KFA Boston - Plan for moving ahead

[bostonpup]

Hello all,

 

The flurry of e-mails with suggested locations and potential alternatives has been amazing.  Losing our space at UMass is an unpleasant blow but it has been really incredible to see how much energy has been stirred up as a result and to see all the new connections forming.  I'm completely confidant about KFA Boston happening and living up to all the work that's been put into it.  In order for us all to make decisions about how to move forward, I thought it might be helpful to take a step back and take a look at the big picture and what our many options are.  What do you all think? 

 

(Yeah.. sorry this is so large!   I just didn't want to leave anything out.)

 

OPTION 1:  NEW SPACE IN BOSTON FOR A FULL DAY SEPTEMBER 12 EVENT

The ideal solution.  We have several leads on space that are being investigated.  The most promising appear to be Spontaneous Celebrations (I reached out to them on Friday), Emerson College (Syd and possibly connections of DJPet are investigating) and Encuentro (I e-mailed them this morning).  There are also efforts underway to contact some churches as well as Maja's recent suggestions.  Give that we have a short week to get a new location in place, however, I'm conservatively estimating that we've got maybe a 1 in 3 shot of one of these options panning out in time for this Saturday.

 

In the interests of helping people who are trying to plan their Saturdays, we ought to decide on a time this week at which we either have success on one of these venue, or officially decide that we have to move on to another option (below).  That way people have plenty of notice as to what is going on and can plan accordingly.  I propose Wednesday late afternoon, early evening as a cut off?  Thoughts?  If we still don't have venue by whatever date we set, we move down the list to...

 

OPTION 2:  ALTERNATIVE EVENTS/SPACES

We have some high probability options to put on KFA Boston or a similar event on 9/12.  To me, this gets to the idea of doing *something* on the 12, whether we decide to call that KFA Boston or not.

   *   Brown University:  Mz. Manduley has said that there's a good chance class room space could be had for September 12.  MM and the Brown folks will need to confirm if this is possible and also whether they want to do something on 9/12, or have a bigger event later (or both!).  If the space were available, several considerations.  PRO:  excellent classroom space, opportunity to bring in Brown students (albeit on very short notice).  CON:  very far from Boston, certain that many folks who have signed up or contributed from Boston will not be able to attend.  I'm thinking we might get half as much attendance as we'd otherwise get, even factoring in additional Brown constituents.  There's no way to know though!

   *  Bound in Boston:  RopeRider of BiB has generously offered to let us use his classrooms on 9/12 when they are not being used for his own event (a popular rope/bondage conference).  We'd have a 4.5 hour slot in one room, with about an hour during which we'd have access to a second room.  The event is in Norwood and very difficult to access without a car.   PRO:  somewhat closer to Boston than Brown, opportunity to synergize with a big crowd of kinky people.  CON:  still hard to reach, limited class space, not necessarily a vanilla-friendly environment for those into KFA but not into BDSM.

   *  Outdoor Space:  this came up earlier on the list and was also a popular alternative discussed at the meet up.  PRO: certainty of being available, easy to access, possibility of bringing in random members of the public.  CON:  weather report looks bad, need to bring all chairs/coverings/tables/furniture, need to confirm we don't need a permit etc.

 

Personally, of the three options above, I'm most in favor of Brown if that works out and if Mz. Manduley and the Brown folks want to do this.  Given the weather I'm a little nervous about the outdoor option, and given the very short amount of time (and access problems) I'm not sure BiB is a great alternative either.  Thoughts?

 

If we hold an alternative-space event such as the above, I think its also worth considering whether we call this "KFA Boston" or not.  Do we say "this is the event we all planned, just in a different place with different turnout", or do we say, "KFA Boston is postponed for later, but in its place, we're doing this new thing--call it KFA Brown, KFA BiB, mini-KFA, etc."  :-)  I'm somewhat in favor of keeping the KFA Boston idea alive and just postponed until we can have it somewhere that as many people as possible can attend, but I can see this both ways.

 

OPTION 3:  POSTPONE KFA BOSTON

I see this as the final option and as just discussed, this could be done in addition to holding an alternative event.  If we postpone, I'm very sure we'll find new space within two weeks, perhaps three.  I don't think I;m being overly optimistic there, but who knows!  The question would be, what approximate/rough dates do we target for rescheduling?  I'd love to retarget for mid October.  I think we need to balance out more time = more chance to republicize VS more time = more lost momentum.  Also, I'm a little eager to have this happen :)

 

Lastly, even if nothing above works out and we're in the postpone-with-no-alternative-event scenario, to circle back to a comment Sara made, we should do SOMETHING, even if that ends up just being an informal gathering, dinner, hanging out, drinks, whatever!   Suggestions?

