Lately I’ve been corresponding with Laura Ingalls Wilder fans for all sorts of reasons. Trip planning, email groups, working on the Homesteader, conference brainstorming, not to mention simply readers of this blog.
I love Laura fans. I do. Equally, I love the homesites. I support and respect everyone who contributes to preserving Laura Ingalls Wilder’s legacy.
I published my first issue of the Homesteader in 2002. I started blogging shortly thereafter. It never occurred to me to blog only about Laura Ingalls Wilder. But it’s funny: since I started blogging about Laura, the more I dig in, the more I want to dig. The more I want to share with other fans and find out what they have to say. I’ve already learned so much simply from the comments shared here. I consider this blog to be an organic amalgam of the Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, reflecting what we think about, what we care about, and what we believe–even if we don’t all agree.
Today the Homesteader has 12 back issues. I’m currently working on the 13th. Virtually every subscriber who discovers the newsletter immediately orders all the back issues. I never imagined that back in 2002, when I put a few pages together to show my support for the homesites–Ingalls Homestead in particular–that we’d still be printing, stronger than ever, six years later. The Homesteader is sold in homesite gift shops. It’s mailed to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum and kept with the rest of the LIW archives. Some things have changed — postal rate increases haven’t made things easy, and subscribers may see a change in the issues’ packaging this issue or next –but it’s always been universal in its quest to bring together all fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder, wherever they may be, no matter their age, no matter their gender. It’s a publication by Laura fans, for Laura fans.
And so it goes for this blog. I do all of the writing right now, but I want to stress that any fan is welcome to submit a post. Got some long-ruminated thoughts on Eliza Jane? What about Laura and Rose’s sewing? What’s your opinion on Almanzo the elder vs. Almanzo the (fictional) younger?
What do you want to share?
If you feel compelled to share, please do so. Your contribution is always welcome.
Posted by the Homesteader 
