A MONTHLY EMAIL PUBLICATION of the FIC since 1999. February 20, 2005 1 The Communities Directory: Online & In Print 2 Featured Bookshelf Title At Sale Price 3 FIC Events Coming Up This Year - Details Now Available 4 Visions Of Utopia Video: Project Update 5 Join The FIC & Bring More Connection To The World! _________________________________________________________________ 1 THE COMMUNITIES DIRECTORY: ONLINE & IN PRINT Print edition deadline fast approaching by Tony Sirna _________________________________________________________________ THE ONLINE COMMUNITIES DIRECTORY keeps growing. Since Jan 1, 75 communities have added listings and 175 others have updated their information. We now have a total of just over 500 communities with validated current listings! And there are over 700 more listees for which we're seeking updates. To browse or search our database go to http://directory.ic.org COMMUNITIES DIRECTORY PRINT EDITION DEADLINE The online directory will be the primary source of information for the new 4th Edition Directory book. For this reason we're now doing a big push to get updates on the website in time for the print edition due out this spring or summer. The deadline for updates and additions is MARCH 15th so if your community hasn't added or updated its listing, do so now! Or if you know anyone who should add or update their listing, please pass on this info. For instructions on adding or updating a listing go to http://directory.ic.org/neweditors.php To find out more about the directory email us at this address directory ( at ) ic ( dot ) org _________________________________________________________________ 2 FEATURED BOOKSHELF TITLE at SALE PRICE Review by Catherine Nicosia, Community Bookshelf staff _________________________________________________________________ CHILD OF THE WILD WIND by Claire Garden 2003 * 162 pages * Paperback In the years that I have either been a customer of or worked with Community Bookshelf, not many works of fiction have been offered in its catalog. Most of the novels and stories that portray intentional communities do so in an unrealistic and sensational way. It is a real pleasure to encounter Child of the Wild Wind, which presents a sympathetic picture of community life. The novel is the story of Joshua Weil, who finds himself experiencing an unexpected life change when his parents go their separate ways and he moves with his father to the intentional community known as Wild Wind. His adjustments to a new way of life, his changing relationships and his process of maturing makes for a fascinating and involving story. Diana Christian, the editor of Communities Magazine, says of this book, "I don't ever remember reading a book about a community that felt like one. Until Claire Garden's short novel, Child of the Wild Wind". Although this book is classified as young adult fiction by the publisher, the level of the writing is sophisticated and the author does an outstanding job of incorporating her own experience in different communities into the framework of the story. She provides insights into what it is like to grow up in community, to pioneer a new group, and to live life within an ecological framework. I think Child of the Wild Wind will appeal to adult readers because of the depth of the characters and the real sense of community this novel conveys. Regular price $14.00 Sale price $11.00 http://store.ic.org/e/0205a Shipping/handling on this item is as follows 3.00 S/H for first item 1.00 S/H for each additional item S/H prices are for Standard Mail postal delivery within US. Enews special offers are valid through [[offerdate]]. Information, catalog, ordering http://store.ic.org/community-bookshelf.html Community Bookshelf RR 1 Box 156 Rutledge MO 63563 800-995-8342 bookshelf ( at ) ic ( dot ) org _________________________________________________________________ 3 FIC EVENTS COMING UP THIS YEAR - Details now available Spring Organizational Meeting Continental Bioregional Congress _________________________________________________________________ FELLOWSHIP FOR INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING Ecovillage at Ithaca, Ithaca NY May 13-15, 2005 We invite you to join us for three days of fun and meetings (yes, they can go together). Sandwiched around the Saturday night party and benefit auction, we'll be doing the work of building the Communities Movement. Highlights of the expected agenda include 1-taking deep look at who we are, what will be needed in the next decade, and what the FIC is uniquely poised to deliver 2-reviewing the first 7 months of the online Communities Directory and progress on fundraising for the Directory Endowment, which will be the economic engine to keep it running 3-discussing plans for an organizational summit, where nonprofits sharing a core commitment to community would meet to explore collaboration and ways to leverage resources for maximum impact 4-taking a deep look at the role and financial prospects of Communities magazine, which functions in a world hungry for information about cooperative living, yet increasingly reluctant to buy periodicals. Check this site periodically for updated info http://fic.ic.org/artofcmty.html For more information contact Jenny