From Hippie to High-Tech: 70s "Living On The Earth" Guru Alicia Bay Laurel Launches Cutting Edge Website and Award

January 17, 2006
For immediate release

http://www.aliciabaylaurel.com/

LOS ANGELES- In 1971, 22-year-old commune dweller Alicia Bay Laurel became a international superstar when her small press back-to-the-land manual "Living On The Earth" was picked up by Random House and became a bestseller in the US and Japan.

Alicia's distinctive blend of line illustration and handwritten text was adopted by "The Moosewood Cookbook" and Shoebox Greetings cards, and has become a landmark in modern design. Alicia went on to write more books, record several jazzy folk albums, and run a successful wedding-planning business in Maui for a decade.

Recently relocated to her hometown of Los Angeles, Alicia is writing a sequel to "Living On The Earth," featuring the next generation of organic, sustainable, off-the-grid pioneers. As part of this project, the new media consulting team Dumplingfeed has revamped her existing website using the latest "Web 2.0" social networking tools to create a zone where ideas can be freely shared and connections made.

Alicia says, "It's time to make a new site, with a more constant and inclusive blog, to integrate the colorful, peaceful, sustainable, creative, and politically aware world in which I float. I'm learning from Dumplingfeed how to connect on the 'net to other bloggers who are living the colorful life, that I might enhance the global network for peace, justice, sustainability, creativity and diversity."

Dumplingfeed's Kim Cooper says "In the sixties, Alicia was at the forefront of the DIY movement that inspired punk and the creation of the World Wide Web, so it's a thrill for us to help her learn the new skills necessary to reach a new generation of bioneers."

Alicia's new site uses such tools as del.icio.us bookmarks, technorati tags, last.fm reviews, 43things lists and odeo podcasts to seek connections on the web, and includes tutorials to show her visitors how these tools can enhance their online experience. The site will highlight nominees for the First Annual Living On The Earth Award, honoring individuals and groups who further the values of peace, sustainability and creativity celebrated in Alicia's classic book. The winners will be announced on the Summer Solstice, June 21.

The site also aggregates posts from other bloggers who are living off the land, bringing many voices together in a central place. The goal: social and political change, and the better world that she envisioned when she wrote "Living On The Earth" at age 19.

Author Alicia Bay Laurel and Dumplingfeed's Kim Cooper and Richard Schave are all available for interviews. Contact Alicia (Alicia@aliciabaylaurel.com) or Dumplingfeed (schavester@gmail.com)

Neutral Milk Hotel book outsells Bowie, Springsteen, Reprinted in just 6 weeks

January 10, 2006

For immediate release

NEW YORK- The latest volume in Continuum Books' eclectic 33 1/3 series of little books about great albums may not feature the most famous band in the world, but fans of indie rock legends Neutral Milk Hotel have snapped up nearly every copy of Kim Cooper’s book, requiring a surprise reprint just six weeks after it went on sale.

Series editor David Barker says, "It's fantastic to see Kim's book off to such a great start, and outselling our books about Springsteen and Bowie. The story is clearly resonating with a lot of fans. The book's success is also a tribute to clued-up independent and online stores--since it's basically unavailable in 95% of regular bookstores in America."

The highly influential Neutral Milk Hotel broke up in 1998, not long after the release of their masterpiece, "In the Aeroplane Over The Sea." The album continues to sell 25,000 copies a year mainly by word of mouth, and was recently given ten retroactive stars by Pitchfork.com. The album was reissued by England's Domino label in September.

Kim Cooper's "Neutral Milk Hotel's 'In the Aeroplane Over The Sea'" explores the deep friendships that fed the band's evolution, its role within the Elephant 6 creative community and previously unpublished information on recordings, songwriting and touring, and explains some of the reasons why band leader Jeff Mangum felt compelled to retreat from public life just as his band was taking off.

The reviewers say: "Cooper's 'Aeroplane' volume might be [33 1/3's] biggest hit yet. " (Rob Harvilla, East Bay Express). "Compelling" (Brian Heater, NY Press). "Some of the other 33 1/3 books have been too much about the ego of the author; Cooper disappears into her narrative, and her book is infinitely better for it. " (Hayden Childs, From Here To Obscurity).

Author Kim Cooper and series editor David Barker are both available for interviews. Contact Kim (amscray@gmail.com, 323-223-2767) or David (david@continuum-books.com, 212-953-5858 x118). For review copies or more information about the 33 1/3 series, contact Ben Sampson, ben@continuum-books.com.