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Men, hello. After seeing so much interesting, revealing, heartfelt stuff written for Reach Out and Triple J’s Man Week last week, a few of us have been plotting. We’ve decided to form like Voltron and see if we can keep the stories flowing.
So, we’re going to make a book. We’re aiming to launch it in August, in time for Father’s Day. And all proceeds will go to Reach Out.
The working title is ‘The Perfect Gift for a Man’
Why? Because we figure that most people who buy this sort of thing will actually be giving it to a man to read; and we believe that these sorts of stories are little gifts of their own.
How you can contribute
- Stories: 500 or 1,000 words
- Photos
- Illustrations
- Designs
- Anything – make a song, t-shirt if you want. Whatever you’re good at – just make sure it’s yours.
Have a look at some of the blog posts from the past week to get a feel for what people were talking about. I have some listed here.
The true test for this project is not only in how much money we can raise for Reach Out but to what degree we can spark some discussion of the issues that face men in broader society. We want to use the internet to break this stuff out of the internet. And we’ll be using all our resources and connections to do so.
Who can contribute
Any guy from anywhere. We will need to cap the number of entries so may need to apply a subjective point of view on what ends up in the book.
Update: Actually, in the spirit of camaraderie, we’d love female perspectives too. They could be specific stories about men or a reaction to some of the stories from the past couple of weeks. If you’d like to write a reaction, we’re happy for it to be shorter (say 200 words). We also need to get some teen and child perspectives. If you can help, put the word out… please do.
Submission date
Monday 20th July, 2009
How to submit
Stay tuned for this. I was hoping to put this message out on a separate blog with a new gmail account etc but realised it would take the rest of the night to sort out and wanted to get the message out before the weekend.
Who’s involved so far
First, I want to be clear that none of us (from what I know) currently have a commercial or official involvement with Reach Out. We just believe in this issue and believe in what Reach Out are trying to do. I was actually on the Youth Advisory Board of Reach Out about 12 years ago but that’s the extent of my connection.
- Gavin Heaton (@servantofchaos) and I (@markpollard) are sticking our hands up to be the publishers, sub-editors, lay-er-out-er-ers. No money will pass through our hands.
- Luca Ionescu has agreed to donate a logo (he’s so good – I’m so excited)
And since Gav and I only decided to commit and make a sprint for it 4 hours ago, that’s where we’re at.
How you can help
1. Contribute something super sweet (by Monday 20th July, 2009)
If you don’t have time or don’t see yourself as a content-maker, consider adding some ideas to the project: marketing, PR, events, stunts, anything. Pull some favours.
2. Get someone interesting to do the above
So far, most Man Week bloggers have been from the marketing, advertising, technology sectors. We want people from all backgrounds to have a stab at this. If you have a granddad with an incredible story, get him to tell it. If you know or are a musician, sportsperson, policeman, farmer, miner, journalist, tattoo artist, biker… please have a go.
3. Tell someone about it
Tweet away. Blog about it. Tell friends about the Facebook page. Please do not feel obliged to link to this blog post. I feel bad about not having set this up at a neutral site (theperfectgiftforaman.wordpress.com will come soon).
4. Help us break out of the internet
If you have contacts with journalists, bloggers, politicians… people with influence. Tell them about this project. If you’re watching your kid play soccer this weekend and find yourself standing next to a man, tell them about it.
5. Buy the book (or e-book) when it launches
Give it to a husband, a son, a dad, a granddad. Maybe consider buying bulk to give to your male staff.
Got an idea or question?
Is there something we should consider to make this work? Please let us know.
Photo courtesy fidget.
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