Writing for the public is not the easiest thing in the world. Brian
Fagan just wrote a book on this for us (WRITING ARCHAEOLOGY). He and I
did a workshop on it at SHA last year. If you want to influence the
public, you need to know how to write for a general audience and how to
get your message disseminated, either through traditional published
channels or over the web. That is not an excuse not to do it, but it
does require an investment of time, and a set of skills, to do it well.

mitch 


--- Darby Stapp <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I think the major reason we are not relevant to others is because 
> anthropologists and archaeologists only like to write to themselves. 
> It is 
> much easier to write a very fine paper on how gender is reflected in
> the 
> archaeological record, than it is to transform that information into 
> knowledge and explain it to the public or a professional from another
> field. 
> Its hard work and few need to make the effort to keep their job.  In
> fact, 
> writing for others, especially the public, is no road to tenure. 
> Until we 
> make a concerted effort to write for others, it is difficult to
> address 
> these other questions as to why we are not relevant.
> 
> Darby
> 


Mitch Allen
Publisher
Left Coast Press, Inc.
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