 

What do people think in general of our options and how to navigate the decision making in the next few days?

 

Mike

[Syd]

Here is the deal with Emerson.

Its not possible for KFA to be anywhere at Emerson College on the
12th. Student's will be moving in on the 12th, and since classes
don't start until the 14th, hardly any of the college is open.
However, I'm getting in touch with Emerson's GLBT student group,
EAGLE, who could very possibly host a KFA at Emerson sometime during
the school year. Last semester EAGLE's vice president told me that he
would be very eager to support any sex-positive groups or events that
I might want to start at Emerson, and I'm sure that he would love to
help us out with KFA. I still haven't heard back from him, but when I
do, I'll be sure to let you all know ASAP. Even if something get's
worked out for the 12th, or soon after, we could still possibly host
the second KFABOS at Emerson with EAGLE's help and support. I'm
really confident that this could work!

Best,
Syd

On Sep 8, 1:21 pm, bostonpup <stray...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> The flurry of e-mails with suggested locations and potential alternatives
> has been amazing.  Losing our space at UMass is an unpleasant blow but it
> has been really incredible to see how much energy has been stirred up as a
> result and to see all the new connections forming.  I'm completely confidant
> about KFA Boston happening and living up to all the work that's been put
> into it.  In order for us all to make decisions about how to move forward, I
> thought it might be helpful to take a step back and take a look at the big
> picture and what our many options are.  What do you all think?
>
> (Yeah.. sorry this is so large!   I just didn't want to leave anything out.)
>

> *OPTION 1:  NEW SPACE IN BOSTON FOR A FULL DAY SEPTEMBER 12 EVENT*

> The ideal solution.  We have several leads on space that are being
> investigated.  The most promising appear to be Spontaneous Celebrations (I
> reached out to them on Friday), Emerson College (Syd and possibly
> connections of DJPet are investigating) and Encuentro (I e-mailed them this
> morning).  There are also efforts underway to contact some churches as well
> as Maja's recent suggestions.  Give that we have a short week to get a new
> location in place, however, I'm conservatively estimating that we've got
> maybe a 1 in 3 shot of one of these options panning out in time for this
> Saturday.

> **

> In the interests of helping people who are trying to plan their Saturdays,
> we ought to decide on a time this week at which we either have success on
> one of these venue, or officially decide that we have to move on to another
> option (below).  That way people have plenty of notice as to what is going
> on and can plan accordingly.  I propose Wednesday late afternoon, early
> evening as a cut off?  Thoughts?  If we still don't have venue by whatever
> date we set, we move down the list to...
>

> *OPTION 2:  ALTERNATIVE EVENTS/SPACES*

> We have some high probability options to put on KFA Boston or a similar
> event on 9/12.  To me, this gets to the idea of doing *something* on the 12,
> whether we decide to call that KFA Boston or not.

>    *   *Brown University:  *Mz. Manduley has said that there's a good chance

> class room space could be had for September 12.  MM and the Brown folks will
> need to confirm if this is possible and also whether they want to do
> something on 9/12, or have a bigger event later (or both!).  If the space
> were available, several considerations.  PRO:  excellent classroom space,
> opportunity to bring in Brown students (albeit on very short notice).  CON:
> very far from Boston, certain that many folks who have signed up or
> contributed from Boston will not be able to attend.  I'm thinking we might
> get half as much attendance as we'd otherwise get, even factoring in
> additional Brown constituents.  There's no way to know though!

>    *  *Bound in Boston:  *RopeRider of BiB has generously offered to let us

> use his classrooms on 9/12 when they are not being used for his own event (a
> popular rope/bondage conference).  We'd have a 4.5 hour slot in one room,
> with about an hour during which we'd have access to a second room.  The
> event is in Norwood and very difficult to access without a car.   PRO:
> somewhat closer to Boston than Brown, opportunity to synergize with a big
> crowd of kinky people.  CON:  still hard to reach, limited class space, not
> necessarily a vanilla-friendly environment for those into KFA but not into
> BDSM.

