13 Feb 2015
Obituary: Transition Free Press (2012-2015)
We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of our dear friend, Transition Free Press. TFP, as it was more affectionately known, had, in its short life, become a lighthouse for those bobbing on the seas of Transition, a shining beacon of our collective emergent culture. Ever since its initial ‘Preview Issue’ in June 2012, and through its 6 subsequent issues, it brought together beautiful design, skilful editorship, and a range of stories and insights from across our ever-diversifying movement that was always deeply inspiring and treasured by many.
But ultimately, even the deep passion and enthusiasm of its editors and writers, as well as of its 100 distributors, 50 advertisers, and everyone around the world rooting for it, it proved impossible to create a financially viable economic model in a world that expects its information for free. The dedication and enthusiasm that got it through those 7 issues should not be underestimated.
So, on this sad occasion, we pause also to celebrate. To celebrate the thrill many of us felt when a new bundle of TFP arrived. The delight, in a world of blogs and Facebook alerts, of getting ink on our fingers when reading TFP. To celebrate the many people who supported the crowdfunding appeal that got TFP underway in the first place, as well as the diversity of stories it covered, and the experience it gave many people of seeing their writing in print for the first time. To celebrate what it meant to our movement to see itself, in its many manifestations, reflected in the colourful, rich and nourishing pages of TFP. To celebrate its ability to speak its mind, hold its own ground and not to tow a party line. And for featuring a photo of Mike Grenville in a dinner jacket and bow tie.
There will of course be life after TFP, but there will always be a TFP-shaped hole at the centre of it. I’m sure I speak for most people in the Transition world when I pass on my condolences to those closest to it, to thank them deeply for all that they have brought to our lives, and to wish them the very best in whatever comes next. In editor Charlotte DuCann’s editorial in what we now know was the final edition of TFP, she wrote about the qualities of working together to create a better world. She wrote that such acts “embody a certain intrinsic spirit: they’re witty and colourful and alive, and when they take place, everything else feels gloomy and somehow out of date“.
It was a spirit that TFP embodied, and which will be much missed. So long, and thanks for all the beautiful gift that was TFP.
If you would like to pass on any condolences, or share you feelings about this, please do so in the comments thread below.