(PROVIDENCE, RI) The annual Providence Blogosphere Post-Holidays Party is set for 2012 and confirmed bloggers include those from Greater City Providence, Providence Daily Dose, I {Heart} Rhody, and me, repping VenusSings.com, IsisStorm.com...and RIFuture.org!!
Blog readers are invited to join in the fun too, which takes place this Wednesday, January 11 from 7-10 PM at The Salon, 57 Eddy Street.
Read about "The Return of RIFuture.org" below or here on a blog from WPRI, or come on out this Wednesday the 11th to hear more about it in person and to meet and network with your favorite local bloggers.
Sunshine and Laughter,
Reza Clifton / Reza Rites / Venus Sings / Reza Wreckage
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ABOUT REZA
I have many nicknames because I am a professional grant writer, multimedia producer, freelance journalist, blogger, music DJ, community organizer, and event planner from Providence, RI. I have been recognized for multimedia projects that appear on my flagship blog, RezaRitesRi.com; for written work and direction as health editor for She Shines, a magazine published by YWCA Northern RI; and for leadership as a young professional and community organizer in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2011, GoLocalProv.com and Providence Monthly highlighted my work connecting artists and communities, such as my work with the Roots Cultural Center - a recently opened music venue and arts organization in Providence, RI - and with Girls Rock! RI, an organization that uses music to empower girls and women in RI.
I am also the co-founder of Isis Storm (IsisStorm.com), a collective of female artists and writers who use art, words and music to empower women and underserved communities, specifically through performances, workshops, and media projects, and I host two radio shows. I also operate and blog on several sites about race, gender, and poverty and about the intersections between my adventures and interests as a DJ and my research, observations and collaborations with artists and diverse communities. Archives and samples of my written and multimedia work are available online at RezaRitesRi.com, VenusSings.com, IsisStorm.com, SheShines.org, WRIU.org BSRLive.com, RIFuture.org, WGBH.org, and more.
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RI Future Returns: New Year, New Elections, New Voices, New Structure
Rhode Island's Future (RIFuture.org) The “number 1 political blog” in Rhode Island is back; will launch on January 11, 2012 as part of state bloggers’ gathering.
The blogosphere in RI has changed since 2005, when Matthew Jerzyk founded Rhode Island's Future (RIFuture.org) to bring more attention to progressive politics and left of center issues. Back in those days, Jerzyk and founding contributors, like Alex Moore and David Segal, were in the midst of a RI where the only places to hear discussions and analyses on RI politics were the radio and television. Facebook was not a catchword, blogs were still a new concept to most Rhode Islanders, and the Ocean State was welcoming Governor Carcieri into his first term, after 8 years of Republican Lincoln Almond.
In those days, and at its best, the blog broke major news stories. Notably, the post that was sourced for a lead-in story on channel 10 news and credited for Sheldon Whitehouse's defeat of Lincoln Chafee for the US Senate seat in 2006, and the coverage of racist comments at Roger Williams University Law School in 2007 that was picked up by national and international news agencies like the Washington Post and the Guardian.
The blogosphere in RI has changed since 2005, when Matthew Jerzyk founded Rhode Island's Future (RIFuture.org) to bring more attention to progressive politics and left of center issues. Back in those days, Jerzyk and founding contributors, like Alex Moore and David Segal, were in the midst of a RI where the only places to hear discussions and analyses on RI politics were the radio and television. Facebook was not a catchword, blogs were still a new concept to most Rhode Islanders, and the Ocean State was welcoming Governor Carcieri into his first term, after 8 years of Republican Lincoln Almond.
In those days, and at its best, the blog broke major news stories. Notably, the post that was sourced for a lead-in story on channel 10 news and credited for Sheldon Whitehouse's defeat of Lincoln Chafee for the US Senate seat in 2006, and the coverage of racist comments at Roger Williams University Law School in 2007 that was picked up by national and international news agencies like the Washington Post and the Guardian.
RI Future also served as a place that nurtured and catapulted some of today’s political leaders, including founder Jerzyk who is now Angel Taveras's Director of Policy and Municipal Affairs and Senior Counsel, and its subsequent editors Pat Crowley at NEARI, and Brian Hull who took over is 2009 and is pursuing a Masters in Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. A true pioneer that helped create and shape the RI blogosphere, RI Future’s engaging work pre-dates political blogs on the websites of RI Public Radio, The Providence Journal, WPRI, and popular local blogs like the Daily Dose.
It is because of this history of excellence and the crucial role that RI Future has played in the state's political and cultural spheres for half a decade that the blog has always attracted new readers and writers. The new evolution is no different. After a year-long experiment in which the blog was largely unmoderated and independent, Rhode Island's Future will recommit to expanding the progressive voice throughout the state. With the upcoming primary and general elections this year, a new political landscape that includes the first Hispanic Mayor of Providence and a registered Independent as governor, the upcoming Netroots Nation convention, and a series of financial and social crises that have come to a head in RI, including skyrocketing unemployment, perennial tax debates, and the recent pension reform legislation, RI Future will once again play a prominent role in advocating for progressive solutions to the problems facing the Ocean State and will be a truly grass-roots community-based source for information in the state and beyond.