>    *  *Outdoor Space:  *this came up earlier on the list and was also a

> popular alternative discussed at the meet up.  PRO: certainty of being
> available, easy to access, possibility of bringing in random members of the
> public.  CON:  weather report looks bad, need to bring all
> chairs/coverings/tables/furniture, need to confirm we don't need a permit
> etc.
>
> Personally, of the three options above, I'm most in favor of Brown if that
> works out and if Mz. Manduley and the Brown folks want to do this.  Given
> the weather I'm a little nervous about the outdoor option, and given the
> very short amount of time (and access problems) I'm not sure BiB is a great
> alternative either.  Thoughts?
>
> If we hold an alternative-space event such as the above, I think its also
> worth considering whether we call this "KFA Boston" or not.  Do we say "this
> is the event we all planned, just in a different place with different
> turnout", or do we say, "KFA Boston is postponed for later, but in its
> place, we're doing this new thing--call it KFA Brown, KFA BiB, mini-KFA,
> etc."  :-)  I'm somewhat in favor of keeping the KFA Boston idea alive and
> just postponed until we can have it somewhere that as many people as
> possible can attend, but I can see this both ways.
>

> *OPTION 3:  POSTPONE KFA BOSTON*

[maymay]

On Sep 8, 2009, at 1:29 PM, Syd wrote:

Here is the deal with Emerson.

Its not possible for KFA to be anywhere at Emerson College on the

12th. […] Even if something get's

worked out for the 12th, or soon after, we could still possibly host
the second KFABOS at Emerson with EAGLE's help and support.  I'm
really confident that this could work!

Best,
Syd

Syd, that's truly amazing news. While unfortunate that a KinkForAll Boston may not be able to happen at Emerson this weekend, your effort in making sure there's a great venue available in Boston in the future is amazing. And getting EAGLE on board in a big way is hugely important to the diversity of the event. So in other words, GREAT job, and I think everyone in Boston (and elsewherE) really ought to thank you very much. :)

On Sep 8, 2009, at 1:21 PM, bostonpup wrote:

OPTION 2:  ALTERNATIVE EVENTS/SPACES

[…]

  *  Bound in Boston:  RopeRider of BiB has generously offered to let us use his classrooms on 9/12 when they are not being used for his own event (a popular rope/bondage conference).  We'd have a 4.5 hour slot in one room, with about an hour during which we'd have access to a second room.  The event is in Norwood and very difficult to access without a car.   PRO:  somewhat closer to Boston than Brown, opportunity to synergize with a big crowd of kinky people.  CON:  still hard to reach, limited class space, not necessarily a vanilla-friendly environment for those into KFA but not into BDSM.

[…]

given the very short amount of time (and access problems) I'm not sure BiB is a great alternative either.  Thoughts?

I strongly agree, Mike. Bound in Boston is not an appropriate venue for KinkForAll. See also the unorganizer's guide[0], quoted here:

Ask yourself the following questions when appraising a potential choice of venue for KinkForAll events:

 

• How easy is the venue to get to by car? By public transit? By foot? (Bad example: Must use car over tolled roads. Good example: Single train or bus ride.)
• How sexuality community-neutral is the venue? (Bad example: BDSM/fetish club. Good example: University classroom.)

Cheers,

-maymay

Blog: http://maybemaimed.com

Community: http://KinkForAll.org

Volunteering: http://ConversioVirium.org/author/maymay

EXTERNAL REFERENCES:

[0] http://kinkforall.pbworks.com/GuideToPre-eventActivities#ObtaininganAppropriateVenue

[iron rose]

My opinion is that by Wednesday evening, we see what spaces are actually available.  If an alternative Boston venue (option 1) comes through, we go with that.  If we can't get space in Boston, and we *do* get space at Brown, we should go with Brown.  If neither of those options pan out, we postpone.  Either way, we make a decision Wednesday evening...say, 8pm?  So anyone investigating spaces should report back by then, if not earlier....

I'd say that the outdoor venue idea is pretty much a no-go, mostly because I haven't seen any suggestions for an actual location.  Figuring out an outdoor venue is just as much work as figuring out an indoor one, since for a large gathering we most likely need permits or something.

Similarly, I think it's incredibly awesome and amazing that Bound in Boston was willing to offer some of their space for us.  However, I fear that holding KfA at Bound in Boston would make it too difficult for people to grasp that KfA is a separate event with a different agenda.  I think that might in the end harm the KfA-ness of it all.  So I think it's better for KfA to have it's own space, particularly as this is the first one in Boston and most people will be experiencing this as a sort of template for what KfA is and what it's about.  (Still, I am very grateful and excited that Bound in Boston is so supportive of this event!)

