Today marked the last day of my stint as blogger and blog editor at Air America. While a short and chaotic ride, it was nonetheless rewarding. I helped to get things rolling on their online presence, I hope. Sam Seder is taking the baton from here, and it's truly going to be a pleasure to watch where Air America online goes next.
I learned something invaluable from the experience. Just before starting at AAR, I had the good chance to take the helm of a particular advocacy campaign. It was grassroots, activist work on behalf of an issue I care deeply about and for an organization at the tip of the spear in the field. In the personal drama of the moment, it looked like a fork in the road. Would I be advocate Nancy from here on out? Or would media Nancy get the go ahead?
(Yes, there's a great deal of overlap between advocacy and media these days, and, no, the choice is not irreversible, but shhh. You're messing up my narrative flow.)
I've pounded out chunks of written content day in and day out for months now, and this much is clear: I chose right. I love gathering facts and ideas that get at the truth, as far as I see it in the moment. And putting one word after another and then -- glory be to readers -- having other human creatures respond to what I've created. If this is not as good as it gets, then at least it's plenty good enough for me.
The answer is, in that reading chair, mostly. (When Lily lets me have a turn in it, that is.) Since leaving Air America two weeks ago, I've been laying low both online and off. The reason is that I'm dedicating the rest of 2007 to a period of quiet study. My aim is to shore up my book learnin' on topics that I hope to write more about in the coming months and years. I've got a reading list of a couple dozen works, many of an economic bent. Please do feel free to keep emailing me during this time, but please just know that it might take me a while longer to get back to you than normal.
