A MONTHLY EMAIL PUBLICATION of the FIC since 1999, serving over 5000 subscribers. May 4, 2007 1 Vegetarian Communities Network 2 Communities Magazine & New Book by Editor 3 Community Bookshelf Titles At Sale Prices 4 Communities Conference at Twin Oaks 5 More Guests At Our Fellowship's Potluck Table ________________________________________________________________ 1 VEGETARIAN COMMUNITIES NETWORK Collaboration with the FIC's online Directory project ________________________________________________________________ There is now an online Vegetarian Communities Network for vegetarians and vegans in community. The data for VegNet is provided through a collaboration with the Fellowship's online Directory directory.ic.org similar to the relationship the FIC has with The Cohousing Association of the United States cohousing.org. http://www.VegNet.net VegNet's first intention is to help people who are looking to visit, work in or live in a veg/an community, by providing a simple one-click list of vegetarian and vegan communities. But there are other areas of community service we might undertake with mutual support and direction. Browse the FAQs page, look at the intentions, and send in your response to a key question: Would it be helpful to have an umbrella organization like VegNet for vegetarian communities and communitarians? Contact the project coordinator: Anthea Guinness ASLVVCommunities Editorial Manager, VegNet teamwork at vegnet dot net ________________________________________________________________ 2 COMMUNITIES MAGAZINE & NEW BOOK BY EDITOR Current Spring & Upcoming Summer Issues New Book by Diana Christian ________________________________________________________________ THE CURRENT SPRING ISSUE #134 was mailed to subscribers in March. The theme for that issue is Temporary Community--What Do We Learn?. UPCOMING SUMMER ISSUE #135. "Are You Growing Much of Your Own Food Yet?" is the theme of Communities magazine's summer issue, out in early June, according to editor Diana Leafe Christian. You'll find articles on * the Anderson Valley Foodshed Movement in Mendocino County, California * the Community Pantry project in Seattle * how various intentional communities grow and raise their own food, from Red Earth Farms and Sandhill Farm in Missouri, Lama Foundation in New Mexico, EcoVillage at Ithaca in New York, and Tamera in Portugal. ---------- NEW BOOK BY THE EDITOR OF COMMUNITIES MAGAZINE. Finding Community: How to Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community (New Society Publishers, 2007), Diana's new book on how to research, visit, evaluate, and join communities will be out within a few weeks, in mid-May. Like her first book (Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities), Finding Community will be available in bookstores or from the FIC Community Bookshelf http://store.ic.org. Jonathan Dawson, President of Global Ecovillage Network and co-director of GEN- Europe, calls it, "open-hearted and hard-headed in equal measure...and with a delicious sense of humor . . ." ---------- 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 ________________________________________________________________ 3 COMMUNITY BOOKSHELF TITLES AT SALE PRICES Featured by Catherine Nicosia, Community Bookshelf Manager ________________________________________________________________ To celebrate Spring we offer special prices on two excellent books that focus on ecovillages. Please note that these specials are for a limited time only. ECOVILLAGE AT ITHACA: Pioneering A Sustainable Culture by Liz Walker 2005; 256 pages; paperback Human scale, accessible and inspiring, the example of Ecovillage At Ithaca will help readers imagine fresh alternatives to "life as usual". It will appeal to all who want to learn about successful working models of a more sustainable approach to living with each other and the environment. Ecovillage At Ithaca delves into the lived experience of this innovative community. It provides a realistic and in-depth look at what it is like to create a sustainable culture. The author tells community stories in a warm, personal and reflective manner. She shares the experiences of building homes, running an organic farm, learning communication skills, sharing a community birth and death, and growing as individuals and a group. By integrating social and environmental alternatives into a living model, this community provides a template for one possible, and positive, future for the planet. Regular price $18.00 Special price $15.00 ECOVILLAGES: A Practical Guide to Sustainable Communities by Jan Martin Bang 2005; 288 pages; paperback Packed with tips, useful insights, sage advice and a wealth of resources, Ecovillages will appeal to a broad range of people interested in living in community or planning to do so. This title explores the new aspects of personal, social and ecological living represented by the growth of the ecovillage movement. The author has created a unique book that uses the ideas of permaculture as a basis for its exploration of the background and the history of this phenomenon. These ideas also provide a framework for an in-depth guide to planning, establishing and maintaining a sustainable community. Featured throughout the book are full-color case studies of successful ecovillages around the world. Each example includes information about the group's location, population and spiritual or ideological affiliation and the photographs bring to life it's special characteristics. Regular price $25.00 Special price $20.00 http://store.ic.org/catalog/specials.php Shipping/handling 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. Shop online for lower shipping rates, more shipping options, and more sale items. http://store.ic.org/catalog/specials.php 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 CONFERENCE AT TWIN OAKS ________________________________________________________________ An FIC Co-Sponsored Event * August 17-- 19, 2007 Twin Oaks Community near Louisa, Virginia Organizing is continuing for the annual Communities Conference at Twin Oaks. With over 25 different communities represented annually, it is a prime opportunity to network amongst other community minded folks. It is an ideal event for people who are looking for community as well for those already living in community to share and learn from each others experiences. It is a co-created conference, with shining eyed people, contributing their helping hands, ideas, perspectives and energy. There will be the famous Saturday night dance, campfires, singing, open space, workshops by experienced and dynamic presenters, the infamous mudpit, hammocks, good food and more. An unforgettable weekend for many! Join us at Twin Oaks' conference site in the woods! We'll be delving into the nuts and bolts of community with a variety of workshops on topics such as cooperative decision-making, intentional relationships, forming community, community econmics, and many more. Children are welcome. http://www.twinoaks.org/conference The Conference is co-sponsored by The Fellowship for Intentional Community http://www.ic.org The Federation of Egalitarian Communities http://www.thefec.org Twin Oaks Community http://www.twinoaks.org ________________________________________________________________ 5 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.