The expanded list of contributors to the blog includes many longtime, new, and periodic writers and community activists in the state including: Aaron Regunberg, Andy Cutler, Brian Hull, David Segal, John Speck, Josh Stabach, Kate Brock, Libby Kimzey, Marco McWilliams, Mark Santow, Pat Smith, Reza Clifton, Russ Conway, and Thom Cahir. The new writing team includes a former elected official and Congressional candidate, a current candidate for State Representative, social activists and community organizers, a history professor, a local adult educator, an entrepreneurship and strategic communications consultant, and an award-winning multimedia producer. Each of these writers brings with them particular expertise and interests that will reinvigorate the RI Future community by reaching new audiences.
The evolution brings a wider spectrum of views and interests, and the newest incarnation of RI Future will be a platform where topics will be covered in written and multimedia formats. While budget and tax policy, the economy, state and local elections, immigration, civil rights, progressive politics, and State House news be a large part of the stories covered, RI Future will also be tackling issues such as net neutrality, digital rights, and online privacy; the intersection of race, art and politics; trends in political and online communities; and will more fully engage with the arts and culture community. More importantly, as the buzz about RI Future’s return builds in blogger and political circles, content will be driven by the evolving group of diverse writers to the site. Readers will be further engaged through an article rating system that monitors reader reaction, comment ratings which will assist with the self-policing of the site, social media linkages, reader-created content, and partnerships with other blogs and media outlets.
The new and improved RIFuture.org will be available for viewing beginning on January 11, 2012 – a time coinciding with the Annual Providence Blogosphere Post-Holidays Party, which will be held on the 11th from 7:00-10:00 PM at The Salon, 57 Eddy St. in Providence. Several members of the new writing team will be in attendance for comments, and are also planning an announcement at the event. Additionally, bloggers from Greater City: Providence, Providence Daily Dose, and I {Heart} Rhody, and organizers of Netroots Nation will be in attendance at the public event.
It is because of this history of excellence and the crucial role that RI Future has played in the state's political and cultural spheres for half a decade that the blog has always attracted new readers and writers. The new evolution is no different. After a year-long experiment in which the blog was largely unmoderated and independent, Rhode Island's Future will recommit to expanding the progressive voice throughout the state. With the upcoming primary and general elections this year, a new political landscape that includes the first Hispanic Mayor of Providence and a registered Independent as governor, the upcoming Netroots Nation convention, and a series of financial and social crises that have come to a head in RI, including skyrocketing unemployment, perennial tax debates, and the recent pension reform legislation, RI Future will once again play a prominent role in advocating for progressive solutions to the problems facing the Ocean State and will be a truly grass-roots community-based source for information in the state and beyond.
The expanded list of contributors to the blog includes many longtime, new, and periodic writers and community activists in the state including: Aaron Regunberg, Andy Cutler, Brian Hull, David Segal, John Speck, Josh Stabach, Kate Brock, Libby Kimzey, Marco McWilliams, Mark Santow, Pat Smith, Reza Clifton, Russ Conway, and Thom Cahir. The new writing team includes a former elected official and Congressional candidate, a current candidate for State Representative, social activists and community organizers, a history professor, a local adult educator, an entrepreneurship and strategic communications consultant, and an award-winning multimedia producer. Each of these writers brings with them particular expertise and interests that will reinvigorate the RI Future community by reaching new audiences.
The evolution brings a wider spectrum of views and interests, and the newest incarnation of RI Future will be a platform where topics will be covered in written and multimedia formats. While budget and tax policy, the economy, state and local elections, immigration, civil rights, progressive politics, and State House news be a large part of the stories covered, RI Future will also be tackling issues such as net neutrality, digital rights, and online privacy; the intersection of race, art and politics; trends in political and online communities; and will more fully engage with the arts and culture community. More importantly, as the buzz about RI Future’s return builds in blogger and political circles, content will be driven by the evolving group of diverse writers to the site. Readers will be further engaged through an article rating system that monitors reader reaction, comment ratings which will assist with the self-policing of the site, social media linkages, reader-created content, and partnerships with other blogs and media outlets.
The new and improved RIFuture.org will be available for viewing beginning on January 11, 2012 – a time coinciding with the Annual Providence Blogosphere Post-Holidays Party, which will be held on the 11th from 7:00-10:00 PM at The Salon, 57 Eddy St. in Providence. Several members of the new writing team will be in attendance for comments, and are also planning an announcement at the event. Additionally, bloggers from Greater City: Providence, Providence Daily Dose, and I {Heart} Rhody, and organizers of Netroots Nation will be in attendance at the public event.
For more information about the new and improved RIFuture.org or for interviews with one or more contributors, contact Brian Hull at brianhull@rifuture.org or 401-580-3321.
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