommending interviews I will add Destiny of the New Wave Feminists!: newwavefeminists.com
I'd like to see a discussion about developing a college course(s) on pro-life feminism. Considering what is being taught in Women's Studies programs, we need textbooks and students of our own to counter their message. I know of a few scholars and colleges that are interested, so I'd like to see this happen. If Roe is overturned, we need to be prepared to train a new mindset.
I'd definitely suggest Erika Bachiochi (and her new book: https://amzn.to/2ZlxaTn) on this subject.
What topics would you like to see covered in the next year?
Some more discussions of book we can read that cover alternative perspectives on feminism that support the Other Feminisms perspectives, for example, thinkers like Erika Bachiochi. But not especially Roman Catholic. Some Protestant conservative-leaning feminists? Secular women?
What more could I do to support connections among readers and commenters?
Reading groups and book reviews.
What other voices would you like to see incorporated into Other Feminisms, whether through interviews or guest posts?
Other feminism type thinkers and activists, like Erika Bachiochi or others of a similar vein.
What would you hope could be possible if I had five additional hours a week for the community and the project?
Podcasts?
What if I had ten hours a week?
Zoom talks in a roundtable format?
Yes, reading groups and book clubs would be great! There were a couple of books I've read this year that I thought would be great for a Christian feminist type book club!
Oh, yes, a podcast would be great!
Tomorrow has a little exploration in that direction, but to podcast regularly, I'd need enough revenue to cover the cost of hiring someone to help with editing and producing.
I'm going to second reading groups and breakout groups and actually suggest against podcasts -- I never have the time or mental energy to listen to someone talk for that long, but I can definitely read longform pieces a lot easier (in part because I'm a faster reader than many). I like the idea of book clubs or article-discussion groups, especially if they occasionally have an angle towards the concrete! This is a big, thoughtful group and something I've consistently appreciated reading is proposals and propositions for concrete change in the world, even if it's just at the level of our individual communities.
I have two suggestions. The first is a podcast! The second is a discussion forum-type format, where there would be a home page listing all the discussion topics, possible divided into subcategories. websleuths.com has the kind of format I have in mind.