Loose Leaf Notes

Before blogging there was A Museletter, the homespun print forum that was created by some of Floyd’s back-to-the-land-settlers more than 30 years ago for the purpose of sharing literary/artistic musings and ideas on self-reliance, growing and preserving food, holistic health, peace and justice activism, home schooling and more. There were no online forums back then, only a few owned computers, and the rural miles between us were sometimes many.  We were a tight knit group exploring seasonal celebrations and simple living.  We were raising our kids and patching together ways to make a living, mostly from arts and crafts and part time work.

As a writer, the Museletter has been foundational and formative for me.  It gave me a platform to develop my writer’s voice and was a big part of what brought me to Floyd from Texas via Boston in 1985.  The community reflected in its pages helped cement that this was where I wanted to live. From day one, upon my arrival, I worked on the monthly publication with various groups of people and sometimes on my own, making my name almost synonymous with the Museletter, eventually.  It was a true community hub.

Supported by subscription fees and the Community Education Resource Cooperative (CERC), the Museletter has been described as kitchen table democracy or like making a community pie from scratch every month.  It has always had a dedicated following, but in the last half-dozen years subscriptions have dropped and discussions about its relevancy have ensued.  It seemed that the work and expense of putting it out no longer matched the use.  Still, those that loved it and counted on it arriving in their mailbox each month hung in there and even participated in community brainstorming workshop about it in 2010.

Soon after that I passed the Museletter torch onto Amy Avery, one of the young people we raised who grew up with the all volunteer Muse as part of her life.  Amy made some significant mailing changes that saved a lot of money. She set up a Facebook page, laid it out monthly by computer and made headway into getting its presence online.  Even so, in this month’s issue she announced that March would be the last hardcopy issue.

For years I made and sold jewelry to support myself and my sons while staying at home to raise them.  When my jewelry-making career ended and I went on to work for Wall Residences, providing foster care for an individual with disabilities, I cleaned out my jewelry tools and supplies in one fell swoop.  Not so with the Museletter. 

I recently emptied a large filing cabinet drawer of Museletter remnants that should have been sorted through years ago – old issues, subscriptions lists, letters, clip art and more.   I was amazed at the amount original art and poetry I couldn’t bear to toss and the history told in black and white.

That was one filing cabinet drawer, and not the one upstairs in my office that is home to a fairly complete collection of the entire archive, Museletters named (thanks to Jayn Avery) Apple Crisp Moon, Looney Tune June Moon, Dickens of a Moon, Masked Moon, Bloom Soon Moon and so many more.   

Saying goodbye to the hardcopy Museletter with all its cut and paste charm would be a lot easier if I thought the history in it would be preserved.  If anyone is interested in working alone or with a group to digitize part (the best of) or all of the collection, please let me know or leave a message at the online site floydmuse.org. or send it to CERC PO BOX 81, Floyd VA 24091.  People can send their Museletter thoughts and memories to museletterfloyd@gmail.com for the final issue.

For three decades the Museletter has been there, ready if anyone wanted to reach 150 or so people to announce something, share something, or sell something.  I will miss the feedback I still get from people on the street about something I have written, not in The Floyd Press, not on my blog or Facebook, but in the Museletter.  If the shift hits the fan and the digital world goes down, I hope the skill of homespun cut and paste communication can be revived.

The Museletter has been a beacon for those living in and coming to Floyd for many years.  It has served us well and I think it’s testament to community that it lasted as long as it did.   I’m grateful to everyone that took part.