Works In Progress: Transitioning to four times a year

Ominous Up to a Point

We are living in an age of full powered technological seduction, with significant implications for printed news. The last decade has witnessed, nationally and world-wide, a growing number of large and small printed journals lose the battle of adapting to the digital age and document their defeat as an obituary printed on their own pages.

We’re not quite ready to write and print our obituary. Thanks to the work of many people, and a lot of work from a few people, Works In Progress has been around for over thirty years. During this time, WIP has opened and maintained a political space that gives voice to the concerns and desires of those who aspire to create a better and more just world. Those who imagine a different socio-economic system under which we can conduct our lives.

WIP has great readers. We continue to rely on community members who are writers and artists, web editors and social media posters, and distributors of the paper. We have support from community businesses. Our critical shortage is one of labor.

Cards on the table

Due to a number of factors affecting the existential conditions of some members of the publishing committee, and to a certain degree a confirmed reduction in the budget for next year, we’ve decided to reduce the production of the paper from a monthly to a quarterly basis.

We considered stopping publication altogether but ultimately decided to see if we can manage a quarterly publication for the next year. This has the following practical implications:

• Works in Progress can sustain a progressive space and provide reliable form of information in our community.
• In this next year, we need to hear from progressive groups in the community interested in “guest editing” four pages of an issue, to get a feel for what it’s like to produce a paper.
• If we don’t find strong collaborators, or even replacements for the publishing committee, WIP may have to fold next year.

New publishing schedule

This May issue marks the end of our monthly publishing schedule. We’re taking a break and then beginning a quarterly publication schedule. The next issues of WIP will appear in September 2022, December 2022, March 2023, and June 2023.