We can discuss naming if we actually do end up holding it at Brown, but I think it should be KFA Boston.  This allows the event to still maintain whatever momentum we had from publicizing KfA Boston, instead of trying to get off the ground in 3 days with a different name *and* location.  It's going to be hard enough with the location change; I think a name change will make it unnecessarily harder.  Or, you know, we could compromise on something like "KfA Boston (at Brown)" or something.  Let's discuss this more Wednesday when we actually know more about the situation.

-ironrose

[maymay]

Strong +1. In particular:

On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:08 PM, iron rose wrote:

> We can discuss naming if we actually do end up holding it at Brown,
> but I think it should be KFA Boston. This allows the event to still
> maintain whatever momentum we had from publicizing KfA Boston,
> instead of trying to get off the ground in 3 days with a different
> name *and* location. It's going to be hard enough with the location
> change; I think a name change will make it unnecessarily harder.
> Or, you know, we could compromise on something like "KfA Boston (at
> Brown)" or something. Let's discuss this more Wednesday when we
> actually know more about the situation.

You also gave me an idea: calling an event at Brown University (if we
can get a green light on that—Mz. Manduley, any word from the Brown U
admin yet?) "KinkForAll Boston" could pave the way for a future
"KinkForAll Providence" by giving Providence a template for what it's
like as well. But, as you say, changing the name *and* location also
means that if we do call it (the first) KinkForAll Providence, then
we'll have a really hard time involving the local community in
Providence that *isn't* already involved in Brown University on such
short notice. This might make Providence locals who hear about KFA
"Providence" after-the-fact feel like it was really just a university
event as opposed to a public event, which also undermines the KFA-ness
diversity of it.

[Ben]

"King for All Boston at Brown" seems like a good way to title it to me, given how this particular event developed and where it would potentially take place.  It also puts people on notice that there's some irregularity with how this event is happening.

 

Ben

[Ben]

Or rather, Kink for All Boston at Brown, not quite sure what King for All would be...

[Mz. Manduley]

Hey all!

Still waiting on confirmation (since it can take up to 3 business days
and I submitted the request last Saturday), so I'll keep you
updated. :) If I haven't heard back tomorrow afternoon, I'll call and
see if I can speed the process up somehow. In fact, I'll email the
scheduling people now about the request (saying we're flexible on
times/venues as long as they fit what we're asking). The students I've
contacted are enthusiastic--now it's just a matter of room-approval.
So, basically, still no official room reservation, but I'm working on
it. Will keep you updated!

And "King for All Boston at Brown" = I like this idea.

On Sep 8, 4:25 pm, Ben <bostonamat...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Or rather, Kink for All Boston at Brown, not quite sure what King for All
> would be...
>

> On Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 4:10 PM, Ben <bostonamat...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > "King for All Boston at Brown" seems like a good way to title it to me,
> > given how this particular event developed and where it would potentially
> > take place.  It also puts people on notice that there's some irregularity
> > with how this event is happening.
>
> > Ben
>

> >> Community:http://KinkForAll.org<http://kinkforall.org/>
> >> Volunteering:http://ConversioVirium.org/author/maymay<http://conversiovirium.org/author/maymay>

[bostonpup]

Thats awesome Mz. Manduley, thanks for the update!

 

I just got a call from Encuentro 5, who I reached out to this morning. They are a progressive/activist space that makes itself available very cheaply for non profit groups; their space sounds pretty good though.  Their contact sounded very enthusiastic about hosting us, although for this Saturday he confirms they are already booked.  He was eager, however, to discuss dates for hosting us in the near future, and I let him know I would get back to him once we knew what our options are.  He also suggested that we reach out to the Community Church of Boston (www.communitychurchofboston.org). 

 

I really like KFA Boston at Brown, even if the acronym looks pretty weird KFA B@B ;)  Or even just "KFA Brown" (#1 of many, hopefully).

   

For Boston, if anyone has other space ideas, please keep the suggestions coming, and thanks to everyone who is helping with this.  If you're not comfortable reaching out yourself, tip the list off and someone else will step in.  Here's the e-mail that I used to reach out to Encuetro, feel free to copy/paste/adapt as much as you like.  I targeted this toward the particular space in question but a lot of it is generic!

