In spite of much devastation, disbelief, heartbreak, and wepping on my part, some of you may have noticed that I have thus far refrained from commenting on the bombshell that Mr. Ben Kniaz recently dropped on us.  There are a few reasons for this:

1.) It is difficult to comment when one is stunned speechless.

2.) Speaking my mind when I have just received a major shock and am brimming with six different emotions at once gets me into trouble - often.

3.)I didn't want to add my two cents until I had a chance to guage the reactions from the general AP populace, and until I was completely ready to announce my idea:

Apricot Pie Oupost

Let me make it clear right off: this will not come close to the level of the apricotpie we all know and love. I will not even attempt to convince you of that.  My goal is not to take over or replace what we currently have in AP.  My goal is to, hopefully andwith God's grace, keep together the community and friendships that have formed through ApricotPie.  For that reason, I have created the ApricotPie Outpost (http://apricotpieoutpost.blogspot.com).

Here's how it works:

If you would like to be a part of keeping the apricotpie tradition and community alive, send an email to apricotpieoutpost@gmail.com and request to be made a member.

-Membership requests will only be accepted until ApricotPie shuts down on November 1, 2010.  To become a member of the Outpost you must contact us before that date.

-You may only join if you currently have an account on Apricotpie.  We are not able to add new members at this time.

-If you would like to have a profile picture, you can either send the jpeg file as an attachment with your email (photos may be cropped to fit the format), or you can notify us and we will use your apricotpie photo.

-Please specify in your membership request if you are an official monthly writer on ApricotPie.

-We're going to have our hands full in the beginning with adding members and transferring archives.  For that reason, no new post submissions will be accepted until at least November 1. (Detailed posting instructions will be sent to you via email when you request membership.)

-At least for the time being, posting will be limited to one post per week per person.  Commentary, however, will be unlimited.

-Due to the massive amounts of material archived on AP, it is not possible for us to transfer the complete AP archives to the Outpost.  If you are currently posting a serial on AP, notify us of that in your membership request email and all previous installments will automatically be transferred and archived at the Outpost.  If you are not currently posting a serial, you may request to have up to six of your pieces from AP transferred and archived.  Please include the titles and categories (Fiction, Poetry, or Essay) of these in your membership request. 

-If you would like all of your previous AP posts archived at the Outpost, you may send them as new posts, but weekly limits will still apply.

***

As I said before, I know that the Outpost will not begin to equal the convenience and luxury that we have become used to on AP.  We're moving out of a castle and into a cabin, so to speak.  But the standards of quality, content, and excellence that Ben has maintained and held us to will still be followed and adhered to.  Who knows?  We may even discover that cabins have their advantages too.

Now, for the important part:  Thanking Ben Kniaz for all he has done for us over the years at ApricotPie.

Ben, I can't even begin to describe the joy, encouragement, correction when I needed it, and all of the other benefits that I have received as a result of your hard work at ApricotPie. Through this website, you have provided me and people like me with an outlet, a sounding board, a support group, motivation, inspiration, and a community of friends. I've met some amazing people, discovered some outstanding writers, and read some incredible literature all as a result of the work that you put into ApricotPie.  All I can say is 'Thank you'.  Thank you.  Thank you.

Yes, I'm very sad to see ApricotPie go, but I understand completely and hold nothing against you for your decision.  You've done more over the years than anyone could expect.  If you've read this far, you know all about my plan for the ApricotPie Outpost by now--because in spite of my gratitude and understanding I'm a little too stubborn or a little too crazy to just let AP die. Let me say, Ben, that you will always be welcome at the Outpost.  Any advice you can offer us will be welcomed too, I assure you!  And, should you ever decide to start ApricotPie up again in the future, well... you'll know where to find us.

~Mary