I’ve been doing community organizing, both informally and professionally, for more than twenty years. I take the idea of reciprocity quite seriously; the friends I’ve made along the way are people I like, but also people I would work to help.
It is true that I sometimes feel choked by proximity; I grew up in a small town and have always craved the anonymity of big cities. I want to be able to go grocery shopping, or just walk down the street, without everyone knowing my business.
I left Portland on purpose because it felt small and parochial, and the insular nature of the town I live in now is not a featured attraction.
But at the same time I really value my social networks and the vast numbers of people I have had the privilege to meet. Particularly in the publishing world, I have enjoyed tremendous support from writers and editors and booksellers – support that I try to return in substantial ways.
The thing that bothers me most about both of the current literary scandals is the fact that social capital has been wasted.
If we don’t look after each other, what exactly is the point?