30 Days To Go

Dear Friends,

It's 30ish days to go until Just Here For The Comments: Lurking as Digital Literacy Practice is released. A few author copies earmarked for libraries arrived early and this allowed me to share with my kids (and my husband) that the book was dedicated to them. When the box arrived and my youngest realized that the surprise inside was neither toys, nor snacks, a few tears ensued. The elder was a bit more enthusiastic, so we snapped a commemorative photo.

I don't know whether this is the base or the summit of my publishing journey, but I am so glad to have you with me. Your friendship and support have been the fuel to keep me moving. 21st Century publishing requires an author to be both writer and publicist. Learning how to negotiate those two roles is challenging; thank you for your good humor as I attempt this tightrope.

Two neighborhood friends organized a dinner party salon, which included these nifty popcorn buckets filled with homemade caramel popcorn.

A few folks have since asked: what's the deal with all the popcorn?

Popcorn is the symbol for lurking (when you read the comments on social media, but don't publicly comment, like, or share the post). The most well known lurker meme is an allusion to Michael Jackson's Thriller.

Each chapter of my book is organized around popular lurker memes and some of the titles are allusions to the memes. For copyright reasons (it's a challenge to identify who is the legal owner of the original meme), I could not include images of the memes in my book. Readers can find a detailed meme guide on my website to accompany their reading. Chapter One, "Don't Mind Me" charts the historical shifts in the word lurker (from neutral to nefarious) and includes a deep dive into Thriller and the ethics of lurking.

Book Tour

The second stop on my book tour brought me to the CUNY Graduate Center in early April. The talk focused on teaching lurker literacies in the context of urban education. A full recording of the talk is available here.

Dr. Dolly Chugh of NYU Stern School of Business shared my book in her monthly Dear Good People newsletter as part of her annual "What I'm Reading" edition. If you're looking for your next good read, check out her newsletter for a curated list of evidence based books. This recent edition focuses on storytelling, social justice, and parenting.

The third stop on my book tour brought me to North Carolina Public Radio listeners as a guest on The Measure of Everyday Life with RTI International. My North Carolina friends might have caught it live on Sunday night. Everyone else (myself included) can listen when it hits streaming on May 1. Host Brian Southwell and I discuss the value in lurking and the social science behind the phenomenon.

Next Month

If you're a subscriber to Laura Portwood Stacer's Manuscript Works Newsletter, I'll be the feature story in May. I'm also taping a podcast for Transforming Society and The New Books Network.

For at least the next few months while I am doing events, I'll be sending a monthly newsletter. A thoughtful gift from one of my oldest friends inspired the new logo.

I am not yet certain how this newsletter will evolve when the brief frenzy of book launch subsides. Hence the vague and all encompassing title: Words.

Books in the Wild

One of my North Carolina friends sent me this snap of an early arriving edition (apparently Amazon is shipping before release date?). If my book arrives or if you spot in the wild at a library or bookstore, please send me a pic!

Thanks for walking beside me!

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