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| Read the current Monday Report below! |
The ULA Monday Report!
This week's report by PAT SIMONELLI
How to be a Literary Nerd
on Pennies a Day!
We all know the economy’s in the shitter. Many of us are even
sketchy about how we’re going to pay next months bills and put
decent food on the table. All this worrying and strife can really
wear a person down, but thankfully there’s an emergency relief
entity peering at us from the corner. No it’s not Barack Obama,
fool! Nor is it Jesus or your mom. What can save us but CHEAP
UNDERGROUND LITERATURE?!
That’s right, good old fashioned reading can be a great escape at
times like this. Stretch out with a good book or zine and you’ll
find yourself in a different world for a while. I know a lot of you
are hooked on TV, but how can television help you when the repo
man comes for your 46” plasma TV, or you suddenly can’t afford
the monthly cost of cable?
No, do as I do! Constantly monitor your local independent
bookstore, thriftshop, or library for cheap books. I hear the
public library will even lend you books for free, but that comes
with the pressure of late fees in case you forget to return the book
on time. A library card can be as dangerous as a credit card in
the wrong hands! I’d rather save up a few bits and buy a used
book outright.
If you are a member of the gentry, and can afford a computer
and internet connection [Pause to allow you to check if you’ve just
lost your money in a ponzi scheme], then there are some great
websites you can buy cheap literary stuff from. Ebay is a good
one, if you can trust yourself not to get over-zealous in your
bidding. Amazon and Alibris can refer you to whoever’s offering
the book you want at the best price. The ULA Press shop run by
Jeff Potter offers great books and zines for as little as $2. No real
risk of going broke with an investment like that!
What if you’re a broke literary nerd who likes to be productive?
Pens, pencils and paper are still cheap, and so are photocopies.
You could write a zine and give copies away, or sell them for
cheap, thus stimulating the economy! Mail them out perhaps, if
you’re tough enough to withstand interrogation by the postal
clerk as to the true contents of your “Media Mail” package.
Are you still writing on a typewriter? Well I don’t know, some of
those ink ribbons can be pretty expensive, but if you can swing it,
do. Have access to a computer and you can maintain a literary
website or writer’s blog for free, or you can email your work to
editors, friends, or total strangers!
So as you see, it can be pretty cheap to lead a literary life, so long
as you don’t do anything stupid like joining the Oprah Book
Club. Hopefully, writing and reading will provide you with an
imaginative escape and an outlet of expression. And as for the
economic times, well, either things are going to get better in a
while, or the whole motherf*ck will come crashing down on our
poor pawnlike heads! Take care of your mental and spiritual self
to be best prepared no matter what happens.
===============================================
Pat Simonelli is the editor of LitVision and
a proud ULA member since February 2005.
===============================================
CLICK HERE TO READ THE PREVIOUS MONDAY REPORT!
GO HERE TO ENTER THE MONDAY REPORT BOX.
This week's report by PAT SIMONELLI
How to be a Literary Nerd
on Pennies a Day!
We all know the economy’s in the shitter. Many of us are even
sketchy about how we’re going to pay next months bills and put
decent food on the table. All this worrying and strife can really
wear a person down, but thankfully there’s an emergency relief
entity peering at us from the corner. No it’s not Barack Obama,
fool! Nor is it Jesus or your mom. What can save us but CHEAP
UNDERGROUND LITERATURE?!
That’s right, good old fashioned reading can be a great escape at
times like this. Stretch out with a good book or zine and you’ll
find yourself in a different world for a while. I know a lot of you
are hooked on TV, but how can television help you when the repo
man comes for your 46” plasma TV, or you suddenly can’t afford
the monthly cost of cable?
No, do as I do! Constantly monitor your local independent
bookstore, thriftshop, or library for cheap books. I hear the
public library will even lend you books for free, but that comes
with the pressure of late fees in case you forget to return the book
on time. A library card can be as dangerous as a credit card in
the wrong hands! I’d rather save up a few bits and buy a used
book outright.
If you are a member of the gentry, and can afford a computer
and internet connection [Pause to allow you to check if you’ve just
lost your money in a ponzi scheme], then there are some great
websites you can buy cheap literary stuff from. Ebay is a good
one, if you can trust yourself not to get over-zealous in your
bidding. Amazon and Alibris can refer you to whoever’s offering
the book you want at the best price. The ULA Press shop run by
Jeff Potter offers great books and zines for as little as $2. No real
risk of going broke with an investment like that!
What if you’re a broke literary nerd who likes to be productive?
Pens, pencils and paper are still cheap, and so are photocopies.
You could write a zine and give copies away, or sell them for
cheap, thus stimulating the economy! Mail them out perhaps, if
you’re tough enough to withstand interrogation by the postal
clerk as to the true contents of your “Media Mail” package.
Are you still writing on a typewriter? Well I don’t know, some of
those ink ribbons can be pretty expensive, but if you can swing it,
do. Have access to a computer and you can maintain a literary
website or writer’s blog for free, or you can email your work to
editors, friends, or total strangers!
So as you see, it can be pretty cheap to lead a literary life, so long
as you don’t do anything stupid like joining the Oprah Book
Club. Hopefully, writing and reading will provide you with an
imaginative escape and an outlet of expression. And as for the
economic times, well, either things are going to get better in a
while, or the whole motherf*ck will come crashing down on our
poor pawnlike heads! Take care of your mental and spiritual self
to be best prepared no matter what happens.
===============================================
Pat Simonelli is the editor of LitVision and
a proud ULA member since February 2005.
===============================================
CLICK HERE TO READ THE PREVIOUS MONDAY REPORT!
GO HERE TO ENTER THE MONDAY REPORT BOX.
| Questions, Comments, Submissions? Email to: report@literaryrevolution.com |
