I just realized I didn't send out birthday wishes on 7
January, so here they are. It was eight years earlier, in
1997, when RARA-AVIS was created. Since then, more than
30,000 messages have gone out on the list to several hundred
people, some who've been on the list since the first week.
The archives form what must be the largest body of fact and
opinion about hardboiled and noir writing anywhere on the
Internet.
Right now there are 307 people on the list, which is getting
close to how many we had before the move to Yahoo! last
summer (caused by mail problems at the old host). We have
people from all over the world: e-mail addresses show
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Spain, Finland, France,
Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, the UK, the US, and there
are other people whose locations I've forgotten or can't
deduce.
There are a number of writers on the list, many doing
hardboiled and noir, and also academics, critics, publishers,
fans, and librarians. What unites us all is that we all read
the stuff and we all love it. We don't
*all* love *all* of it, but we love hardboiled and noir
writing. And we like talking about it!
Last year's move to Yahoo! annoyed a few people, but it seems
to be making it easier for people to join and the service is
better than the old host, though the ads are annoying. I
think this year will be a good one. We got off to a good
start with BLACK MONEY as the book of the month, and Vicki
Hendricks, possibly Ken Bruen, and I hope other writers await
us as guests of the month. Lots of good HB and noir writing
will be coming out this year, too. It's a fine time indeed to
like this kind of stuff.
Thanks for making the list so enjoyable and
informative.
As a reminder of how the list works, below is a trimmed
version of the list's rules. Please reread them and refresh
your memory. Thanks.
Cheers,
Bill (the list-owner)
1. All messages must relate, even if only slightly, to
hardboiled and noir writing. Possible topics for discussion
include:
Movies are best discussed in relation to the written word:
adaptations or screenplays by hardboiled/noir writers are all
right, but film noir in general is better discussed in other
mailing lists or newsgroups. RARA-AVIS is based on the
written word. Everything on the list should be about
hardboiled or noir writing, or directly related to it. That
won't make a shortage of topics of conversation.
2. Please introduce yourself to the list, but first lurk for
a couple of weeks to get a feel for how it works. Then speak
up! Note that new members are, by default, moderated, so your
first message will have to wait for approval. After that
you'll be able to post freely. This is done to prevent
spammers from sneaking on to the list.
3. The list isn't a forum for unpublished writers. Usenet
newsgroups such as misc.writing are more appropriate for
that. There isn't much talk by writers about themselves on
the list because it's a place for devotees to speak as
friends. A writer you like may be on the list! We're all
equal in our love for hardboiled and noir writing.
4. Trim as much quoted text as possible from your replies
(this definitely includes the footer added to the bottom of
each message).
5. Very small advertisements, from list members, of new
hardboiled or noir books they have written, edited, or
published, are welcome.
6. Do not send virus warnings.
7, Insulting or baiting behaviour will not be tolerated. The
list is set so that replies go to the list, not the sender,
but you can change this. Off-topic mail should also be
directed to the sender, not the list as a whole.
-- William Denton : Toronto, Canada : http://www.miskatonic.org/ : Caveat lector.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 25 Jan 2005 EST