OAKTOWN - When my last article appeared in these pages, the homage to Harlem Renaissance satirist George Schuyler, I fully expected it to get a rise out of, at least, a few of our readers.
LIFE ON THE STREET:
OAKTOWN - When my last article appeared in these pages, the homage to Harlem Renaissance satirist George Schuyler, I fully expected it to get a rise out of, at least, a few of our readers.
Wrong.
The ONLY acknowledgement I got that it even appeared in the G-21 was from another columnist.
Despite Rod, our publisher's, claims to the contrary, it is easy to feel like you are writing into a fathomless ocean, and to ask yourself Why even bother?
My thinking, at the time I wrote that article, was that I needed to find some way to get noticed among the veritable choir of voices that sing on this web site. It was obvious to me that when folks come to a large web site like this one, they take samples, pick one or two columnists they like, and follow those people's songs. They may take other samplings now and again, and especially if the article has a catchy title like my man Jeff Winbush's did last week. (As far as I'm concerned, Winbush came out of the box with a leg up. You got the choice between a column called "Bare Knuckles" and one called "Life on the Street", which one are you more likely to hit first?)
 TRIO: RADIO RAHEEM takes our Publisher at his word(about Free Speech, that is) in "TRIO THIS!"
 POWERSBOOKS BOB POWERS on writer and teacher, Joan Connor.
 G21 EUROPE: FLISS USSHER's Electric Impulses.
 G21 SOUTH AMERICA: A reprint of ANN BRAUN WHEATLEY's "Road Through the Sugar Cane"(G21 - August, 1996)
PART 2 of ANN's Reminiscence. PART 3 of ANN's Reminiscence. With the Companion Pieces from the subject of Ann's article, TOM HARGROVE: "Valley of the Shadow": His Exclusive-to-G21 story of his captivity among the FARC narco-guerillas in Colombia. Part 2 of Valley Part 3 of Valley [For the non-framed version of Part 1 follow the link. -- Ed.] [For the non-framed version of Part 2 follow the link. -- Ed.] [For the non-framed version of Part 3 follow the link. -- Ed.]  BLKNBLU's TREND BENDS on "Fallen".
|
We shouldn't have to.
When I complained to our publisher about this, he gave me another of those offers of his(like this TRIO spot --- yeah, thanks from taking me from a weekly slot here to once every three!) that he presents like a blessing but you feel like a damned curse. He tells me, how about trying out the "newspaper tradition" and appearing three times a week?
Most you you can probably imagine what it's like to deliver one good column a week, while still trying to hold down a job and have a life.
I said: "You must be high."
Don't get me wrong. I like the GENERATOR 21. I've written for it, off and on, for almost five years now; I was here even before it went to the web. I stopped writing when it came here, 'cause I thought this was all about elitism. Rod talked me out of that one, too.
But just 'cause I like Rod, and I like his magazine, that don't mean I have to be all rah-rah about everything that happens here.
Bottom Line: my last words appeared on this site over a month ago! If I see ONE MORE NEW WRITER signed onto this roster, I'm gonnah SCREAM!
Let's look at the facts:
Now to our publisher's credit, to be fair, THERE IS NO WAY I would put out a publication every single day, burning the midnight oil to do so, that wasn't making any money. "If it don't make money, it don't make sense," as the song goes. There certainly is NO WAY that I'd pay for it out of my own pocket by taking Temp Slave and contract-worker jobs.
But let's look at some other facts about what's been happening here:
"In My Humble Opinion," as most of you geeks like to say, this magazine is going the way of Wonder Bread.
When we first went daily, last year, the rationale Rod gave was that it would allow each of us to build a following. There were one or two features each day, so the explanation was believable.
But the last few times I've come to this site, there's been as many as FOUR-to-SIX new features every day! With that much new material flowing in, is it any wonder that columns get bumped?
Like I said earlier, I've known the editor and publisher here longer than just about anybody else contributing to this site. I know we are friends, no matter what.
BUT I also think a lot of this stuff needs to be said before the G21 loses its soul. I'm trying to put forward the case that what is good news for a publisher may not be good news for writers, or the public. I'm here to argue that sometimes less can be more.
So I need the support of those few of you who have bothered to read this rant(sorry, Robin Miller!) Go to the Message Board, SHOUT OUT or TALKBACK pages and send in your opinions. I'm going to need all the help I can get on making this case.
Thank you, in advance, for your support.
+++ The Previous TRIO Feature +++
RAHEEM's 
In 
G21 EUROPE: JOE O'NEILL follows the Jimmy Smyth story in 
JENNIFER BLUE's