A MONTHLY EMAIL PUBLICATION of the FIC since 1999, serving over 4000 subscribers. Aug 23, 2003 1 Bookshelf special offers for the month 2 Twin Oaks/FIC Communities Conference - not too late to register 3 Community Service/FIC Communities Conference Sept 12-14 4 FIC Organizational Meeting at The Vale Sept 15-18 5 New at store.ic.org 6 New at communitymade.com 7 We want you! Please support the Fellowship by joining. ________________________________________________________________ 1 FEATURED BOOKSHELF TITLEs at SALE PRICE This offer made *only* through eNews. by Alline Anderson, Community Bookshelf manager ________________________________________________________________ Two specials about meetings. Ah, meetings. After much kicking and screaming, I've finally come to realize that once I understand what is happening and can make a positive contribution, meetings become not only less painful but actually enjoyable. We've sale- priced two of the books that helped me on my way to meeting "enlightenment." Enjoy! Introduction to Consensus by Bea Briggs 2000, 62 pages, spiral bound Regular price $13.00 Sale $10.00 Introduction to Consensus is a must-read for everyone participating in consensus decision-making. Its length (short), its style (concise and to-the-point) and its humanity (Briggs gives rationale as well as technique) make it an ideal book for folks new to consensus and yet provides sure-to-be-new information for those with a bit more experience. The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making by Sam Kaner 1996/2002, 255 pages, paperbound Regular price $27.00 Sale $20.00 The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making is a training manual and in-depth exploration of what works and why. It's a handy sourcebook for facilitators and leaders who want to encourage participation, promote understanding, and help groups build inclusive, sustainable agreements. Order these titles online, by phone or mailorder http://store.ic.org/products/email-spec-offer-aug2003a.html http://store.ic.org/products/email-spec-offer-aug2003b.html Shipping/handling as follows 3.00 S/H for first item 1.00 S/H for each additional item All prices shown here are for Standard Mail postal delivery within US. Offer valid through [[offerdate]]. Information, catalog, ordering and prices for delivery outside US http://store.ic.org/community-bookshelf.html Community Bookshelf RR 1 Box 156 Rutledge MO 63563 800-995-8342 bookshelf ( at ) ic ( dot ) org ________________________________________________________________ 2 LABOR DAY TWIN OAKS/FIC COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE ________________________________________________________________ THE 12th ANNUAL TWIN OAKS/FIC COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE...! August 29 - September 1 2003 Near Louisa, Virginia. Registration still open. Our annual Communties Conference happens next weekend. Don't miss it! We invite you to join us. See old friends and meet new ones, and immerse yourself in an environment with others who value cooperative living. The Utopian Art Project running throughout the weekend needs your contribution, and we have dynamic workshops covering a rich diversity of ideas and skills. We'd also like you to know about the new program pieces Through the Generations of Community and the Storytelling event, where we ask experienced communards to share their inspiring and amusing best. We're also bringing back last years successful new program piece, Utopian Architects, so plan to stay until Monday afternoon! Through the Generations: We're building a new society, and for it to last for generations to come it must encompass the whole life cycle, from birth to death. A feature of this year's conference will be a series of three panel discussions: Elders in Community, Youth in Community, and a Cross-Generational Dialog. Elders in Community The communities movement has been around a while and many communities benefit from having a diverse age range of members. Elders offer enormous gifts to a community through their accumulated skills and wisdom. What can we learn from the mistakes Western society is currently making around it's treatment of Elders and have our communities be places were people of all ages make valuable contributions? Youth in Community To say it bluntly, the return rate of community children is not good, with some notable exceptions. Are we failing to provide for the social and cultural needs of the next generation? This will be an opportunity for a panel of young people living, raised and/or interested in community to share and discuss about what worked, what didn't, and how it could be better. Cross-Generational Dialogue We'll hear the important messages from each panel. We'll explore what messages Elders and Youth have for each other, and how elders and youth can be allies and support for each other. Stories from Community: We recognize the importance of storytelling as developing a sense of our cultural history, a feeling of togetherness, finding common ground/bonds/experiences -- helping us know that we're not alone. Stories are a way to convey/share lessons, to celebrate people, events, and look at how far we've come and what we're doing -- a source of inspiration and strength. We'll have past and contemporary stories and anything from starting communities to overcoming traumatic events to individual stories about transformative experiences in community to funny interactions with mainstream people or institutions. Utopian Architects: Last year about 40 dedicated attendees stayed for the full four days to try out this experiment in group visioning, networking and action planning. Our imaginations journeyed to the year 2102, when the Communities Movement has been wildly successful, and experienced that world. We saw ourselves in that world, who we are and what we do. We brought it back to the present, identifying the important areas of society to be working in towards this vision. We ended the session by self-tasking the next steps in making the vision a reality. We're fine tuning this piece and bringing it back to top off our four days of