The State of Forest Fire

Though the blog may indicate it, Forest Fire is far from inactive. Unfortunately none of us has made the effort to consistently update the blog with new online content, and I believe that most of us consider the blog a lost cause. This may partly be due to the fact that the majority of the masthead was off gallivanting in Europe during the fall quarter and was too busy enjoying the good life to give much care to the state of things. Another reason may be the limited functionality (or our ignorance) of the blogger template to support online versions of the magazine.

But we're all back now busily working on the winter print issue and--which segues nicely to my next point--a permanent, multi-purpose website, on which we hope to host not only a PDF version of the magazine, but also a HTML, text-and-image version of the print content. In addition to this main function, I envision (Forest Fire envisions a lot and too much) the website as a sort of small-time blog, for which members of the staff will write an entry or two every week or so. The casual reader will also have a space to comment on blog posts and on the content of the magazine itself. This is in the works: meaning, we hope to get one up during spring quarter of this academic year.

We also want to broaden our horizons a bit from merely publishing a magazine (however labored over it is--and it is). We want to host release parties--and I mean bona fide release parties with DJ sets or bands and drinks and such--and screenings (particularly a documentary on Irvine Meadows West, a mobilehome and trailer community that is now a often vacant parking lot). Again, more envisioning.

Our visions need someone to prod them into existence. If you're interested in working with me and Abe in promotion and organization of Forest Fire, please contact us by email. An incentive should be our relative coolness and open company, but maybe that's not much of an incentive for the amount of work you'll probably have to put in. Consider it then a labor of charity.

I believes that just about wraps it up.

The issue should hit UCI (alternative) publication racks the first weeks of spring quarter. Look for it and give us an email expressing your opinion.