We’re sorry to say that the Anti Room is going on indefinite (and possibly permanent) hiatus.
We may return at some stage in the future, but in the meantime, thanks to all our contributors and readers.
Design by @martin_gleeson
Tonight, our film club is showing Young Frankenstein in the Workman’s Club. Doors are 7.30pm, it’s free in and it’s a classic. Everyone welcome.
Sinéad and Anna
So sorry to hear this girls but I know how much work the site is for you guys. The ‘labour’ in the ‘labour of love’!
I know I wasn’t very active in posting in the last while due to other pressures/commitments so I totally understand!
I just wanted to say it has been a pleasure to meet so many amazing and interesting women through this blog. The Anti-Room spirit rocks on!
Susan x
This is the worst news yet this week. And that’s saying something. Thanks for the entertainment and enlightenment, hope there’s nothing too untoward behind the closing of the door and that it may not be permanent.
What a pity! Only discovered you a while ago and now youre leaving!
I am so disappointed, I really enjoyed reading all of the articles and posts. Thanks for all the laughter and tears ladies.
Another echo of the I know how much work has gone into it but I’ll miss the stellar quality, the random thoughts and the introductions to some fantastic opinions, thoughts and writers. Overall, well done. Very well done indeed. x
Oh no! Will miss the Anti Room so much! But I understand how much work goes into it. Best of luck to everyone.
Sorry to see the antiroom go (hopefully not permanently)- lots of funny, challenging, informative, interesting and useful stories in the time it’s been up. Well done.
Thanks Sinéad and Anna and it was great to share in the Anti Room. Onwards
Thanks a million, everyone. Never fear, there’s no big scary reason behind the hiatus – just the fact that we don’t have the time and energy for the work the site requires. If there was a way of making it a professional job, that would be fantastic, but alas there isn’t!
Oh no! You will be sorely missed. Well done for the amazing job you all did, hopefully it won’t be permanent and you will be back again.
Very sorry to hear this Anna/Sinead after all the hard work put in and the mass enthusiasm from all involved to get the site up and running. The contributions have been wonderful, thought-provoking and inspiring, with some brillo writers and I’m delighted to have written for the site since it relaunched in 2010. Gutted to hear that it’s now subsiding. It’s a great pity there isn’t a ‘co-op’ type system set up where authors could contribute and take responsibility for their own posts (and any/all possible problems/comments/libels, etc.). Had some great nights out with the ladies too and want to wish everyone the very best in their creative endeavours.
Noooooo! *shakes fist at sky*
But seriously…fully understand time pressures, and thanks for all the fabulous writing.
I’m really sad to hear this I love the way I can log on and read something on totally different topics and it’s introduced me to loads of smart authentic women writers.
Thank you.
Really sorry to hear this. Hope it will make a comeback.
I’ll really miss the Anti-Room, but a site this good needs lots of time, thanks for so much for all the great stuff over the years,
Good Luck in whatever else ye get up to now!!
Sad to hear this, but it’s completely understandable given your other commitments. My thanks to the editors and writers for a wealth of interesting and entertaining posts over the years.
I would pay to keep this site up. Anyone else?
I would actually pay for this!!! This is the best site of its kind… and I am a world traveller, not an Irish citizen. I am truly going to miss this. Every morning I would get up, ready to read anything you guys would put out. I felt I was with kindred spirits. Thanks for the time and your hard work.
I just can’t believe you could not get sponsors. There is so much crap out there with support!!! I will miss you all.
mae
Damn! I love the antiroom. It was my internet refuge from the cynicism and smart-arsery of a lot of other Irish based blogs. Such an eclectic group of writers, some of whom even succeeded in getting me to think differently about certain subjects. Congratulations on a terrific achievment and best of luck for the future.
But
Thank you and goodnight.
Is there a need for the site to close? You have great readership figures & an enthusiastic core committee of commenters both onsite and on twitter. If it’s too much for two people, could a slightly larger group of volunteers be brought on board to take over when it is busier? Re doing it professionally, have you looked into advertising, or into offering an ‘antiroom’ column in a Dublin/national newspaper, something like what Cork Feminista does?
I always felt it was a crazy amount of work for two individuals to take on and that it should be more a co-op situ where everyone was responsible for their own posts, including any potential libels and comment moderation, posting what they wanted, when they wanted, which is kinda what was happening in the beginning a lot more. That way, each person who posts is temporarily ‘the editor’ for that piece of work and it sustains itself and moves along naturally, but perhaps this is just unrealistic and not how sites are run. I know for instance if you put up a *legal disclaimer* in the same way as people do with their twitter accounts: ‘opinions are the authors alone’ type of thing, it would take pressure off having to control the material 24/7, but then would it lose some of the quality/standards? I don’t think so as most of the writers were journalists/authors/bloggers in their own right and are aware of how these editorial systems work. It’s hard to get this kind of readership again or to migrate it elsewhere.
