A MONTHLY EMAIL PUBLICATION of the FIC since 1999, serving over 5000 subscribers. June 2, 2007 1 Communities Directory in Print and Online 2 Finding Community: How to Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community 3 Community Bookshelf Title At Sale Prices 4 Communities Magazine Summer Issue 5 Twin Oaks Communities Conference 6 More Guests At Our Fellowship's Potluck Table ________________________________________________________________ 1 COMMUNITIES DIRECTORY IN PRINT AND ONLINE New print edition soon to be released New online directory feature nearly ready to launch ________________________________________________________________ NEW PRINT VERSION 2007 EDITION The 2007 edition of the Communities Directory should be going to the printer soon. Production was delayed somewhat but we are in the home stretch and should have it in our hands in the next month or two. There'll be a special email announcement to eNews readers when we have copies ready to ship. Meanwhile, we still have copies of the 2005 Edition in stock at a 30% discount off list. If you can't wait for the new book or are a book collector, then get your copy of this very useful reference now before they're gone. http://store.ic.org/directory NEW FEATURE ONLINE DIRECTORY - COMMENTS ON COMMUNITIES Now that the book production is nearing an end we are returning to work on the Online Directory and the rest of the Intentional Communities website. One new feature coming soon will be a system for visitors to our site to make public comments on community listings. The goal is for those with personal experience with a community to share their thoughts so that other site visitors can get a better sense of a group. We are hopeful that this ability to share information and opinions will be a boon to anyone seeking a community home or wanting to find out more about community. Keep an eye out for this feature to be available in the next few weeks. HELP US PROMOTE INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY We have also been doing some work to promote the Intentional Communities website. One goal of the FIC's is to make sure that anyone who is interested in community has an easy time finding out information about it. The problem is that many people who would be interested still don't even know its an option! One way for us to make it easier for people to find out about community is by being placed better in search results on sites like Google. We are doing some work to optimize our site so that when people search for things like "ecovillage", "communal living", "commune", "sustainable living", "community", and the like we are in the top results. We already come up first for "Intentional Communities" and third for "Communities"! You can help us in this effort by linking from your website to ours. We've provided code for how to do this at http://www.ic.org/link.php and for linking to the Directory at: http://directory.ic.org/link.php . You could also include a link to us in your email signature as many communities movement activists do. I include the text "Intentional Communities: www.ic.org" just to encourage people to take a look. If you do make a link from your site let us know at directory at ic dot org so we can get a sense of how many folks are adding links to our site. ________________________________________________________________ 2 FINDING COMMUNITY: HOW TO JOIN AN ECOVILLAGE OR INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY New book by Diana Christian ________________________________________________________________ Diana's second book, Finding Community: How to Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community--about how to research communities thoroughly, visit enjoyably, evaluate intelligently, and join gracefully--is fresh off the press and available from the FIC Community Bookshelf. In his Foreword to Finding Community, Peak Oil activist and author Richard Heinberg (The Party's Over, Powerdown) writes: "This may be the most propitious moment in history to join an intentional community." Like her first book about starting successful new communities (Creating a Life Together), the book is packed with stories and anecdotes from the communities movement. Finding Community is highly recommended by communities movement activists who've read it so far: "A must-read for anyone seeking community...thoughtful, thorough, and engaging." (Liz Walker, EcoVillage at Ithaca) " Open-hearted and hard-headed in equal measure--and with a delicious sense of humor... there could be no better guide on the path of exploring this lifestyle." (Jonathan Dawson, Findhorn Foundation; president, Global Ecovillage Network (GEN)) "Encyclopedic knowledge plus wry humor plus a realistic assessment of what the future holds for all of us..." (Albert Bates, Ecovillage Training Center at The Farm) Finding Community is not only for community seekers, but also for communities seeking new members--what various communities have learned about what works well in attracting, hosting, orienting, and evaluating new members. And to help people curious about intentional communities get a sense of community living and the many different kinds of communities out there, from cohousing to communes. Finding Community is this month's Featured Bookshelf Title. Read on... ________________________________________________________________ 3 COMMUNITY BOOKSHELF TITLE AT SALE PRICES Featured by Catherine Nicosia, Community Bookshelf Manager ________________________________________________________________ FINDING COMMUNITY: How to join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community by Diana Leafe Christian 2007; 256 pages; 8" x 7"; paperback Diana Leafe Christian's previous book Creating A Life Together has been our best- selling title since it was first published in the summer of 2003. It has become the definitive guide to creating a community. I am not afraid to predict that her new book will become the same for those seeking community. It offers an in-depth look at the process that is involved in exploring this life-style. The author gives us the benefit of her knowledge and experience, both as the editor of Communities Magazine and as one who has been a community-seeker herself. She offers excellent information and common-sense advice delivered