Composting Ouches: "Out of Print" means ONLY available in print

 Is it possible that one of RantWoman's oopses is NOT to say OUCH as loudly and precisely as possible EVERY time an ouch has occurred?

Consider the very understated OUCH at the bottom of Call to Annual Session email. Yes indeedy, out of print means only available in print. RantWoman distinctly remembers her last experience with a clearness committee. That iteration of clearness committee decided they were done before RantWoman thought they were done. One Friend has now KINDLY acknowledged many shortcomings of one long ago, just goona say it, feeble and incomplete effort to think about disability. Another Friend from that committee keeps turning down RantWoman's offers of help and then exuding an "I'm too busy" vibe every time RantWoman wants to reach out to her. RantWoman cannot think of a better indication that that Friend really, really, really needs HELP.

Anyway, RantWoman remembers thinking during said clearness committee about but not articulating anything about all the beloved Quaker texts that are out of print or otherwise not available in a format RantWoman can access easily. RantWoman also wants to call out the point that people of different ages read in different media. If Friends think beloved Quaker texts should be of interest to people who read primarily on their devices, RantWoman would say PUT THE BELOVED TEXTS IN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN READ THEM ON THEIR DEVICES.

Behold: slightly edited extracts from an email with MUCH to say about Oops and Ouches and Whoas.

One important ouch going in: the call to Annual Session had a glib statement about how suggested reading, Thomas R Kelly's a testament of devotion is out of print but Friends should be able to find a copy easily. Out of print actually means available only in print. Can you see the Ouch in assuming everyone reads print? 

Anyway, every day one of the suggested passages for worship groups was exactly from A Testament of Devotion. Since the worship group quotes and queries came electronically and I have the tools I need (no fuss no muss no abusive BS from Conflict is a Gift of God Friend) to read with a screen reader I probably did as much of the reading as lot of other Friends.

As far as the bigger ongoing out of print ouch, (RantWoman) actually reached out to Mary Klein and another blind woman now on the board of Western Friend with some ideas about reissuing. Friend Editor says if we can find who currently has the copyright there may be possibilities....

Here RantWoman has a sad: part of the reason "Ask the editor of Western Friend" came to RantWoman is because of abortive conversation about doing an audio version of Faith and Practice. RantWoman LOVED some of the ideas that were part of thinking about this project. RantWoman's sad is because RantWoman had decided to leave things to Western Friend and the Faith and Practice committee and a younger Friend also very interested in an audio version of Faith And Practice. Then the younger Friend got disgusted by whatever was happening or not happening at a certain mother of all Meetings meeting and resigned their membership.

RantWoman cannot by herself tend to either of these projects. RantWoman also thinks there are many many Friends who might appreciate more Quaker audio materials and RantWoman would be thrilled to cheerlead if there were Friends interested in working on more Quaker materials in audio format.