If you’ve noticed that the carnival hasn’t produced anything in the last few months, there’s a reason: I’ve been busy and prior months were difficult to get submissions going.

Whether it’s because there’s no need for a carnival (because of UUpdates and other aggregators) or because folks don’t quite get the idea (ultimately, the goal would be to turn down some submissions and just cull the best), or because everyone else is busy like me, or because I could have promoted the idea better, I don’t know.

Regardless, I’m announcing that the UU Carnival, in this form at least, is closing.  I’d be happy to help in future projects like this, or to transition this site over to someone else.  Just shoot me an email (arbitrary /dot/ marks at gmail /dot/ com).

It’s been fun, but it’s time to shut down the Ferris Wheel, gather your stuffed animal prizes, and head home.  Thanks to everyone who submitted, helped out with the administration, and who read and commented on the posts.  See you around the blogosphere!

Check out some of the conversation already started in the UU Blogosphere, and then submit your own post on the topic to the carnival. 

Mom to the Left
Spirituality & Sunflowers
The Musings of Yet Another Working Mom

Here’s what Kinsi (Spirituality & Sunflowers) says about the topic:

So…do you feel too stupid to be a UU?

Do you watch Survivor?  American Idol?

Do you root with Jerry Springer or love the Maury paternity test shows? [I’m a thousand percent sure I do!]

Have you read less than 2 of the books/authors you hear regularly mentioned as being essential to UUism or mentioned in a sermon?

Would you rather watch prime time than go to an art gallery opening?

Then maybe you are a Pop-UU too.  

Entries are due by next Thursday, April 5th, and will be posted at a blog-to-be-named on Friday, April 6th.  Follow the link above or in the sidebar to submit your entry!

You can find the latest carnival online at Surviving the Workday, here.  Thanks to everyone who participated.  If you’re interested in hosting next month, send an email to uucarnival at gmail dot com!

It seems like most folks want a broader topic for the carnival, so I am opening up March’s carnival with the topic of authority.  You can take this as a jumping off point to talk about

• The authority of the church or scriptures–how they get (or don’t have) authority over us
• The authority of your conscience, reason, etc.
• The authority of the state (perhaps in connection with your conscience)
• Whether you think of “authority” as a negative or a positive, and your experiences with it.
• These are all just ideas.  Take it and run with it, people!

Again, I’m opening up calls for hosts.  Ideally, I’d like to get some of the UU Blog Award winners to host.  So if you’re interested, leave a comment or email.  I might call on people individually if I don’t get responses, so be prepared for me to knock on your virtual door!

Curious how to send carnival submissions?  Click on the big link at the right that says “submissions.”  I am aiming to have the carnival online Friday, March 2, so you have 11 days to work on some posts!

Check out the most recent installment of the carnival here.  We received two submissions, but I’m sure you have more opinions on the topic.  Check out Peacebang’s commentary on the quote and add to the discussion.

Also, we’ve received one suggestion for a way to get more involvement in the carnival–a more open topic, like simply “love” or “community” or “change”, rather than a quote and/or a specific description?

What say you?  Do you need a framework from which to riff, or would you rather have one word and brainstorm from there?

The glamorous and graceful Peacebang has agreed to host the upcoming UU Carnival, slated to appear on the World Wide Web tomorrow!  Now, darlings, we wouldn’t want to disappoint the Dame of De-frumpification, who has just accepted her first mainstream media interview, would we?

You can find the topic here, but if it isn’t to your liking, feel free to riff off it into another subject matter, like poverty, racism, ecological abuse, etc.  I’m sure our creative bloggers can find ways to work it in.

Along with colored hose and frumpy denim dresses, Peacebang dislikes tardiness among the clergy and the blogosphere.  So, ladies and gentlemen, get your blog posts in today and tomorrow so that PB can host her first carnival! 

Email your submissions to uucarnival at gmail dot com.

Disclaimer: This blog post was not written or approved by Peacebang.  All similarities to actual UU clergy, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.  Offer not valid in Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands.

I’d like to highlight some of the winners of the 2007 Blog Awards by having them host / facilitate upcoming carnivals.  So if you won an award (first, second or third place) and are interested in coming up with a topic and/or hosting a carnival, leave a comment or send an email to uucarnival at gmail dot com!

In order to get more participation in the carnival, I’m asking for submisssions, on any topic at all.  The only catch is that you need to be responding, in some way, to this quote from James Luther Adams:

“A good deal of so-called atheism is itself, from my point of view, theologically significant. It is the working of God in history, and judgement upon the pious. An authentic prophet can be a radical critic of spurious piety, of sham spirituality.”

From the submissions we receive, I’ll choose the best representatives of UU blogging, as usual, and we’ll have them online by Friday February 9th.

Here’s how to send in submissions.

Quote taken from “Prophetic judgment and grace,” responses to questions, January 1977, quoted from George K Beach, ed., The Prophethood of All Believers, (1986) p. 57.

I’ve posted our sixth installment, on the topic of change, at Arbitrary Marks.

New Year’s has come and gone, and now it is time for the sixth UU blog carnival!  Last month we had only a handful of submissions.  I would really enjoy seeing more folks submit their posts–UUpdates is exploding with bloggers, so we aren’t hurting for content, just motivation!

We’ve already covered a variety of topics in the short life of the carnival:

What is our purpose?
Religion word that move us…
What gets you through the night?
Evil
Work

In the spirit of the New Year, during which many people generate lists of resolutions, I’d like to propose this topic: Change.

What compels you to change, and towards what are you aiming?  You could talk about what religious (or non-religious) figures inspire you, about what tools you use to help yourself change, and what role you think god and the church might have to do with this change?

Send submissions (your name, blog and location of the post) to me at arbitrary (dot) marks (at) gmail (dot) com.  I’ll post entries which make the cut next Friday, January 12th…to give you some time.  Anyone want to host the carnival?  Send me an email as well!

And sadly, if we don’t get more participation in the carnivals, I’ll have to assume there’s no desire for them on the part of the community.  There’s no reason to beat a dead horse, or maintain an empty carnival tent.   So send the submissions in, if you’d like to see the carnival continue!  Thanks!