Happy Anniversary! One year ago today, the very first diary in the Books That Changed My Life series was published. It has been an auspicious year, filled with both laughter and tears, but always passion.
So, are you ready to take the plunge? Do you wish to become a member of the Books That Changed My Life writers' club? Now is your opportunity. It is time to open the list for March. There are 5 Friday mornings in March. The first, March 2, is already spoken for and queued; William W Wraith is on tap, writing about the Bodhicharyavatara. I am pleased that he will be starting off the new year just as P Carey ended the old year: a first-time Kossack diarist sharing that privilege with us.
More, including an NFTT message, below the fold:
First, the NFTT message. Now is the time of year when we Kossacks rally together to let our military brothers and sisters (and sons and daughters and fathers and mothers and friends and cousins..you get the idea) that we care about them. I am proud to say that the Readers and Book Lovers group was one of the two top groups on Daily Kos, in terms of raising money for NFTT, last year. I very much hope that we can live up that standard this year. Given the size of the group, our goal will be to raise $3000 for NFTT. If you wish to donate to our group effort, use this link. This year's effort is particularly important, as NFTT has added military personnel at VA hospitals to the list of persons eligible to receive an NFTT-sponsored CARE package. One hopes that as the number of folks in active war zones draws down, more and more donations can be funnelled in that direction. That way the Netroots Nation commitment to support our troops can be sustained even as fewer men and women are in the direct line of fire. It has been a hallmark of the progressive blogosphere that advocacy for our military brothers and sisters does not end on the front lines.
On to the sign-up list. There are 4 Friday mornings left, March 9, 16, 23 & 30. As usual, the first to request a slot gets first dibs on the dates available. For this month, I am adding one exception. If anyone thinks that they have a book that changed their life, which also is relevant to NFTT, that person will get first priority. (For that matter, I am prepared to make this an NFTT month, if enough such potential series diarists make themselves available.) But even if you don't feel you have that type of book diary "in you", please sign up. (I will be off the computer until Monday morning, but don't let that stop you from getting involved.)
You can request a slot here in the comments, or you can message me directly, if you like. By the way, if you are thinking "I'm no diarist" or "I don't write that well", don't worry about it. Almost every diarist in the series has started out that way, and has felt richly rewarded by the experience. As have all of us series readers. Go for it!