26 May 2004

Broad Universe News

BU Listserv Becomes Member Benefit
An open letter to the BU community from the Motherboard:

As part of our ongoing evolution, Broad Universe has announced a major change in the BU listserv. We recognize the importance of community, and we believe these changes will build a stronger connection between women in sf/f/h who seek professional publication and those who support them in their goal. Whether these are established professionals or yet-to-be published, all have a place in BU. Our goal is to create an online BU community that will provide support and friendship, foster women's work and craft, as well as providing women with the knowledge they need to succeed in the business side of writing.

The BU listserv has become a benefit of paid BU membership. Existing list participants who are not paid members can continue their active participation until June 1, 2004. However, on June 1, only paid BU members, of at least the $15 level, will be allowed to reply and post to the list. After June 1, non-members will be limited to read-only access, providing them with the ability to read the list, but not to post.

With these changes, we hope the list will serve even more effectively as a place for our members to foster each other as professional and pre-professional writers and to provide support for writers. We have a broad <ahem> definition of the word "professional." Seeking a professional writing career has nothing to do with the means by which an author is published.

Authors working in all forms of publication—whether in traditional print or a new form such as e-book—are welcome. However, we believe, among other things, that being a professional or pre-professional writer means seeking the highest possible payment and working towards the widest possible distribution of your work.

If you're interested in a professional career in the genre or want to support women who are, then we hope you'll join BU, continue your participation on the BU listserv and take advantage of the more focused community we hope to create here. If you wish to continue to support and foster the work of women in the genre, we encourage you to join and stay involved.

Together, we can take BU and the work of women in the field to the next level. We hope you'll be part of that exciting journey!

BU Motherboard
Suzy McKee Charnas
Alyx Dellamonica
Amy Hanson
Debbie Notkin
Grace O'Malley
Diane Silver
Heather Whipple

With the BU Advisory Board