Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 21:01:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Shawn P. Wilbur" <swilbur-AT-wcnet.org>
Subject: Pauper's Books update


Howdy, gang. I've been a bit quiet, busy keeping the wolf from the door,
but things are starting to stabilize a bit. Nobody in their right mind
would start a small business in this economy, but my (lack of) sanity has
never been in question. I'm still neck deep in debt, but the good news is
i haven't got much deeper than i was, and i think things may be starting
to turn around again a bit.

The April month of music and media thang was a moral success and not much
of a financial loss. I'm now the proud possessor of a pretty good PA, and
the bookstore is doubling as a practice space for a couple of
(politically and musically sympathetic) local bands who are helping out a
bit with the cost of the rig, and will help fund future improvements. I'm
pretty close to having a space comparable in size to the best house-show
spaces we've had in town, with a dedicated PA and effects rig. I'm working
on getting the place rewired a bit and buying a good recording mike, so
that we can document more shows. There's a group of CD-R "labels" (mostly
individuals) working on a plan to release something like on disc each
month from performances at the shop. I took the summer off from putting on
shows, but will be starting again in early September, starting the weekend
of the local arts festival. One of the September events will be the start
of a series of study groups and performances dealing with the work of
anarchist composer John Cage. If there's enough interest, we'll probably
also start doing something relating to Harry Partch soon. I've scheduled
three Sunday-night "anarchestrations" - free improv sessions involving as
many folks as arrive, and whatever instruments they arrive with, spread
out through the store, with an emphasis on learning the properly anarchist
skill of doing your own thing at the same time as your neighbors.

The AKA Bookish pamphlet series has been on hold for awhile, but i have
two pieces by Edward Carpenter - "Non-governmental Society" and
"Exfoliation" (a lamarckian essay of historical interest) - ready to print
in the next couple of weeks. The Carpenter titles will be hand-bound,
rather than staple - not a big thing for small pamphlets, but a little
classier. The edition of William B. Green's "Mutual Banking" is coming
along, but i'm working on a bibliographic piece, comparing the various
editions, and trying to put together as complete and critical edition as
possible. There's an account of the Topolobampo Colony in Mexico and a
collection of early magazine pieces by Stephen Pearl Andrews (on universal
languages, the civil war, etc) that out to get done this fall as
well. I'll also be co-publishing a comic book - good lifestyle anarchist
fun based on local personalities, including the local anarchist
bookseller. 

I'm almost finished with the first CD-R release from the store/performance
space, a joint release with Project: Atlantis of some improvisations
recorded in the store. It will be two CD-Rs of instrumental improv, with
an illustrated booklet including, among other things, a Voltairine de
Cleyre story that hasn't been reprinted in a long, long time. That will be
followed sometime soonish by some spoken-word+music versions of several of
de Cleyre's poems. I have several other anarchist-poet projects that
will probably come together this winter. 

I've also started into the "radical accessories" business with some
anarchist-oriented t-shirt transfers. Once i get a chance to stretch some
screens, i'll get into production of t-shirts and patches. I'm trying to
get some new designs out, instead of just reprinting the same punk
graphics. I'm experimenting with some other stuff, like stickers, magnets
and buttons. Radical junk is still junk, but an awful lot of us still like
to accessorize our rebellion. 

The store itself is getting a bit of an internal facelift, which hopefully
will make it more attractive to a customer base now pretty thoroughly used
to chain stores (where the bookshelves are great, and the books are
inoffensive). I'm not going for a corporate look, but i'm taking some
steps toward making the clutter and strangeness a bit more intelligible.
As money allows, i'll be rebuilding the radical/alternative new book
selection, which has been a bit depleted by lean times. But the biggest
changes in the general book operation will be increased internet presence.
I'm on eBay as "paupersbooks", selling books and comics, and i'm in the
process of building a web-store on my store site, with instant payment
options (through Paypal) for the convenience-minded. I've tried hard to
redesign the site so that my increased commercial emphasis online goes
with increased integration of the informational and archival material in
the Libertarian Labyrinth, etc. Any suggestions or comments are welcome. 

To top everything off, i've gone back to school this fall, working on
finishing my Ph.d in American Culture Studies and teaching Intro
Philosophy on the web. My dissertation will be a study of four 19th
century american libertarians: William Batchelder Greene, Stephen Pearl
Andrews, Lewis Masquerier and Calvin Blanchard. This particular study will
be largely textual analysis, so i should be able to make a lot of their
writings available in the LibLab while i'm doing the research.

This stuff ought to keep me out of trouble, if not necessarily out of
debt. A lot will depend on whether or not the locals respond to the
in-store events. I have a pretty dependable group of "usual suspects" in
my corner this time, so i'm optimistic. 

Money is, of course, the big potential spoiler. I'm resistant to benefits,
although we'll probably go that route some in September. But i've
swallowed my pride and/or anarchist common sense enough to put together a
little fund-raising scheme (in the public broadcasting trinkets-for-
support mode). Some folks have asked how, other than buying books, they
can help out, so here's one way. Check out the web site, particularly: 

http://www.wcnet.org/~paupers/fundraising.html

You can order a tshirt transfer or just make a donation. Or not. Ain't
voluntary association great?

-shawn

Shawn P. Wilbur, Bookseller    |   An Anarchist Bookstore:
Pauper's Books                 |   10,000s of Titles In All Categories
206 N. Main                    |   Home of AKA Bookish Publications
Bowling Green, OH 43402-2420   |   paupers-AT-wcnet.org
(419) 352-2163                 |   http://www.wcnet.org/~paupers