I volunteered to help with EDS when Paul D. stood down, and have done proof-reading duty on all the issues which Derek has edited (with Felicity Greenland and solo), and I always finish my reading feeling that folk is very much alive and well. I'm a ceilidh and Morris dancer and a singer, so I feel I'm very much in 'a' folk scene even if it isn't 'the' folk scene. I suppose the fact that I also love history helps my enjoyment of the 'Singer, song and source' features - and indeed of the obituaries! I was much less interested when the magazine seemed to be pandering to some kind of 'star' system - I don't feel I'm getting my money's worth when an 'article' is mostly several pictures of the Witches of Elswick from slightly different angles. It seems to me that Derek is very much on the right track. He covers what's on (and of course, there's so much on, it's a good idea to highlight a certain type of event in each issue), he picks up media mentions of folk issues and events, and he chooses subjects likely to interest people who are interested in the tradition. Fidjit's point that it's a magazine for those interested in folk is a good one. A ceilidh's not a great place to be marketing reading matter, but if you're having a break and dare to risk your street credibility by looking at a magazine with the word 'folk' on its cover (in very small writing) you might just find that there's a whole different world out there, featuring all sorts of people, weird instruments, tunes with a long history... I think that can be attractive, to someone with an enquiring mind. On the comment from Les in Chorlton that 'EFDSS is about "traditional" culture that was collected or survived', isn't that an outmoded idea of the Society? It's supporting activities based on traditional culture, but has moved on from any purist stance that it had - as surely the magazine reflects (there was an article about Morris Offspring, after all!). Anyway, I look forward very much to the magazine, even if it does mean fitting hours of proof-reading into a busy schedule Sorry to take up hours of your time, if you got to the end of all this! Shirley
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