Talking about the project

Me to Robin Sloan.

This:

What the book ended up doing, more than anything, was it re-connected me with that campus, and that town, and that place, and the people.

This:

I started thinking about somehow putting her words and my words together into a physical item that some might call a book. That got me to thinking about what else might fit into that physical item some might call a book. So we collected more words from others who have written things, on message boards, in e-mails, whatever, about this topic that ties together this small and admittedly niche-y but very passionate community that for many people has become sort of this important point of contact.

And this:

Another thing, and this, I guess, is more an issue of philosophy than anything else, but I want this to be not only FOR the community but in some sense BY the community and OF the community. It already is, kind of, in that the words are written by a variety of people who care about Davidson the town, Davidson the college, and the basketball team. But what are some ways I could get even more people involved? I think the more the better. I want people to feel like they're part of it because they ARE part of it.

Robin to me.

This:

Really, in some ways an ideal setup for a project, because you have a defined community of interest already. And it's not just current staff and students of Davidson, but the whole Davidson diaspora. Very cool.

This:

I liked this part of your email the best: "But what are some ways I could get even more people involved? I thinkthe more the better. I want people to feel like they're part of itbecause they ARE part of it." That seems to me like the big organizing principle here. And so really, you want to sit down and brainstorm: what simple, easy thingscould LOTS MORE people in the Davidson community contribute? Photos?Memories -- just a paragraph or so each? Documents, like tickets, flyers, news clippings? It becomes a matter of collecting and curating ... and you'd have to figure out an effective way to reach out to lots of people, and ask them for this stuff. But I think it's the right thing to do. I agree with you; the more contributors, the better. And even a very small contribution -- a photo, a few words -- can make a person feel like a co-creator.

And this:

You could incorporate real-world events -- probably a good idea, actually. Maybe they're connected to things like games or tailgate parties or other things. You use them as a way to solicit ideas and memories from lots of Davidson basketball fans at once.

Thoughts?