The Brick House Cooperative

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The Brick House is an American media cooperative. It was formed of nine writers, artists, and editors who came together in late 2020 to create a platform for expression, [1] [2] cultural preservation, library advocacy, [3] [4] [5] [6] and independent journalism. [7] It is based in Ohio and strives to be independent of commercial interests. It supports libraries through advocacy, publishing, and archival projects. [8] [9]

Contents

The Brick House publishes Flaming Hydra, a subscription-based newsletter of about 60 independent writers. [10]

Founding and design

In late 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Maria Boustillos (editor of Popula) and a few other other editors, writers, and creators came together with eight individual publications to form The Brick House. [11] The other core founders were Christina M. Greer, Alex Brook Lynn and Harry Siegel of FAQNYC, Myriam Gurba of Tasteful Rude, Brian Hioe of No Man is an Island, Mike Kanin and Sunny Sone of Preachy, Jason Adam Katzenstein of Awry, David Moore and Donald Shaw of Sludge,' Tom Scocca of Indignity, and Kola Tubosun of OlongoAfrica. [12] Each of the publications, with its own identity and management. were to operate in independent editorial directions, depending on The Brick House only for a home where joint projects, grant applications, and other administrative ideas can be coordinated.[ citation needed ]

That year, they raised $90,000 from 1321 backers on Kickstarter. [13] With this funding, along with a number of later subscribers, The Brick House was able to pay each publication to do their work independently.[ citation needed ]

Over the years, the nine publications thinned down, and as of January 2025 The Brick House comprises only seven of the initial co-founders: Maria Boustillos, David Moore, Harry Siegel, Myriam Gurba, Brian Hioe, Tomo Scocca, and Kola Tubosun. [14]

Notable projects

In 2022, The Brick House helped raise funds to help in the re-publication of An African Abroad, a classic travel memoir by Olabisi Ajala, through OlongoAfrica. [15] [16] [17]

In 2024, The Brick House founded FlamingHydra, a subscription-based newsletter with 60 independent writers, artists, and publishers. [18] [19]

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References

  1. ↑ "No Princesses: Reflections on the Passing of Sacheen Littlefeather". Tasteful Rude. October 24, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  2. ↑ Stenberg, Mark. "How the 9-publication cooperative Brick House designed a revenue splitting system that could be a model for new media bundles". Business Insider. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  3. ↑ Bustillos, Maria (September 10, 2020). "Publishers Are Taking the Internet to Court". ISSN   0027-8378 . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Billion-Dollar Book Companies Are Ripping Off Public Schools". The New Republic. ISSN   0028-6583 . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  5. ↑ Bustillos, Maria (July 18, 2022). "You Can't Buy These Books". ISSN   0027-8378 . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  6. ↑ Bustillos, Maria (August 3, 2021). "Sell This Book!". ISSN   0027-8378 . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  7. ↑ "What Does It Mean to Stand in Solidarity With People Who May Want You Dead?". Popula. December 7, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  8. ↑ Bustillos, Maria. "Introducing the Brick House: The wolf-proof media cooperative". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  9. ↑ "This Is What Happened When They Tried to Fix Journalism Using Blockchain". Bloomberg.com. September 24, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  10. ↑ "FAQ". Flaming Hydra. January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Journalists are wealth creators". Popula. December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  12. ↑ Bustillos, Maria (August 25, 2020). "Introducing the Brick House: The wolf-proof media cooperative". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  13. ↑ Stenberg, Mark. "How the 9-publication cooperative Brick House designed a revenue splitting system that could be a model for new media bundles". Business Insider. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  14. ↑ "FAQ". The Brick House Cooperative. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Help OlongoAfrica bring a classic memoir back to life: a Web Monetization Action Plan". The Interledger Community 🌱. March 9, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Free, and Fun: Help OlongoAfrica Publish Its First Book ⑉ Brick House". The Brick House Cooperative. March 9, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  17. ↑ "OlongoAfrica to Republish "An African Abroad"". Olongo Africa. March 9, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  18. ↑ Mechling, Lauren (March 2, 2024). "Journalism is in freefall. These writers aren't giving up: 'We can go out swinging'". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  19. ↑ "On fostering creative community". thecreativeindependent.com. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
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