Getting to Know AK: Lorna
[Editor’s Note: Lorna joined AK Press about five years ago. We somehow convinced her to leave her northern homeland for a warehouse in Oakland…and have been kicking ourselves ever since. No, seriously, AK wouldn’t be what it is today without Lorna’s contributions, on so many fronts. She’s a great asset to our collective, and we’re pleased to provide the following introduction for those of you who don’t know her.]
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Despite the fact that I am so awesome, it’s taken me several reminders and more than a little cajoling to get me to write out a little bio for the blog. So without further ado, here’s me in nutshell. Enjoy, lucky reader!
My name’s Lorna and I’m nearing my fifth anniversary of working at AK Press. Without telling you how old I am (a lady never tells!), I’ve worked over a third of my life in collectives (okay, I’m thirty-six). Despite the occasional agonies, I’m fairly convinced that I only want to contribute my labour to nonexploitive, nonhierarchical, and otherwise fantastic workplaces.
I cut my teeth working on/in collectives as one of the founding members of Mondragón, the anarchist bookstore and café in Winnipeg (a profile of which, if I can get organized, will be my next post). So, yes, I am Canadian! Thank you for asking! After a several years there, I decided it was time to expand the kind of work I was doing and intentionally work way too many hours, so I joined the G7 Welcoming Committee Records collective as well. Both G7 and Mondragón are housed in the Old Market Autonomous Zone, which made doing twelve to fourteen hour days so convenient! The A-Zone is right downtown, in Winnipeg’s “financial district,” and through its relatively short existence has housed a staggering number of really amazing projects (from collectively-run bike shops and publishing houses to a daycare, aboriginal art gallery, lending library, food not bombs, and now the Rudolf Rocker Cultural Centre).
Why would I ever leave?
One day I got a mass email from Craig, which said that AK Press was looking for someone to do the finances (among other things) and I couldn’t think of anything I’d like to do more. Weird, eh? Anyway, in my time at AK, I’ve done a number of different jobs: finances, publishing, and now shipping and receiving with some copyediting and proofreading thrown in for good measure. We all wear many hats, and another of mine is that I currently organize the Friends of AK program, which gives me a greater appreciation every day for the people who we’re in touch with: friends (big and little “F”), authors, customers, comrades…
Before this devolves into mooshiness I will say that, though I love being at AK, one thing would make it better… Please send me squished pennies!
Here’s to another five years!