feedback circles (Long)

Wed Jan 14 15:39:34 PST 2004

MessageG'day All

Here is a different 'take' on circles which relates to Anne Stadler's recent posting (FW: [US Plexus] In response to TCP (Jan 8, 2004))*

You may find this of interest as a nice illustration of how a story may take on a life through being circulated <grin> (cross pollinated) to allied lists. And of other elements of on and off list activity. 

It features people who are well known on this list, Anne and Peggy, and Henri Lipmanowicz. Henri, chairman of the board of the Plexus Institute, has become enchanted by Open Space not least through his connection with Harrison, and his attending the OSonOS OZ in Nov 2002 and a Spirited Work gathering.

Also Edna Pasher who regularly contributes lovely ideas to The World Cafe list. Who is connected to Avner who is connected to ......

The story (for those who read on!) ** is one which I initially sent to The World Cafe list, prompted by an item posted there by Edna on coffee houses as important places to meet and exchange news in the 17th and 18th centuries. 

With love

Alan 
Adelaide

* Henri's comment on this: that is the kind of thing that brings a big smile to my face and one of those "this made my day feeling"

** There is a 'treat' right at the end :-) 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Henri Lipmanowicz 
To: Anne Stadler ; Peggy Holman 
Cc: Alan Stewart 
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 3:19 PM
Subject: FW: [US Plexus] In response to TCP (Jan 8, 2004)

Anne, Read what's below and appreciate the small world we live in. Alan who, I now find out, is a friend of yours is also a member of Plexus. It was fun to read about you in a response to a Plexus Thursday Complexity Post. I thought it would be nice to close the circle.

How are you Alan; I am a lucky guy who has discovered your friends from Seattle thanks to Peggy and an accidentally well timed Plexus conference in Seattle that gave me the opportunity to accept Peggy's invitation to attend a Spirited Work gathering last summer. Wow! I am out of breath after such a long sentence!

Henri

-----Original Message-----
From: Listadmin at plexusinstitute.org [mailto:Listadmin at plexusinstitute.org] On Behalf Of Darren Stanley
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2004 1:38 PM
To: usplexus at plexusinstitute.org
Subject: [US Plexus] In response to TCP (Jan 8, 2004)

Hello All,

This past weekend, Alan Stewart (from Adelaide, Australia) sent us this e-mail in response to last week's TCP on sub/urban living.  We thought that we would share a part of it - partially edited for purposes of sharing with others on this listerv.  This e-mail comes as part of an exchange with The World Cafe listserv.

Alan's note is about "What else can a shopping mall be?" and is concerned about changing suburban life for the better.  Shopping malls can, evidently, become interesting "watering holes" or "gathering places" for interesting conversation in the suburbs!

Thanks for sharing this, Alan!

Enjoy.

-----Original Message-----
From: "Alan Stewart"
To: "World Cafe" <theworldcafe at communityfrontiers.com>
Subject: Re: Pioneering enterprise for a community meeting place 
Date: Monday, 5 January 2004 10:57 AM 

G'day Edna and All

The article on 'Coffee Houses: The Internet of the Enlightenment' you referred us to [from the Media Ecology Association list] was most enjoyable and enlightening! You have prompted me to relate a story of a remarkable current initiative in a similar vein. 

World Cafer's world wide may be interested to know of this pioneering venture. It is by private enterprise to create a space which could become a hub of suburban community life. And that it may well have foundered had it not been for strong support and collaboration from the people for whom it was designed. 

This is Third Place Books and its associated Third Place Commons, in Seattle. These are the brainchild of Ron Sher, who acted on his perceived need for a space in which people could congregate in a relaxed atmosphere, participate in community events - and talk to strangers! 

