Subject: Re: Call for children's stories Date: Thu, 09 Apr 1998 14:45:25 -0400 From: "Win Wenger, Ph.D." To: Wendy McElroy CC: John McPherson , anakin@dur.mindspring.com, mcole@napanet.net, mjoyner@botree.com, GeoNelson@aol.com, "Rolls Straveca (SRCS)" , "Swcgluck@aol.com" , RickAshby@aol.com, Kuene@cts.com (Corbin/Kuenemen), jheflin@mail.portup.com, Tice@writeme.com (Tice Tansil), Frank@gerryts.demon.co.uk, e7750010@tsai.es (Ana Robles), razz4@ix.netcom.com (Michael V) Wendy - thank you. I think it's clear we're looking at a series - in fact, several series for each of the two priorities - rather than a single book, even though we want to "pack" our first publication up with as much quality and value as we can wherever it falls in whatever series. I'm taking the liberty now of forwarding this exchange to the rest of the team and trying to get some responses from them on it. With appreciation, --win At 07:28 AM 4/9/98 -0400, Wendy McElroy wrote: >Dear Win: > >If I can insert my two cents worth -- and, seeing as I'm a feminism, it is >not prudent to try and stop me ;-) -- allow me to comment: > >> Ideally, our priority, some might say focus, should be not to teach >children WHAT to think and perceive, but HOW to think and perceive. > >This quest is something of a passion with me. Please see the excerpt from my >just released book The Reasonable Woman at http://www.zetetics.com/mac. >Having said this, I think you must be modest about what you can accomplish >with one book. After all, there can always be future books that expand upon >a theme. In one volume -- especially a book that bucks the culture and, >thus, must be *very* clear and perhaps repetitive -- you cannot embrace >everything. 'How to think' is a far more amorphous subject than are specific >values and issues. In my opinion, that is what makes the latter more >appropriate for a first-step book. > >>We face a practical issue of priority, that of having stories already >well-written such as yours, ready to put forth in the project once we do >sort out who we really are and what we are doing. There just might not be >yet, any stories written in the ideal focus area and if we can't get up a >stream of finished and useful products flowing soon in this context, the >whole thing might fade away into being an exercise. > >Perhaps. But please consider contacting certain libertarian science fiction >writers who may have -- and, in one case, I know *does* have -- unpublished >children's stories. Heinlein's juvenalia -- with its vision of competent and >confident children solving problems -- had a tremendous impact on a >generation. I came to libertarianism through Rand: my husband came through >Heinlein. There is more talent out there than you may realize, and I would >be pleased to have you loot and plunder whatever contacts I have. [I publish >in SF on a modest basis.] >> >>I'm going to have to see what the others - and you - think now that this >dilemma has surfaced. Also, I need to ask you, would you be willing (also) >to write stories telling how? I'm putting this forth now, and hope that the >responses which come back can move us constructively forward. > >I would be willing to write such stories. But I wonder if they are not >appropriate for a companion volume? If they were to displace the stories I >have already sent in...I'm not sure if I'd agree. Not sure I wouldn't, either. > >Feel free to circulate this letter to whomever else you are including in the >process. > >Warm regards, >Wendy >> >============================================================================= >"Simplify, simplify..." Henry David Thoreau >"Simplify..." me > >Visit my home page at http://www.zetetics.com/mac/ >============================================================================== > > > win@thebestweb.com P.S. - see also some really great stuff at-- http://www.winwenger.com http://www.botree.com http://www.anakin.com http://www.amateur-spirit.net http://members.aol.com/RickAshby/ http://www.enchantedmind.com http://members.aol.com/richardpoe/index.html