More from the Protest
I was going to call this post “the revolution will not be blogged,” but I have no idea what that even means. Below are some more pics from the protest/read-in at the AJC today. I work around the corner, so I was able to pop in and out at various times throughout the day.
Things kicked off at 10 with protesters meeting in front of the AJC building with signs. Some were hand lettered, while others were simply the AJC book section mounted on a stick. In a previous post, commenter FlavaWheel suggested carrying a sign that said, “When book reviews are outlawed, only outlaws will have book reviews.” Given the anti-litblog backlash that has been brewing over the past week, I would have needed a black hat to go with the sign.
I was pleasantly surprised to find Tom Key conducting readings as things got underway. If you’re not from Atlanta, there is a simple way to tell if a play here is going to be any good – check to see if Tom Key has anything to do with it. If so, your odds are pretty good. The readings that I saw were excellent, and I couldn’t believe that I was getting to check it out for free. Someone needs to corral Tom Key into making this reading thing a regular feature of the Atlanta scene, charge admission, and serve drinks. Seriously. Make it happen.
The media were out in force. The word on the sidewalk was that CNN, C-Span, the local Fox station, and others were on hand. CNN ran this post, but that’s all I’ve seen from them.
A bulletin board was set up that included Richard Ford’s post at Critical Mass, a paper copy of the online petition, etc. Hand outs of each were available for foisting on the passerby as well.
Have I mentioned that Tom Key was there? Holy crap!
Later in the day, as the the numbers dwindled, the sidewalks did the talking. One item said, “book reviews are better in print.” I’ve got some doubts. After all, I’ve never held a paper copy of The Guardian, but I think that they have some of the best book coverage going. It may be true for the AJC though. Here’s an experiment: (1) go to the AJC web site, (2) try to find anything that you would call the “book section,” (3) Keep looking. I’ve been searching high and low. If they truly plan to move their book content online, they may need to learn how to put things on the internet first. I’m just saying…
I ran back by around 3 PM and everyone had cleared out. I guess now we wait and see. I’m not expecting much.
I returned to the office to find that Atlanta author (and Emory professor) Joseph Skibell had posted about the controversy at Critical Mass (So weird. We were just talking about that guy). Anyway, it could be argued that the AJC could now invoke Godwin’s Law and win the arguement.
Books, Happenings, Moral Outrage | Tim | 
May 3, 2007 9:16 pm
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By Jane Ciabattari, May 4, 2007 @ 9:01 am
Funny you should mention how difficult it is to find book coverage in the AJC website. It took me ten minutes yesterday to find it to link. Thanks again for yr pix and yr coverage.
By sallyrogers, May 4, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
Thanks for being there. I have hopes that there will be a repeat on a day when I can get away from the office for a bit.
By Collin Kelley, May 4, 2007 @ 2:01 pm
Thanks for the coverage on this. Wanted to get down there yesterday, but was tied up in meetings. Saw the CNN piece and not much else. Cheers.
By DJ Cayenne, May 4, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
I was only able to attend because the AJC is within 100 yards of my building. I was able to pop on over a few times without being missed. It would have been nice if the protest was on a beautiful weekend day, with some bands, and some cold beer. We have to work with the protest that we have, not the protest that we want.
By Herman Glimscher, May 4, 2007 @ 3:57 pm
You can pick your friends, and you can pick your protest, but you can’t pick your friend’s protest.