Wow.
First, let me just say how grateful I am to the friends, colleagues, and fine people on Twitter that have sent me notes of well-wishes or demonstrated interest in the "Welcome to Slumberland" Twitter project! I'm feeling very lucky to be part of such a wonderfully supportive community right now!
The project hasn't even started yet and I've somehow managed to reach 31 followers since the account was activated last week. Thank you all for that! While we wait for the project to begin, I'll use the account to tweet out project updates and occasional interesting tidbits about McCay or his life (currently, you can read a thread about some of the mysteries surrounding his birthplace and birthdate, as well as one about the man he was named after).
Needless to say, this project has evolved quite significantly from what I originally had planned. When I started this journey, I envisioned a fun, simple, low-key divertissement from the COVID-19 pandemic that would; a) give me an excuse to re-read the Little Nemo strips in the beautiful two-volume XXL Taschen books by Alexander Braun that I had received as a gift, and b) to engage in conversation with all of you amazing people about a brilliant piece of comics history! In a very short time though, the concept has evolved into a project rooted more firmly in scholarly interests and I was noticing that my own approach to it's planning was becoming increasingly academic, with Transactional theory as the centrepiece. After some discussions, conversations, and reflection I realized that this project had much more to offer than a simple divertissement and could, if done properly, make a meaningful contribution to the study of literacy, reading, and, more specifically, the transactional nature of reading comics.
For that reason, I decided that the lackadaisical approach wasn't going to cut it and am therefore seeking ethics clearance with my University Research Ethics Board. I want to formalize this project and do it the right way so as to ensure that all of the valuable information born from it can be appropriate and legitimate.
To that end, I've made some slight adjustments to what constitutes "participation" and "data", which can be found in the About section of this website (scroll to the bottom). Again, please keep in mind that nothing if finalized yet; language may change based on REB recommendations. I will be providing regular updates here and on Twitter as the process develops.Please review that section and, if you have questions or are uncomfortable in any way, please reach out to me. Once approved, I will post and tweet the participation information in the days before the project commences to give everyone an opportunity to review the final wording and decide for themselves if they would like to continue their participation.
While my goal, if possible, is still to begin next Friday, I am playing the waiting game right now while my research proposal is considered. If commencement will be delayed, I will post another message here and on Twitter to inform all of you.
I know that once the project kicks off, the conversations that we will have about McCay's wonderful little dreamer will be plentiful and very meaningful! I, for one, am very much looking forward to it.
Best health and well wishes to you all and your loved ones,
Zachary J.A. Rondinelli