The ULA mission is primarily one that’s meant to give an unprecedented voice to fans of reading. It’s a way for them to rally their voices together for far greater impact and amplification. It really works!
Basically, if you as a Little Person write a letter to the editor of a Famous Journal, first it won’t be printed, but if it was it would be ignored.
The ULA has been hammering thru various exposes’ of the literary system for a few years now and has also been showing up at solemn literary events (churches of the quiet) and asking simple, tough questions. The result is that when someone says “I sure wish they’d start publishing relevant novels again” they are ignored, but if they say the same thing and add “…and the gung-ho literary fans of the ULA are saying the same thing and they’re not taking no for an answer” they actually get listened to!
The ULA is made up of anyone who wants the return of relevant reading. In the main, it’s not even a group. People do get together for projects, events or forays into NYC on occasion. There’s no hierarchy or even rules, really. It’s a big tent. If it quacks like a duck… Now, it does have focus. Not all writing counts. It’s not “scribblers of the world unite.” We look up to the champions of lit who made a difference. We call out those who’ve made high impact contributions or even just remarks about the subject.
Here are two simple projects taking us back to our roots.
I worked up two petitions for the cause, which anyone can feel free to sign and then comment on. They’re not perfect but hopefully they make a couple good points.
This one should’ve been titled “FREE THE BOOK!”
www.petitiononline.com/ulapress/petition.html
…It’s simply a call to a revived relevance in literature again. It declares that literature is important. That it’s not just upper-class frosting and navel-gazing. It suggests that a good way to regain this basic function and edge is for publishers to look once again outside of academia for talent and to admit that marketing/legal standards aren’t the best first guides, that occasionally they might have to be viewed in a subordinate light, that we need to think outside the box here more than in any other creative field.
This one asks for the “Independent” category in books
www.petitiononline.com/indyflag/petition.html
…Music and film have the indy category to recognize non-establishment work as distinct from corporate. Why not books? It would be simple for Amazon to add it. It could be used as a supplement to any other category (many books have several cat’s as it is). Why hasn’t it been done yet? Hmmm, perhaps a presumptive conceit is involved…
