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what if I can do something?
But now, the ways have changed, and those treasures are buried and forgotten, for most of those among us who only have access to the Dream via the Internet. We rejoice for the Lending Library, and we are grateful for the great intuition of the fans who created it and for the dedication of those who have taken care of it. But... But there are fans all over the world now, and although one can dream about winning the lottery, the sad reality is that postal fees can be prohibitive for those of us located outside the USA. We are grateful for the Internet. While it cannot replace holding a real zine in our hands - ink, paper, smell, traces of previous owners and all - it has allowed online fans to read beautiful stories from present-day authors, and beautiful stories from past authors when they've granted permission to post them on B&B websites. But... But those stories are just a few gallons of the ocean of stories that have been written. What about the others? "Tell me, Father: are we forever bound to long and crave and drool?" Not exactly. From the early days of the Internet, stories written for paper zines have been typed or scanned and put online to be shared via this "new" medium. When the stories were relatively recent, authors were easy to contact to ask for permission: many of them did it themselves, in their own sites or via online newsletters like Father's Online Library. But... But now? Twenty-five years later, everything is much more difficult. Finding the authors and artists, and getting their permission to post their stories or art can be almost impossible. But...
But not completely impossible. Two little
examples, and one gift to encourage those who might want to try to help. Second example, if not a second gift, as real life did not allow to meet the September 25th deadline, sigh... One author who wrote lovely things posted online, and wrote at least one more lovely thing not yet posted, is a regular attendee of the B&B conventions. During the B&B New Orleans convention, in July, two fans bravely approached her to ask for that missing story. "Can we post Winter Memories?" "Yes." "Deal!". And the scanner was put to work. Soon, the last of the beautiful Season Trilogy stories by Cathy Moran will be posted in one of the B&B fanfiction sites, stay tuned. Thank you, Cathy!
{update October 3, 2011 - here is the
link to
Winter Memories, Sooo.... Do you know fans from the past? Do you recognize names from B&B fandom on Facebook? Do you have addresses worth trying in your own address book? This is a common effort. There are plenty of websites willing to host the beautiful stories and art from the past, and scanners willing to do the work. Let's hunt for the authors, let's share the dream! Here you can find some instructions about what to do if you find a gem and the appropriate permissions to share it... but if you don't remember this link, just tap on the pipes anywhere, somebody will be listening! Happy hunting! -------------
September 25, 2011
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