Community experience and exploration. As always, it is your input, participation and assistance that makes the Conference work. Come help us make the magic! In love and community, Valerie, Sky and Anissa The Conference is co-sponsored by the Fellowship for Intentional Community, the Federation of Egalitarian Communities and Twin Oaks Community. For more information or to register visit our website or email us. Twin Oaks Communities Conference 138 Twin Oaks Rd Louisa VA 23093 540-894-5126 conference ( at ) twinoaks.org http://www.twinoaks.org/conference ________________________________________________________________ 3 COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE BY COMMUNITY SERVICE INC & THE FIC ________________________________________________________________ Creating Sustainable Alternatives to Centralization: Villages, Local Neighborhoods, and Intentional Communities Sept. 12-14, 2003 Yellow Springs, Ohio (east of Dayton) Sponsored by the Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) and Community Service, Inc. (CSI) Can we create sustainable urban neighborhoods? What can we learn from the small town experience? What can we learn from intentional communities? Workshop topics will include Ecovillages: Rural and Urban Creating Community Wherever We Are Growing New Ecovillages and Intentional Communities Creating Cohousing Oil, Sustainability, and Community Legal Structures for Owning Land Together Conflict Resolution Consensus & Facilitation Localism vs Globalism Urban Community Video "Visions of Utopia" Plus delicious vegetarian meals, folk dancing, a lively benefit auction, all in a beautiful natural setting. Presenters include: Laird Schaub, Harvey Baker, Diana Leafe Christian, Geoph Kozeny, Tony Sirna, Manda Gillespie, Pat Murphy, and others. Cost: $95 including meals and lodging. To register or for further information, contact: Community Service, Inc. P.O. Box 243 Yellow Springs, OH 45387 937-767-2161 csi ( at ) smallcommunity.org http://www.smallcommunity.org See info here also http://fic.ic.org/artofcmty.html ________________________________________________________________ 4 FALL FIC ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING Sept 15-18 * Yellow Springs OH ________________________________________________________________ Following the FIC co-sponsored Communities Conference at Twin Oaks and immediately after the FIC co-sponsored Community Service Inc (CSI) Communities Conference, FIC folks will turn their attention to the fall organizational meeting, to be held at The Vale. We invite you to join us and get a glimpse behind the curtain, revealing what FIC is doing these days and giving you a chance to roll up your sleeves and lend a hand. We expect to devote about half the time revisiting the organizational vision and mission, followed by strategic planning for the next five years. We will also be drafting the 2004 budget, looking ahead to event prospects in the next twelve months, and assessing the initial results of the campaign to fund an endowment for the future Communities Directory. Please join us! For more information contact Jenny Upton by email or phone or visit the FIC website. jenny ( at ) ic ( dot ) org * 434-361-1417 after 5pm eastern time http://fic.ic.org/artofcmty.html ________________________________________________________________ 5 WHAT'S NEW AT the FIC Secure Store STORE.IC.ORG ________________________________________________________________ Three new books have been added to the store http://store.ic.org/products/new-list.html The Natural Plaster Book Earth, Lime and Gypsum Plasters for Natural Homes by Cedar Rose Guelberth and Dan Chiras The Hand-Sculpted House A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage by Ianto Evans, Michael G. Smith & Linda Smiley The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling by Daniel Chiras The store has offered every back issue of Communities magazine since the beginning. Back issues which are available only as photocopies have now been marked as such in the store back issues pages. http://store.ic.org/products/communities-issues-2000s.html ________________________________________________________________ 6 WHAT'S NEW AT COMMUNITYMADE.COM ________________________________________________________________ communitymade.com is pleased to introduce two new product lines this month. First, we've added Diana Christian of Communities Magazine and Earthaven Ecovillage, and her new book, Creating a Life Together, Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities. http://www.communitymade.com/communities/diana-christian.html Second, we've added Tierra Nueva Cohousing (California) and the crafts of Patty Mara Gourley of DolphinSmile Studio which include pottery sculpture (Green Man Wall Masks, Great Mother Goddess Bottles, Clan Mother of the One-Breasted Women Bottles), hand- painted silk (Chakra Banners, Starshine Rainbow Scarves), and a Home Blessing Ceremony Kit. http://www.communitymade.com/communities/tierra-nueva.html Introductory Special. $5 off the Home Blessing Kit. Only $20 for a limited time! Includes instructions, white sage grown at Tierra Nueva Cohousing, candle, salt pouch, and a quartz crystal, in a hand-painted silk bag. http://www.communitymade.com/products/tierra-nueva-dolphinsmile- home-blessing-cmty.html ________________________________________________________________ 7 WE WANT YOU! TO JOIN THE FIC ________________________________________________________________ Seeking more sense of community in your life? Want to help others discover the benefits of cooperative living? FIC membership benefits include invitations, discounts, credit union access, and a newsletter -- but we think the biggest benefit is the knowledge that you're helping bring into reality the vision of a cooperative world. Read more about membership and sign up online using our secure server http://store.ic.org/products/fic-membership.html More info. Request a membership form to be sent by mail. RR 1 Box 156 Rutledge MO 63563 800-995-8342 fic ( at ) ic ( dot ) org Learn more about the mission of the Fellowship organization http://fic.ic.org/index.html