Aug.-Sept. 1982 RAINDROPS RAIN Page 3 Rain is in transition again? Not again, exactly; it's a perpetual state with us. But we have been experiencing far more than the usual amount of flux in recent months. My talented co-editors, Mark and Carlotta, have both cleaned out their bulging desks and files (you should have been there!) and departed for new adventures. As is usual with "retired" Rainiacs they'll continue to provide us with quality copy and sage counsel, but their absence from the daily scene leaves us with some large gaps to fill. As we go to press, we're still combing the country for one new editor who embodies the best qualities of the two we have lost — a tall order indeed! In the midst of staff changes, we've also been moving in some new directions with magazine style and content. We've chosen a new easy-on-the-eye typeface, redesigned our staff box and begun to include a table of contents. We've also been moving toward somewhat longer feature articles, matched up with a good many directly-related access items. But all of this has just been a warm-up: with our next issue (October/November) we'll launch into our ninth year with some new features, more pages, and a bimonthly (as opposed to 10 issue) publication schedule. By turning out larger RAIN's fewer times during the year we'll be providing ourselves with some much-needed cost-savings in postage and printing. More pages per issue will also mean a chance for us to pursue important themes in greater detail and to introduce some exciting new features — like the Pacific Northwest Bioregion Report, which will regularly explore trends, events and models for change in our own emerging Ecotopia. That's about all I want to "give away" for now; let's preserve an element of surprise about changes to come. But I do want to note that we've finally agreed, after all these years, to begin accepting a limited amount of paid advertising. Presumably I don't need to describe the realities of non-profit publishing in the 80s which led to that decision — you've heard it all before! We're still working out the details of our advertising policy and we want to make you, our readers, an important part of that process. Please let us know immediately what kinds of ads you would — or definitely would not — like to see in RAIN, and send along your tips on who we might want to approach to run their ads with us. That's the Magazine Transition Report for this issue. It's an exciting, overly-busy, understaffed time for us, but the best part of working at RAIN is association with an extended family of fine people who are always ready to provide the magazine with "good work" at a moment's notice. Lots of folks have fcen helping out but Jim Springer, our editorial intern, and Pat Mazza, one of our contributing editors, deserve special thanks, as do all of the members of the Rain Community Resource Center staff. And it's been an exciting time of transition for the Resource Center, too! Nancy will fill you in on what's been happening under that side of our umbrella. — John Ferrell For those of you who didn't know, there is another Rain besides RAIN Magazine: the Rain Community Resource Center, which has been under the Umbrella since the fall of 1980. RCRC allows us to directly involve ourselves, locally and regionally, in many of the same areas of concern we address in each issue of the magazine. A major project for the RCRC staff has been organizing and cataloguing our massive AT/self-help research library (over 4,000 books and 600 incoming periodicals as well as extensive organization and resource files). Our other projects have included co-management of Oregon's Appropriate Technology Small Grants Program and forums with Bruce Stokes, Mark Satin, Ernest Callenbach and Peter Berg. We have worked with Portland's Futures Project; assisted in a number of conferences including Tilth's "Permaculture in the Northwest," Evergreen State College's "Options Northwest," the Center for Urban Education's "Information and Communication Technology for the Community," and the Portland Alliance for Social Change's "Community Assembly." We have talked about community self-reliance to civic groups, church groups, and high school social studies classes. Currently, while Rain is still involved in technology promotion for the A.T. Small Grants Program recipients, Ann and Bruce are working with a coalition of groups to provide assistance to an Asian refugee agricultural project; Laura and Rob are putting together a regional agricultural conference; and Ann and I are organizing "Solar 82", our region's annual solar and renewable energy conference. Steve J. continues to refine the information system, as he and Bruce enter increasing amounts of data daily on periodicals, directories, databases, and network people into our trusty computer; we are now up to over 1500 entries. None of this would be done without the aid of Roz and Jim Riker, our summer interns (who wandered in looking for something to do only the day after we had lost our latest addition), and of course our volunteers who put in hours of work, bringing through the door with them fresh enthusiasm and ideas, which help to keep things moving. And as you can see, our motion is perpetual! — Nancy Cosper
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