YOUR ELI: Let's Grow This Thing Together

Tibetan Buddhists believe in the tulpa, a creature made entirely by the thoughts and imaginings of a group of people. Through a process of intense, collective focus, an independent, living being is formed.

The mission of Eli is to create an online creature breathed into life and sustained by the varied voices and interests of East Lansing residents. Our passion is to see an Eli filled with articles written by or requested by community members. We envision a resource that grows and changes as our interests shift with seasons and events.

In five months, we’ve accomplished some of that. We have writers from all over the community (including MSU). We have taken tips and suggestions on serious issues and on restaurants and performances we should write up. We receive mail telling us we’re doing a great job, and mail telling us we’re fatally biased.

The creature is stirring, but to bring it fully to life we need your help, and we need it now.

We need your ideas, and your insights. We want you to write articles for us, ask us questions, challenge us and add your own unique perspective to the foundation of this living, breathing thing we’re making.

When you see an unfamiliar vegetable at the EL Farmer’s Market, we want you to ask us what to do with it. When you see an injustice, an astonishing act of kindness, a new statue or an old crack in the sidewalk we want to know about it.

It’s how we grow, how we thrive, how we become a thing that reflects the whole community. Because honestly, as long as a small group of us are doing most of the creating you’ll never see the rich diversity of knowledge and opinion that informs and enlivens this City.

Oh, and also? We need money.  We pay our writers, we pay our tech gurus, and we pay a Managing Editor (who is me) to find writers, wrangle deadlines and edit almost everything you see on Eli.

You may read that and think to yourself “I didn’t ask for this; why should I give them money to subsidize some project that has nothing to do with me?”

The answer: There may never be another opportunity to be heard in this way. A fully functional Eli gives every citizen an opportunity to share their truths, their observations and the stories that make them overjoyed, frustrated or inspired. It isn’t a news source that is made by other people and fed to you; it’s all you.

Or it could be.

So if you want to be part of this grand experiment, to contribute your own big heart, fine mind and mad skills, write to me at editor_ann@eastlansinginfo.org and tell me what you want, what you need, and how you see this creature growing.

Right after you do that (or before, I’m flexible) make a donation:

Use PayPal by clicking here, or

write a check payable to “East Lansing Info” and mail it to PO Box 115, East Lansing, MI 48826.

Here’s to a magnificent creation that reflects all of us, and this quirky, diverse, small town, college town, City we live in.

Below: A graph showing how much we have raised as of the morning of March 14!