 

KinkForAll is a participant driven educational/community building conference.  We are focused on bringing together various diverse communities of traditionally marginalized sexual minorities (gays/lesbians, transsexuals, sex positive and sexual freedom activists, alternative sexuality groups) – and strive to make the word “kink” a broadly encompassing and positive identification.

 

We accomplish our mission by holding an event that is free and open to the public, in the style of the successful BarCamp model (www.barcamp.org).  Rather than have predetermined or invited speakers, the event is designed to allow any attendee to present on any relevant topic, by splitting the available class room spaces into 20 minute time slots which any person may sign up for.  The event is completely free and open to the public; all organization for the event is done by volunteers.  Two previous KinkForAll events have been held in New York; this will be the first time a KinkForAll has been organized in Boston.

 

Past KinkForAll topics have included:  The Politicization of the Closet, STIs and Stigma Reduction, Kink and Judaism, The Power of No, Gender and Technology, How To be A Public Sex Intellectual Without Getting Hurt, BDSM Outreach Strategies Roundtable, The Privilege of ‘Outness’: Does Proud Equal Out?, Burning Man and Self Organizing Systems, and Negotiation & Setting Boundaries: Making the Conversation Sexy.

 

A further goal of KinkForAll is to create a internet repository of information resulting from each conference, including recordings of presentations (video and MP3), descriptions, materials, and a thriving web of blog, twitter, wiki and Web 2.0 interconnections to further broadcast and make the event available to as many people as possible.  We are at http://kinkforall.pbworks.com/

 

We understand this is extremely short notice to ask for space – our previous confirmed venue, UMass Boston, regrettably had to withdraw as a venue.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.  My cell number is [----], my e-mail address is [---].  I am one of several organizers of the event.

 

The KFA model is for free participation by all people who choose to come, and therefore we do not charge admission, nor do we have a suggested donation; we aim to have all resources required for the conference donated.  To this end, although we have no budget, we can certainly raise a few hundred dollars on short notice to compensate for the costs of the space and to help promote Encuentro.

 

Thanks for your time and consideration; I do hope that you will contact me if you have any questions at all.

  

[iron rose]

I emailed the community church (cribbing off your template) but didn't give a phone number since I'm more comfortable with email.  Their website suggests that the pricing & room structure may not be ideal for us but it's worth a shot.

ironrose

[Bitsy]

Update on BU:  I can't as an individual student get rooms for us, but I emailed people in the LGBT org seeing if they are willing to help out.  Waiting on a response.

Bitsy

---

From: bostonpup <stra...@gmail.com>
To: kinkf...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 8, 2009 1:21:01 PM
Subject: [KinkForAll] KFA Boston - Plan for moving ahead

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[iron rose]

Update on Community Church: They already have an event all day Saturday but are open to future dates.

-ironrose

[bostonpup]

Thanks for tracking this down Ironrose!  Its too bad they're busy, they would have been a great solution from what we're told about the space.  Pretty nice though that we now have such a hefty stable of options for the next KFA Boston (or postponed KFA Boston #1).

 

Crossing my fingers and cheering 9 and Trish and the potential sponsors at UMass come through for Saturday!  (Thanks to them too for the huge effort!)

[maymay]

Yeah, the surge in venue options is fantastic. Mike, you created a great "Boston area spaces" page somewhere that could probably use some updating now. (Sorry no link, I'm writing from my iPod.) Would you like to update that page? If no one else does, I'll get to it eventually.

-M

(Terse email sent from my iPod.)

[bostonpup]

Its a great thought for looking ahead!   I'll add it to my to-do list for some point in the future; I've got a few other higher priority things both KFA and work related at the moment.  Just real quickly if you have time to take care of this, just a few of the great spaces that appear to have potential are below.  Also adding in some thanks where due, sorry if I left anyone off!

 

*  Encuentro 5 (google search for web address)   Thanks to Percival and Katherine for this suggestion!

 

*  Community Church of Boston (same, but i think its communitychurchofboston.org)   Suggested by the Encuentro folks, but it might have been mentioned here as well

 

*  Spontaneous Celebrations (many people suggested this great venue!)

 

All three of the above affirmed interest in hosting but were unavailable for this Saturday.

 

*  Bitsy has some great connections at BU  (Thanks for trying - she has reached out to the LGBT group there and its still possible it might work out)

 

*  Syd has great connections at Emerson College (Thanks Syd!  LGBT group was contacted, its impossible for the 12th but very possible for the future)

 

*  Desmond checked with Arlington Street Church and reported off list that its booked on Saturday (Thanks Desmond!)