Sometimes the frustration is justified. Sometimes it is just a matter of disconnect between what people expect and their subsequent experience. Sometimes, honestly, it can be “good riddance” because the person did not seem to give a shit about anyone else anyway. Just saying.

I have been back from hiatus for a few weeks now and I have already gotten questions about who edits what. Where do I submit my fiction? My poetry? I wish people would ask ‘Where do they need help?”.

Damned if I know, I know what I do and that is to talk about independent press and extoll the merits wherever I can. I know this isn’t a  journal, although there is a zine and featured work. I have no idea, and before you think that sounds wacked- realize something that we have all had to grapple with. The hierarchy editor-authority style you are used to does not always apply here.  Outsider Writers is not a literary magazine, with an official “masthead” of names and tasks. Outsider Writers is not a publication, with an “upcoming issue #45″.  It isn’t Macy’s window and there is no shelf space to fight about. Who the hell knows where the cool kids sit, and whose fault that is.

What it is and struggles to remain is a community. What that means will depend on who you ask, and that is truly the strength of a community- a group of people with different backgrounds, styles, goals, concepts, projects, priorities. We might feel more comfortable in places where everyone is on the same page, where everyone is pigeon holed into a role, where things are spelled out. That is great for clarity and that can help people who are not accustomed to the group’s culture to navigate the community’s terrain.

But what that also does is create layers of authority, domains of responsibility that can quickly become fixed and inflexible. If you think about the point of a community, you can see why that progression would be undesirable. This is something I really learned from Pat King after badgering him when I first came.

“What do I do here?”

“What should you do here?”

What, Pat won’t babysit me all day? What a jerk.

The concept of community has been discussed a lot here, and in the forums. I’m no voice of reason, nor do I claim to know the inner workings. That said, I hear grumblings that are not necessarily fair.I don’t speak for anyone here, nor do I want to. I speak for me, and what I observe.

“OW is a clique.” Well it is human nature to form into groups around things, and the dreaded “c” word is tossed around by people who have come away with a sense that they can’t break into a group. But have they tried? When there are calls for contributors, calls for help, discussions about getting involved-  are they commenting, giving input, offering to help out? Are they pitching their ideas? Or do they pop in just long enough to link a book and leave? Is that an issue with a clique, or is it an expectation that people drop things and serve you? That is not community.

If a person comes to a community with the idea that their interests should be served, their work promoted, that the community should just give- it’s no wonder there would be some disconnect. Community works when people give and take.If you join a community but feel that you are not given some red carpet, ask yourself what you do for others. Do YOU read poetry and comment? Do you give what you hope to get?

“OW is sexist!” Ok. I was reluctant to touch that one, but yesterday I was asked about  the “wienie roast.” And here is the thing: As a woman, I feel that I should call people on that but I also feel that I should be proactive about making my voice be heard.

If that’s true, part of me wants to jump into the middle of a perceived “manfest” and cause ruckus! I mean, if you think there is bias, why is the answer to walk away and let them win? Why not articulate your concerns, for the sake of other women, open your mouth about what you see? Many guys have no idea that something is being perceived that way, and would not intentionally go along with it. In my experience, the best way to confront a gender issue is to confront it, head on. Make your case.

I don’t see it these days, and I am always looking for it, that is what I do. I have seen “sexist” things as I see them in most places, but I do not think it is a “feature” of the community. I don’t think it is fair to tack that onto a diverse group with hundreds of people. Plus, there needs to be examples and an effort in some way to talk about it.

“I don’t get comments.” Fair enough. But do you give them? How many networks have that same poem? I mean, what do you want? If a person misses a few days online all kinds of things slip by. Things scroll away, it would be a full time job to read everything posted by a member. And remember, we are already trying to find time to write our own stuff.

A “community of writers” has to be more than a place to park promotional blurbs.It has to be more than a place to seek validation and kudos.

But what should it be? What does that mean to you, to your work?

What is the difference between community building and networking?

If we become about promotion and marketing, what makes indie press so different?

Why the changes? Well, we were having some server issues and we wanted to make sure that we were doing our part to try to address the performance concerns, such as the load time and comment difficulties. Because our traffic has increased, we were forced to abruptly change gears- which we have done. As difficult as this was, we decided as a group to take this kick in the ass as a challenge and an opportunity to take stock of things as they have evolved and where we are today.

This organization has it’s history, as all do. The editors and members here today owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to the founders of The Guild Of Outsider Writers. It is with that spirit of appreciation that we hope to step up to the plate and work to make this organization grow, and we need to make sure that our resources keep pace.

Another change is the preference for the term “collective”, which sounds like a small distinction-it sounds like a minor title change. But it is more than that. As a word, it reflects a renewed commitment to collective and collaborative projects and a sincere desire to work productively as a community on our common goals. We feel that the term “collective” reflects who we are: members of a community, but members with our own identities and projects and affiliations. It reflects both cohesion, and autonomy.

As of now, we have a good mix of both new and old faces here, that comprise our editorial board. We have new members, new contributors, and new projects in the works. We have a new community network to facilitate the connection and communication we all know to be essential. And we have a new website that will take some time to tweak and organize.

For those contributors who post articles and content here, please know that we will be in touch with you shortly with some information about access. We hope that the new interface will be more “user friendly” for our writers and visitors.

As always, thank you for the support of our members.

The Editorial Board of the Outsider Writers Collective