Area 46 Literature Committee
April 2023
Hello Area 46!
Here’s the notes from our Committee meeting at the March Pre-Conference Assembly. Thanks to everyone who participated!
We got a little bit of a late start because I left the main room looking for our breakout room only to discover that we were meeting in the main room.
There were 14 people in person and on Zoom and we opened with the Serenity Prayer.
Eloy had asked our committee to review Literature Item P, Review update on the proposal for Big Book or Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions study guides.
In short, there have been ongoing discussions at the Conference about the workbooks developed by Hazelden that are used by many treatment centers as well as by many of our members to assist with sponsorship, and whether or not AA should develop its own Conference Approved versions. Narcotics Anonymous also has workbooks that are popular in their fellowship which I was encouraged to use when I called myself a member with them many years ago. Comments included how do we keep them objective? Better to have them and not need them. One person found them to be confusing, another thought they would be helpful, and still another thought that they might detract from the sponsor/sponsee relationship. One person talked about how their understanding of the steps evolved the longer they have been sober and thought the only way to really do them might involve different worksheets for the newcomer, one year, and so on. Another believed we should consider anything that helps.
At the end we took a vote and 11 were in favor of GSO continuing to look at the possibility of developing workbooks, 2 were against, and 2 abstained.
I opened the floor for anyone who wanted to discuss any of the other literature agenda items and one member shared their assignment of item L, updating the “So you think you’re different” pamphlet.
I then discussed the recent GSO Literature price increases and the current Area inventory, most of which is from before 2020, and behind by about 2 price increases. It would be advantageous for us to move it before considering restocking, or perhaps consider options other than keeping a large inventory.
Our committee also drafted some guidelines for incoming District Literature Chairs that I will be finalizing before the end of the current rotation and sharing with the Districts.
We closed with the Responsibility Statement.
I would like to discuss ideas about whether the Area Literature Committee needs to keep such a large inventory of items based on all of the changes that have occurred since the pandemic changed so much of how we do business. Please be sure to attend the monthly Literature Committee meeting the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 7 pm if you have thoughts or suggestions that you would like to share.
Thank you for letting me be of service!
Phillip F.