I am sorry that I have been so missing from here. I notice that I had written about both my accident and Shu's fall where he fractured his C-1 in his neck. We are both fine now, but being away so long just got us out of the habit. Also, there are so few people posting that it is not like it used to be.

What do you think? Is there a way to revive WC? If not, should I close it down? I have loved WC, as you know, and I just hate to close it down. However, there is a monthly fee, and maybe I should? What are your thoughts? Any ideas on growing it? Or are discussion boards a thing of the past?

Kalleh, I think the Board itself is unlikely to be the proper vehicle for rekindling Wordcrafter. Everyone, including the most stalwart among us, has gotten away from the habit of looking here. If there is going to be any revival I think it will have to come from communication via standard email, or Messages, or Signal, or even (heaven forfend) the telephone. I don't have any addresses like that; Geoff may have some, and you as Administratrix may have more than anyone else. I don't know how much of a response to expect but I tend to be pessimistic. I do know that the remnants of the big AWAD board have re-condensed as a private group on Facebook.

On a separate but not totally unrelated note - I've gone back to my habit of unsolicitedly recommending books. My most recent is Judith Viorst's latest, for adults, titled Making the Best of What's Left, or, when we're Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered.. It's well-written, easy-to-read, and will bring a smile to your face (nay, several smiles), a perceptive and empathetic and spot-on exploration of the ambivalences of aging, in place or elsewhere. I would call it appropriate reading for anyone who is considering, or will shortly, or has recently or not-so-recently moved to a Retirement Community, or the children/caregivers of such, or anyone else who knows and cares about someone like that. (P.S. Judith Viorst, author of among others the beloved Sunday Morning and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day books (ostensibly for children), is now 94.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: haberdasher,

First of all, if Shu and I decide to close this, even though we haven't been here in ages, we will so miss even the idea of it. I remember getting it started, from those old AWAD days when flamewars were raging, and we had so much fun here instead! We even used to celebrate birthdays here, if you recall, and we celebrated some of our members' joys, but we also grieved for a few whom we lost. And we had our own little flamewars - remember Richard English? He still thinks Sir Joseph Swan invented the lightbulb. Such a grand history here. I would miss even the little things, like being reminded of the word "forfend."

I have been looking for a new book, and I love Judith Viorst so I will get Making the Best of What's Left. Since I just got some chairs reupholstered, it would make me not feel too old.

Not sure what is next, but probably will shut this beautiful place down. I think you are right, Hab, to be pessimistic about restarting it.

Had Haberdasher not PMed me on Farcebook I would not have seen it. Thanks, Hab!

I remember Richard, indeed, and also Jo, who knew everything, thereby destroying the Bluffing Game.

I'll certainly read Viorst's book - sounds fun! I've been in a nonfiction reading group at my local library, but it has collapsed, so I'm reading whatever suits my fancy - or my plain for that matter. Being in a red state, and being that the host of the library group was trans, I suspect nefarious dealings eleminated his position.

It's indeed sad that so many of us have shuffled off our mortal coils, and young folks seeem too busy to exercise their wits on sites such as this.

If you shut it down, might we meet on Fartsbook? We're all on it, for better or worse.

I still look fairly regularly but there never seems any point in posting anything because there are never any posts and anything I did post would almost certainly go unanswered. I too have really loved wordcraft over the years but I also think that it is so unlikely that it can be revived that I don't think you should try any more. It had a great sense of community but that has, sadly, long gone and what, extremely sporadic posting there has been for a couple of years now has mainly been either me or Geoff and even we no longer post anything.
It was great while it lasted and amazing in its heyday but we should accept that it's gone now. If anyone who isn't already a FB friend wants to send me a request there I am robert.hale.1656 and I post music links every day (on a theme of the week, this week's theme is plagiarism) and a poem every Saturday.