qepHommey - peSap! (quarterly call for volunteers)

[Alan Anderson <alan@kli.org>]

Here we go again!  If you've already read one of these, feel free to 
delete this without reading it all the way through, but don't ignore 
it completely.  Think about how your help can keep alive the vision of
an ever-expanding community of Klingon speakers, and consider making 
the small effort of hosting a qepHom.

***

yIqIm!  yIbuS!  To each of you and all of you,  peqIm!  pebuS!

We speakers of the Klingon language are an active and dynamic group, 
and it's up to all of us to keep up the energy.  There are people "out
there" who are as excited about tlhIngan Hol as you are but do not yet
realize that there are others with whom they can share their passion. 
Find them!  There are people who do not yet know that they will love 
this language if only they get a taste of it.  Reach them!  There are
even those who are deeply into Star Trek and who consider knowing how 
to speak Klingon a useful skill.  Seek them as well.

Remember:  mataHmeH maSachnIS -- to survive, we must expand.

If you are willing to host a {qepHom} sometime this year, there is an 
honored spot in the upcoming issue of _HolQeD_ for you.  The task is 
not difficult.  Remember that these are "minor meetings" -- they are 
not supposed to be big productions.  The flyers that the KLI can 
provide call them "informal gatherings of Klingon enthusiasts."

There have been qepHommey held in restaurants, bookstores, college 
classrooms, and even people's homes.  Your job as a qepHom host is 
simply to set up and advertise the event, then to discuss with the 
people who show up the reasons you enjoy speaking this language.  Tell
them a little about the history of the language and where it's going.
Have a collection of reference books and _HolQeD_s out for people to 
look through.  Maybe listen as a group to _Conversational Klingon_.
Practice the correct pronunciation of such useful Klingon phrases as 
{nuqDaq yuch Dapol} and {reH Suvrup SuvwI''a'}.  Show off your 
treasured hardbound copy of _Hamlet: the Restored Klingon Version_. 
You *do* have a copy, don't you?  And tempt the attendees with the 
knowledge that the paperback edition should be published soon.

I've put a document on the World Wide Web for prospective qepHom hosts
to read.  Browse http://www.netusa1.net/~caanders/host-qephom.html and
see how simple it can be to do some Klingon language outreach.

So pick a time and place and let me know in the next month or two.  I 
will need to get your information by early March to be sure it will be
included in the next issue.  All we need right now is a date, a city,
and a name with a phone number to contact for more information.  As 
the time gets closer, I can help with promotional material and 
information to distribute before and during the event.  Please don't 
respond on the list, but answer me directly at <mailto:alan@kli.org>. 
(Yes, I have an official "qepHom Coordinator" email address now.)

--
  Alan Anderson, professional programmer and amateur Klingonist
      qepHom Coordinator for the Klingon Language Institute
qo'mey poSmoH Hol -- language opens worlds -- /