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Do you have
something to
contribute?
Please send us
poetry, audio
files, short
writing, A.R.T.S.-
related stories,
images of your
art (in jpg or
png)! Those who
submit work
retain their
copyright, and a
copyright
statement is
included by
request. Email
the editors at
newsletter@artsanonymous.org
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Meeting
Contribution:
Thank you to the
following meeting for
honoring the 7th
Tradition to keep
A.R.T.S.
self-supporting:
Dublin A.R.T.S. Monday
Zoom - $81.58
Financial
Management Statement:
The Financial Statement
for the first half of
2025
is posted on the
website. For questions,
email
officemanager@artsanonymous.org
Treasurer’s Report for
July 2025 (Link for full
report)
A.R.T.S. Anonymous had a
gain of $187.69 in
July.
Fundraising Campaign
Report for July 2025:
It is the members and
the meetings who
contribute to A.R.T.S.
Anonymous in support of
World Services. Please
keep A.R.T.S.
self-supporting by
donating here.
Month-to-Month
Contributions:
Some members have opted
to make a contribution
to A.R.T.S. on a monthly
basis, and World
Services offers its
sincere gratitude for a
reliable stream of
donations. including
screenshots are posted
on the
Donate page
of the website and
can be found here:
Step-by-Step Guide for
DonorBox
SAVE THE DATE!:
An A.R.T.S.
Convention of Workshops,
Meetings and ARTShares,
in Celebration of
Recovery, Creative
Expression, and A.R.T.S.
41st Birthday!
Saturday November 1st. In
honor of the global
fellowship, this will
begin at 7 am ET and run
until midnight ET. This
will also be a
FUNdraiser (online
auction anyone?). Help
is needed! Members are
invited to help organize
this event. Members and
meetings are needed to
hold events throughout
the day. Who wants to
put on a party? Please
email
officemanager@artsanonymous.org
to offer your help. |
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A Humorous Story
by Patrick O'
The Free Parcel
State of Rathdrum describes
a rogue postman in
Rathdrum, County Wicklow
and interrogates the
myth of ‘the crazed
genius’ represented by
the character Colonel
Kurtz in the
film Apocalypse
Now (1979) directed by
Francis Ford Coppola.
Wicklow Depot: 06:07
hrs.
Rain hammered the tin
roof like angry fingers
on a filing cabinet. The
fluorescent lights
buzzed over half-drunk
mugs of tea and crumpled
parcel manifests. My
socks were wet and the
scanner had frozen again
– some message in Dutch
I didn’t understand.
That’s
when the Superintendent
called me in.
He
didn’t look up from his
desk. Just slid a manila
flat across the table,
yellowed and damp at the
edges.
“Rathdrum,” he said.
“You know it?”
I
nodded. Everyone knew
Rathdrum. It was where
routes went to die,
where relief drivers
returned muttering and
changed.
“There’s
a man out there. Curran.
Ex-army. Model postie.
Route 6D. Took pride in
his green sack. Then he
went off the map.”
I opened
the envelope.
Click here for the full
story [Page
1]
[Page
2]
[Page
3] |
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The World Service
Conference Chair
– and Vice Chair - have
been elected!
A wonderful expression
of care and concern for
the well-being of this
fellowship was shared
when 19 Meeting
Delegates and Alternate
Delegates attended the
Special Sesson of the
World Service Conference
(WSC) on August 2. Erica
L was elected the
Conference Chair, and
Eddie Ed O. was elected
the Vice Chair. These
elections mark a
significant moment for
the Conference, as
members who have been
serving as Meeting
Delegates (and not
serving on the Board of
Trustees) step up and
lead the WSC.
(A
report of the Special
Session is posted on the
website.)
The World Service
Conference acts for
A.R.T.S. in the
perpetuation and
guidance of its world
services. It is also the
way A.R.T.S. members
express their views upon
all vital matters of
policy and all
potentially hazardous
deviations from the
Twelve Traditions and
Twelve Concepts of
Service. There is room
for members to join the
Committees dedicated to
the WSC: Policies and
Procedures, Service and
Support, and Recruiting
and Nominating.
Committee descriptions
can be found on the
Service Info
page of the A.R.T.S.
website.
Thank you, Erica and
Eddie Ed. The World
Service Conference is in
good hands. |
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A.R.T.S.
Literature Update
Literature that is
approved by the World
Service Conference is
considered by 12-Step
programs of recovery the
best way to ensure a
unified message. A.R.T.S.