Upton jenny ( at ) ic ( dot ) org ------------ NINTH CONTINENTAL BIOREGIONAL CONGRESS (CBC 9) Earthaven Community, Black Mountain NC July 9-17, 2005 An FIC co-sponsored event Plan to gather with us in the southern Appalachians, Katuah bioregion, this summer! "Home is the only ground for hope." Do you make an effort to satisfy your basic needs and exercise your citizenship locally, actively looking after your own home place? Come to participate in a week-long ceremonial village, to learn from and celebrate with others like you who actively employ ecological principles in their life and work. To register or for more information contact Mary or Kimchi biocongress2005 ( at ) earthaven.org 828-664-0067 http://www.bioregionalcongress.org Also check this site periodically for updated info http://fic.ic.org/artofcmty.html And check this page for listings of many other events http://www.ic.org/events/ _________________________________________________________________ 4 VISIONS OF UTOPIA VIDEO: Project Update by Geoph Kozeny, Producer/Director _________________________________________________________________ I returned to the studio in October to continue editing on the second volume, and after another small learning curve for new hardware plus editing software upgrades, I'm happy to report that forward progress is happening. Sadly, I had to take a month off in January so I could help out with a death in my bio family (the last weeks in a losing battle with cancer). And now that I'm back at The Farm and back in the groove, I'm happy to report that I'm nearing completion on a new segment: the Catholic Worker House of San Antonio TX. At the same time, I'm also working on scripts for other segments, various sales and accounting tasks, outreach and promotions (oops ... it's now been over a year since I updated the video web pages), plus assorted other various projects and commitments related to the many and various hats I wear for many and various groups. As you'll recall, the DVD for Volume One was released last May, and so far we've sold nearly 200 copies. In fact, with today's technology, they've taken over most of the market from sales in the VHS format. When Volume Two comes out--not likely to happen before June 1st, when I head for California to fulfill my annual summer commitments--it will be released simultaneously in both VHS and DVD formats. If you have preordered the second volume, please let me know which format you'd prefer to receive, and I'll update my database. DVD format has six main advantages over VHS 1 More compact and thus considerably smaller 2 Resolution is slightly better 3 Media is more stable, and will have a longer life 4 Difference between US and other formats is generally not a problem. Computers and non-US DVD players can typically handle both formats. 5 Chapter points--so it's easy to begin with any segment or jump back and forth between chapters. 6 Never need to rewind the tape! More information http://fic.ic.org/video/ Order a copy of Volume One (VHS or DVD) for yourself or to share with your friends. Volume One | 94 minutes color VHS (American) or PAL (European) or DVD format (universal) $30 plus $3 S/H standard mail in US http://store.ic.org/products/visions-of-utopia-video.html Order VHS or DVD by phone, fax, or mail FIC :: 138 Twin Oaks Rd :: Louisa VA 23093 800-462-8240 :: fax 540-894-411 SPECIAL DEAL STILL AVAILABLE Available only from Geoph--NOT through the FIC offices or web ------------------------------------------------------------ If you're already the proud owner of volume #1 in VHS format, you can now buy a second copy of that volume in DVD format for only $10 postpaid. I have these on hand, so turnaround is quick. Offer extended through 5/31/05. To take advantage of this offer, email me at . -Geoph Kozeny Producer/Director _________________________________________________________________ 5 JOIN THE FIC & BRING MORE CONNECTION TO THE WORLD! _________________________________________________________________ If you enjoy the information that reaches you via this newsletter, you're probably the kind of person who likes to bring people together, who appreciates cooperation and community. Those things are important to us, too--so important that we've centered our organization around them. And we'd love to have you with us. This e-newsletter, the Communities Directory, our Bookshelf and online store, Communities magazine, our regular member newsletter, the phone calls and emails we answer every day, the events we sponsor, the workshops we give...these are all part of meeting people's need for greater connection, around the world. Your $30 membership contribution or $100 donation today will help us do an even better job. Please consider joining the FIC now. For more info on membership benefits and to join online using our secure server go to http://store.ic.org/products/fic-membership.html To request a membership form by mail, or to email, or to talk with a human, contact us at RR 1 Box 156 Rutledge MO 63563 800-995-8342 fic ( at ) ic ( dot ) org To learn more about the mission of the organization visit http://fic.ic.org/index.html Thank you for your interest, and thanks for everything you do to promote and sustain community.