See: www.thirdplacebooks.com and "Community Builder: In Ron Sher's 'third places,' people come first" 
 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2003/1109/cover.html

Ron was inspired to do this by the writing of Ray Oldenburg in his seminal  book 'The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community.' In this Ray outlined beautifully just what are Third Places and why they are at the core of civic life - and  important features of a democratic society.  http://user.gru.net/domz/third.htm 

There is also a followup publication entitled: 'Celebrating the Third Place: Inspiring Stories about the "Great Good Places" at the Heart of Our Communities.'
http://www.spiritualityhealth.com/newsh/items/bookreview/item_3882.html

I happened to be present at the opening of Third Place Books and note that it is now a venue for weekly Conversation Cafes, an offshoot of the World Café. http://www.conversationcafe.org 

Some five years ago my wife Carmen and I were in Seattle staying with friends Anne and Dave Stadler. When taking a walk from their home to a nearby shopping center we came across the about-to-be-opened enterprise of Ron and his colleagues, in what had been an underperforming supermarket. (We attended the launch a few days later).

Here are a couple of brief excerpts from what Anne has written on the history of 'Friends of Third Place Commons': 

"In November 1998, Third Place Books opened in the of Lake Forest Park mall.  Our friends, Alan and Carmen Stewart, were visiting us from Australia.  They came back from a trip to the just-getting-organized place with wildly enthusiastic reports about our wonderful community place in the mall.

"Oh yeah?  No way!  That mall has never been a wonderful community place," was our skeptical response.

"No really!   I met the owner and he described his vision for the place. He wants to create a community living room next to the bookstore.  There's a stage, and lots of tables and chairs.  There's even a big chess board on the floor", Alan assured us..

Next day, our Australian friends dragged us down to the mall for coffee. The change was amazing!  The whole upper level had been opened up.  There was a day-light atrium.  And the Honey Bear Bakery--our favorite Seattle bakery-- to which we'd been going for years--was one of the five cafes serving food, along with Kittos--one of our favorite Japanese restaurants on Broadway.  We were enchanted by the idea of a "third place".  A public gathering place...Intuitively it felt "right". We wondered: could Third Place help create the "community" we were looking for?" ...

Anne also wrote, on the birth of 'Friends of Third Place Commons':

"One day in February 2000, I was in the Honey Bear line to order my lunch, eavesdropping as usual.  Next to me a tall slender man with expressive bright eyes  was talking animatedly to our City Manager.  They were discussing the fact that business wasn't going well.  I listened as they commiserated, then I began to realize they must be talking about Third Place Books.  So, I introduced myself.

"I'm Anne Stadler, a long-time resident of Lake Forest Park.   Are you involved in Third Place Books?"

"I'm Ron Sher, the owner," said the tall man.

So I launched into a paen of praise for his vision, and explained how crucial Third Place was to the evolution of community here.

"Well, I wish it were as financially successful as it is socially! It's a big space and we're not making it financially. I don't know how long I can keep it open" [while continuing to provide free music and other entertainment] he replied.

We parted to sit down to our separate lunch dates.  Part way through my lunch meeting, I had an  idea:  Why not have the community that love Third Place be involved in supporting and running the Commons?  I excused myself for a minute, and went across the Commons to interrupt Ron's meeting with my question.  His eyes lit up and he said "Yes!  That's an interesting idea. What would that look like?"

A few minutes later he came over to my table and asked "What do you have in mind?"

(I was later to learn that he greeted almost every idea which was consistent with his vision with the same sort of enthusiasm.  That spirit of "yes!" started in our first exchange and has animated Third Place Commons ever since.)

At that moment, I had nothing in mind, just the question.   But by the end of the meal, we'd had several more exchanges, and we had committed to a date for Ron to meet with a small group of local leaders I'd get together to see if there were any interest in the community for exploring with Ron how we could keep Third Place Commons open for the community." .....

This has happened, with a great deal of creativity, enthusiasm and hard work by people around Seattle.

See: http://www.thirdplacecommons.org  and http://www.thirdplacecommons.org/about/index.html

How's that for a story?  

I wish you well for the New Year - and lots of luck. 

Alan
Adelaide

* If 'shopping' interests you - for whatever reason - you may enjoy this. 

* baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and...a trip to the mall? Like it or note, a trip to the mall is an American rite of passage. In this hour, a look at the great American pastime - shopping.

Look to listen to this item from Wisconsin Public Radio archives  on Sunday 12/14/2003 

http://www.wpr.org/webcasting/ideas_audioarchives.cfm?Code=bok

*
*
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