Everyone,
Longtime watchers of this blog have surely realized that, in the past few months, there has been a lull in its output, and particularly in what is supposed to be its bread and butter: Beatles books reviewed and analyzed via the standards of historical methodology. This is not due to lack of interest in the subject either on my part, or on Karen’s: I have greatly appreciated all the likes, shares, new followers, and posters we have garnered over the existence of the blog, and genuinely enjoyed the in-depth, nuanced discussions our posters have provided.
The fault for that lack of productivity is entirely mine. The difficulty of balancing a growing family, a career, and my Beatles research/writings, increased exponentially following the birth of my third child 18 months ago. I am not, and have never been, particularly adept at short bursts of work: I prefer to sink into research and writing for several hours at a time, a schedule which is basically impossible to follow when dependent upon the napping whims of a toddler. The productivity of this blog has suffered, as a result, and for that I offer my apologies.
I find the material and subject as fascinating as ever: I simply do not have the time, currently, to devote to it. Within the last year, I have had to decline invitations to conferences, peer review opportunities, book review opportunities, and other research opportunities that simply didn’t work with my schedule. The time available to devote to this blog has significantly diminished. This is a reality that is only going to become more true come March, when my husband and I have our fourth child, a.k.a., the last one. What little time I have for writing and researching will only become more erratic as it will then become dependent on the utterly unpredictable schedules of both a toddler and a newborn. In tandem. Without neglecting the 11 year old (almost a teenager, hurray!) and 8 year old as well. My husband’s contributions to parenting and the household are beyond reproach, but there are simply not enough hours in the day to do everything.
Karen and I have discussed our plans for the blog’s future, and we do not intend to end the blog, but rather seek out additional material from posters. The “phenomenology of fame” post would be an example of the sort of material we’re looking for: book reviews or reviews of Beatles-related museum exhibits would be another. Karen and I have compiled some submission guidelines to help you get started. I will hopefully be able to still participate in the discussions, even as the material for posts will be drawn, to a greater extent, from other posters.
I want to thank all of you for your reading and posting contributions, and the appreciation this small blog has gained among Beatle fans. The plan is that once these first, most time consuming years have passed, we will be able to hit the ground running again.
Appreciatively,
Erin Weber
The Historian and The Beatles 
As much as I miss the more frequent entries, you have your priorities straight! Best of luck to you and your growing family.
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Please pop by as often as you are able, tadabard; we will always look forward to hearing from our readers!
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Thanks for the words of support, tadabard.
Knock on wood, but hopefully once the younger two get a little older, more time and opportunities will present themselves. I still love the research and the writing, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day, and I know myself well enough to know that I’m not someone who thrives well on an ultimately erratic, multi-tasking schedule. My kids right now need the best version of me they can get — any psychologist will tell you how incredibly important these first few years are — and its my responsibility and privilege to give it to them.
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This is rather sad news. Just at the point when I thought I would start contributing, after following the blog for several years, it is taking a new direction. Nevertheless, I may start responding to earlier posts and also making submissions along the guidelines you suggest.
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Hi James; please don’t be deterred. Erin plans to stay involved with the blog, albeit in the form of commentary vs the publication of new posts.
And I’m still here too. 😉 Please feel free to comment to older posts or submit new ones.
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A Recent Comments feature would be helpful. I like when readers add to the conversations in older posts, but I have no way of knowing when they appear.
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Done. Thanks Sam.
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All the best, Erin and Karen. Family first. I totally understand. Happy for you, but a little sad for the blog .. truth be told. I have the blog bookmarked, and notifications checked, and will return often. I look forward to hitting the ground running again when you are able. Best regards, Tom.
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Thank you Tom. And don’t forget we are interested in submissions from readers.
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On the one hand, I am sad to see the end of this chapter. I found your application of historical methods and source analysis on the Beatles EXTREMELY REFRESHING. I have long been a Beatle fan and an avid reader of their history – however, it was clear even before reading your bookend following your page that the story has been told with a lot of bias and (sometimes hidden) agendas such that it was difficult to know what the real story was (is). How refreshing it has been to find someone actually taking the Beatles seriously from a historical perspective. That said, I want to thank you for your contribution and wish you and your family all the best. It must have been a difficult decision but one you will not regret.
Best, Tim
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“bookend” should be “book and”
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Don’t think of it as an end to the chapter, but an intermission. 🙂
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Tim,
Thanks so much for the kind words. I can’t imagine how frustrating it was, as a longtime Beatles fan, to continuously be exposed to agenda driven and biased material which was seemingly taken as gospel truth. And thanks also for the understanding: as Karen says, I’m hoping to keep my toe dipped in, with an eventual return.
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This is a great blog, and I can certainly see why it’s a bear to run. You both clearly put so much time into it.
I’d humbly suggest you offer shorter takes with longer pauses, let the commenters pick up some of the slack, and dive back in when the mood strikes. I’d love to get your two cents on books that don’t move the needle Beatle-wise, but strike you as interesting, engaging, terrible, informative, or silly. But like everyone says, keep yourself focused on where your needs are, and let the blog be more of a backstop for loose ideas than a focus for deeper analysis..
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