Hi everyone, I hope you're well. I have an update for you regarding my project of creating a Classics online forum/community. I have made some progress on the project. Some things are more important, some less. Here goes:
1) I have now successfully reblogged all posts regarding the project to Neon Rhapsodies (@neon-rhapsodies). This was intended to be my side blog where I would post my original writing, but it never really happened. The project has now taken over in terms of priority, so from now on any updates will be reblogged to Neon Rhapsodies as a sort of archive* for the project. Also, who knows, maybe I will post get to do some original writing at some point…
(*NOTE: The Tumblr archive function sucks. You can tag all your original posts with your username and it will still not find stuff for you when you look for it. If you ever need to find all your original posts, please use this website. You are welcome.)
2) Perhaps the most important update here, but I have recently sent Antigone journal an email outlining the project and asking if they would be interested in creating a forum/community based around their journal. Antigone literally describes itself as an "open forum for Classics" and regularly publishes articles by literally anyone, from big scholars and public figures to graduates, students, and enthusiasts alike. If there is one platform which realistically has any chance of making this project work, it's them. It was a very long email, and I had to use my real name (argh!), but I put my heart and soul into it. I really hope that they will respond, and hopefully, that it may spark a conversation!
My prediction is that they will like the idea, but they will have doubts about being able to realise it soon or at all. I say soon because I know that they started the journal this year and they are still building their website and online following. So, it may be that they are interested in the project, but cannot start working on it just yet, though it could be an idea for the (near) future. Or it may be that they just cannot work on it as a journal, but some members of the team are interested in working on it separately, and that would be something. It is also possible that they will not be interested in it at all. I would be very surprised if that was the case, but anything is possible. So, if Antigone say no...
3) …It may be that I just have to work on the project by myself. Perhaps spread the word on Twitter and other platforms, see if anyone else would like to be involved. For now, I have created something which could work as a home for the project: https://ancientstudies.boards.net. Yes, I know, it is not super flashy, but it's something. Also, please not the choice of colour and background. I did spend some time on it, thank you very much. I have called it 'Ancient Studies Network' because I am not the biggest fan of 'Classics' as a name for our subject. I mean, I use it, but I have always felt like it did not quite capture the scope of our subject. Not to mention the whole framework of white superiority the mere use of the term 'classics' is imbued with. That, and the fact that it always gets confused with 'classics' as in English literature, or classical music, or classic cars. (Yes, that happens. Also, lots of universities have started adopting 'Ancient Studies' in place of 'Classics', so it makes sense.) Anyway, it's a forum, it's a community… it's a start!
Also, while I was trying to see if the forum would come up easily in a Google search (spoiler: it doesn't), I found a history forum called Historum which is pretty much what I would like the forum to be like, but for Classics. It's so good, I actually included it in my email to Antigone as an example of good online forum/community. (The only thing I have just realised is that I included the link to the home of the website rather than the forum section. Oh well. Hopefully they'll figure it out.) Anyway, this is a good model to follow in terms of what the forum could be like. They even have an ancient history section, which is pretty nice. Not a lot of ancient literature discussions going on there, but it's okay. In fact, if the project doesn't work, I think I will probably end up lurking around that forum section and posting on it every now and then.
Anyway, let's not get disheartened too soon. I'll see what Antigone responds first, if they do respond, and then I'll take it from there. In the meantime, thank you again everyone for your support!