If it were done by committee, everything could be delegated, with the current two editors just having to read the item once and then pass or reject it. I imagine the stuff that takes up time is maintaining the website (design, updating archive lists), adminning the comments, searching for new writers, compiling a timetable of possible topics to cover over a month/year, and promotion/marketing. All of this could be delegated, and I’m sure there are people who will willingly volunteer for the responsibility.
Re the quality/standards, even with the two current editors reading everything first (?), the site has had hit and miss standards. It’s always been accepted by its readers that the views of individual bloggers, as well as their style, knowledge of the topic, and opinions, were their own. Readers, I’m pretty sure, know that it’s hard enough to get people to write, never mind get really good writers to write, so they/we are happy to take the (only occasionally) bad with the great. In short, I don’t think the quality/standards would change if more people were involved in running the site.
Thank you for all you have done thus far. I’m going to miss the weekly connection to my kind of woman. Is allowing some evil skincare company to advertise on here totally anathema? Phooey – it’s crap that you’re going.
Very sad news today but thank you so much Anna, Sinead and all brilliant contributors. I’ve enjoyed reading the amazing stories that you have all shared since I discovered this site a few months ago.
Thanks for all the posts – and the film club was a great idea. I couldn’t make it tonight in the end, but I’m doubly gutted now
I hope this is only a hiatus! I will miss you guys, this a a wonderful treasure trove.
oh no, please please don’t! the only really positive non-militant feminist space on the irish internets! it would be an awful shame to see the end of the brilliant links to female writing i’ve discovered here…
aisling
Thank you so much for all the wonderful pieces. I’ve found this blog inspiring and a great representation of women. I sincerely hope the hiatus isn’t permanent and like some of the commenters suggested, I would be prepared to pay. I’m currently in Melbourne having left Ireland in August but if there’s anything I can do to help I’d be more than happy.
I had only recently discovered this excellent site. I thoroughly enjoyed the workings of a seriously talented group of writers. Hope to see you back here again sometime.
Yep, I’d pay too (I think it’s called bribery) if it meant keeping youse. I love the writing, i love the commenters and it stops me feeling so homesick for Ireland. But I also appreciate that you’d rather close it down than jump the shark and become a shadow of your formers selves. How many feminist leaning blogs have we seen do that and disappoint us forever?
I’m really sorry to hear you are going. I’ve enjoyed so many of the posts and missed you so much during the summer break. I think you are wonderful for starting the blog and thank you for all the hard work you put into it. You may not realise how many of us read the posts and how heartened we have felt by them; I have never been good at comments or interactivity with blogs but I have an RSS feed to the anti-room and read the posts avidly. So much of the interweb is misogynistic, the anti-room was a welcome change and support to me as a feminist (as well as an occasional chef). All the best to both of you and thank you for all the good reads. Sinead.
I echo everything said here already. A fine site with fine writers and a breathe of fresh air. All the best to you!
Alison
Thank you for all the reading pleasure and some adrenaline-charged moments at what someone is writing or saying in the comments. All the very best to you both from me too.
I’m so sorry to hear this, but as a freelancer who has had great plans to write a guest post for the Antiroom that somehow never got written, I can completely understand the need to make some money and see your loved ones once in a while.
Ireland’s media landscape has just got a little bleaker, but I do look forward to seeing what you both get up to now you’ve got a bit more time on your hands. Thanks for all your hard work Sinead and Anna.
Sorry that you’ve decided to put the weatherboards up and move out. The Anti Room was an inspiring blog, and seemed to instantly discover its ‘voice’ rather than having a prolonged teenage stage trying to figure out what it stood for. I hope you all find somewhere else to blog/express your views and ideas.
Very sorry to see you pull the shutters down on The Antiroom. Among the most incisive, articulate and genuine feminist writing on the web. I’ll miss it. Best of luck, Clare.
So so sorry to see this post. I adored The Anti Room. Definitely my kind of women, it made lunchtimes for me. Reading through this or a book!
No!! Just read this now…bad end to a bad week….please let us know if you Antiroomers are writing elsewhere …:) Best of luck and many thanks…x
Come back Anti-Room! PLEASE!
I miss you