This is just a quick note to say that our newsletter deadline is nearly upon us, Aug 25, and I need newsletter material. If you have anything for the newsletter please send it. We need info about the next meeting, calendar listings, classifieds, articles, reviews, COMMITTEE REPORTS, the usual stuff.

ALSO, AS WE WILL NOW BE HAVING FEWER MEETINGS, I WOULD LIKE COMMITTEE REPORTS AT EACH MEETING. This is the responsibility of the committee chairperson. If you write up a committee report for the newsletter, you can just read or submit it at the meeting. Thanks.

A couple of newsletters ago I started a Pro Page, a page for tips or advice from the professional puppeteers in the guild. You pro puppeteers, please think about what you might want to share from your experiences in the field and let me know what you think you might be able to contribute. We were all helped by others as we became professionals, and now we have the chance to help less experienced puppeteers with what we have learned over the years. I think it would be best not to try to put all of your gained knowledge into one writing, but choose a single area to focus on, making it short (no more than one page) and leaving other topics for future pages. Thanks.

WANTED; Gossip columnist (well, not exactly). People are interested in what their fellow puppeteers are doing. I would love to have a regular column that focuses on guild members and their projects, new shows, activities, thoughts, whatever. Is there one of you that would like to try their hand at this? It would probably mean calling up a couple of guild members each month and quickly interviewing them over the phone about what they are doing, then writing it up for the newsletter. It would be a great way to get to know lots of guild members, and it would help all of us to know each other. It could help spawn collaborations. It could help make guild members want to attend meetings as they would know more about their fellow members and want to see them and find out more about what they had read. We are social beings and need to connect with each other. Anyone?

Thanks,
Michael