with a humorous touch. The book includes case studies and anecdotes that round out the picture and ground it firmly in the real life experiences of different individuals. Having at one time been the visitor manager for a large community, I was particularly impressed by the guidance on how to plan a visit to a community and how to get the most out of the visit once you have arrived. I also thought the chapters on how to join and begin life in a community were outstanding. This is the book I wish I had read before I began my own community search. Highly recommended. Price $25.00 Special Price $20.00 http://store.ic.org/catalog/specials.php Shipping/handling 3.00 S/H for first item (combo counts as one item) 1.00 S/H for each additional item Shop online for lower shipping rates, more shipping options, and more sale items. S/H prices are for Standard Mail postal delivery within US. Information, catalog, ordering http://store.ic.org/bookshelf Community Bookshelf RR 1 Box 156 Rutledge MO 63563 800-995-8342 bookshelf at ic dot org ________________________________________________________________ 4 COMMUNITIES MAGAZINE SUMMER ISSUE Due to Mail in Mid-June ________________________________________________________________ SUMMER ISSUE #135. Food self-reliance in communities and organized neighborhoods is the theme of the Summer issue of Communities magazine: "What Do You Eat? Where Does it Come From?" This issue will be printed and mailed in mid-June. Contributors touch on the satisfying and often spiritual processes of growing, raising, wildcrafting, fermenting and preserving food in "Celebrating the Food Revolution" by Alyson Ewald of Red Earth Farms, and "Food, Glorious Food!" by Stan Hildebrand of Sandhill Farm, both in Missouri. Others describe how their communities are becoming more food self-reliant as they un-hook from the fossil fuel-based food system: "Making New Choices, Planting New Seeds," by Lynn Farquhar at Lama Foundation in New Mexico; "A New Root Cellar, Bulk Buying, and Two CSAs" by Marty Hiller of EcoVillage at Ithaca in New York; and "Gardening in the Alentejo" by Leila Dregger at Tamera in southern Portugal. Neighbors in the Anderson Valley Foodshed in Mendocino, California, are "relocalizing"--eating only food grown in their bioregion and supporting local farmers and growers--described in "Eating Local" by Sara McCamant. And neighbors in Seattle glean, gather, grow, trade for, or dumpster-dive for food in a local "take what you need, pay what you can" food co-op, described in "Stocking our Community Pantry" by Mitchell Johnson. Is this the “urban harvest” of the future? The summer issue also contains articles about one community seeker's travels (to Camphill Kimberton Hills, Heathcote Community, and Innisfree Village), and how a group of ecological activists in Ireland founded a large-scale ecovillage in an existing rural town. "If you wonder how communities, and organized neighbors, are planning their food future--and how you can--you'll live the 'delicious' articles in this issue," says editor Diana Leafe Christian. ---------- Get a Communities sample issue, renew or subscribe here http://store.ic.org//communities/sample.php http://store.ic.org/cmag Sample issues $4 plus $3 S/H by US standard mail. Shop online for lower shipping rates and more shipping options. Subscriptions one year 4 issues $20 US :: $24 Canada :: $26 Other Order by phone fax or mail FIC * 138 Twin Oaks Rd * Louisa VA 23093 800-462-8240 fax 540-894-4112 ________________________________________________________________ 5 TWIN OAKS COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE August 17-19 near Louisa, VA An FIC co-sponsored event ________________________________________________________________ Roses are red, Communes are collective, We're offering you A pervasive perspective..... .....of intentional community living, that is. Twin Oaks is pleased to invite you to participate in our annual Communities Conference, August 17 - 19, in Louisa, Virginia (2.5 hours south of Washington DC). Our featured workshop topics this year include Peak Oil and Community, CoHousing, Effective Conflict Resolution, Creating your Tour of Communities, Running a Business in your Community and more. You'll also have a chance to Create-Your-Own- Workshop and network with others who share your passions. Our "Meet The Communities" event creates space for representatives from over 25 communities to tell you about their community, and give seekers (like you) a chance to explore prospective community homes. No Communities Conference would be complete without our Saturday night extravaganza including dessert party, talent show, auction and all-ages Dance Party. So mark your calendar now, and visit this site for more information: http://twinoaks.org/community/communities-conference/index.html ________________________________________________________________ 6 MORE GUESTS AT OUR FELLOWSHIP'S POTLUCK TABLE ________________________________________________________________ Do you have the sense that more and more people are seeking and finding community in their lives? You're right! This year the FIC served up fresh and tasty community fare to more people than ever before. In the past we could offer only our print directory to those looking for a community home, or to communities hoping to attract new members. Now, the number of communities listed in our searchable online database continues to grow, meaning better information that's accessible to more of our audience. Even the media seems to be noticing our communities more lately. We've been offering a more appealing menu by adding interactive maps to our online database, streamlining our print Communities Directory, and upgrading the relevance and appearance of Communities magazine. You, our friends and supporters, have responded by purchasing our products and joining our nonprofit. This in turn helps cover the costs of providing our products and services. What are you bringing to the table now? Please consider making a donation to FIC today--or joining us as a member. The more the merrier! For more info on member benefits and to join online using our secure server go to http://store.ic.org/membership 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 Many thanks from all of us in the Fellowship.