Finally ...

Minneapolis was perhaps one of the last places in the US that I thought I would end up. But, circumstances being what they are and life being what it is, here I am. Now, after nearly three years (or has it been over three years, now?) I think this city has been a wonderful place to explore new avenues of expression and take on projects that would have been impossible in California, or other expensive and highly-hyped locales. Here I'm eking out an identity that includes

• Freelance writer
• I've written for local magazine Lavender and, years ago, for newspapers in California.
  
• Poet
• Through a Jerome Foundaiton grant, I and 5 other wonderful poets are mentoring with Sun Yung Shin in a program administered by SASE: The Write Place. This mentorship will culminate in a reading at Intermedia Arts . Stay tuned for more details on that.
• Fiction writer
• Journalist
  
• Landlord
• Homeowner
• Blogger
• 9 to 5 cubical jockey
  

You can bet I'll be blogging on all the topics above. As well as issues in the local and national lesbian, gay, queer, intersexual and transgender community.

And perhaps the crowning glory of it all, the jewel in my scepter of self-expression, the pinnacle of literary self-indulgence: I ambivalently present: this blog. Inevitable, no? I thought I would write a mission statement.

Words and Tricks establishes an intellectual space in which I and others can explore the impact of public and private ideas on our lives. The majority of posts I make to this site will concern the public realm of journalism, gathering news from around the web that I think readers will find interesting or compelling. Posting by others to this site will be encourage to foster community. It will also serve as a space for me to post excerpts from my work as a fiction writer and a poet and to market myself as a freelance writer.

So, there. One caveat: I reserve the right to change this statement as my goals for this site change and evolve.

Why have a statement like this? Well, one of the issues that kept me from being even halfway interested in starting a blog is that I'm not interested in posting a personal journal online. This isn't to say that a project like that doesn't have merit (after all, voyeurism is the force that underpins this whole World Wide Web, isn't it?), but that reason simply isn't enough to get me to the computer and pin me there to write And it's all about words. And tricks.

Just a couple days ago I read this post by Guy Kawasaki and I was struck by the first item

1. Think “book” not “diary.” First, a bit of philosophy: my suggestion is that you think of your blog as a "product." A good analogy is the difference between a diary and a book. When you write a diary, it contains your spontaneous thoughts and feelings. You have no plans for others to read it. By contrast, if you write a book, from day one you should be thinking about spreading the word about it. If you want to evangelize your blog, then think “book” not “diary” and market the heck out of it.

Of course, he doesn't believe in mission statements either, but you know ... take what you want and leave the rest. The statement gives this blog the focus it needs to remain pertinent, in my mind.

So, thanks for reading, enjoy and please comment.

Chris Pommier
c.pommier AT yahoo
Minneapolis, MN