Literature hopes to help
those who still struggle
to find and express
their creativity. The
Literature Committee is
currently working on
three projects, and
three Subcommittees have
accepted the
responsibility to carry
them out.
Members Stories:
Stories from members
describing personal
experience, strength and
hope with recovery in
A.R.T.S. Anonymous are
being collected for a
future book. To date 18
stories have been
submitted, and the hope
is to have as many as 40
approved and ready for
publication. Please
consider writing your
story and submitting it!
Please see the News and
Events page on the
website
for more information.
Steps Guide:
Five dedicated members
of A.R.T.S. are
developing a Steps Guide
for A.R.T.S. Anonymous.
The concept is to create
an option for members to
work the program of
recovery in a welcoming
and personally
meaningful way. Perhaps
someday there can be a
more extensive volume
that includes the
experience, strength and
hope from members on the
Steps, Traditions, and
Concepts of Service of
A.R.T.S. Anonymous.
Editorial
Policies:
The purpose of this
effort is to ensure that
Literature that is
developed for A.R.T.S.
Anonymous is consistent
with the Steps,
Traditions and Concepts
of Service. There is
also attention given to
the policies of
the Literature
Development and Approval
Process as approved by
the Conference. Thought
is also being given to
the idea that A.R.T.S.
Literature best
represents the
fellowship using
professional standards
for producing and
publishing Literature.
Also, under discussion
is the ability to hire
professional editors
from among the
membership.
Members do not have to
serve on the Literature
Committee to join a
Subcommittee. If you are
interested in joining
the Literature Committee
or a Subcommittee,
please email
literature@artsanonymous.org.
Here is the
Literature Committee
page on the website.
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In A.R.T.S.
Anonymous we
pay our own way
A.R.T.S. is not free!!!
In A.R.T.S. Anonymous we
pay our own way. There
are no dues or fees, and
we rely on the
generosity of our
members. We invite all
members to consider the
benefits they have
received from the
program and support the
fellowship with their
time (service) and
money.
The fellowship has been
in the financial
doldrums for the last
six months, and a
reliable income of about
$2,000 a month is
needed to continue.
Some of our more urgent
needs:
-
Maintaining the
current A.R.T.S.
website (there are
$767 in bills coming
up in October and
November for the
website)
-
Paying necessary
expenses such as
staff pay, office
equipment, internet,
software and
insurance.
-
Paying rent for a
physical office. We
have very cheap rent
at the moment ($250
a month) but will be
losing it in
December, as the
business where it is
located is shutting
down. The cheapest
option found so far
is $500 a month,
doubling the rent.
(Alternatively,
A.R.T.S. could
become all virtual
in it's operations,
however that would
mean paying a
special worker as a
network
administrator)
-
Revamping the
A.R.T.S. website to
make it more
accessible. This
requires hiring a
special worker.
-
Hiring professional
editors (special
workers) to help
speed up the
literature
pipeline.
-
Costs associated
with ensuring
accurate and
effective
translation of
Literature (there
are members in six
languages who want
to do this, but we
need certain
services.)
-
Reaching out through
social media and
other venues. In
practical terms,
this might mean
hiring a special
worker to manage
social media.
-
Protecting the legal
status of the
A.R.T.S. name so it
cannot be seized or
appropriated by
others. We have the
generous services of
pro bono lawyers to
help us with this,
but the filing fees
required for the
trademark
application put a
significant dent in
our small bank
account. World
Services also hopes
to protect the
copyright on its
Literature, but
there are fees
associated with this
too.
-
Filling the
Treasurer position
on the Board of
Trustees. The
Treasurer is
responsible for
guiding the Board's
financial
activities. The
Treasurer does not
necessarily need to
be an A.R.T.S.
member but does need
to be conversant
with (and support)
the 12 Traditions.
All the above are common
practices of 12 Step
Programs. We invite you
to investigate if you
have questions or
suggestions.
We’re asking A.R.T.S.
members and meetings to
support the fellowship
with their time (in
service positions) and
money. If you are able,
please consider either
raising your monthly
donation or becoming a
new monthly donor.
Guidelines for
contributing by check,
credit card, PayPal and
through DonorBox are on
the
Donate page of the
website.
Thank you for your
generous heart and love
of A.R.T.S. The Board is
grateful to be of
service.
The Board of
Trustees: Vickie D., Pat
Q., Jay M., Dasha B.,
Cindyann W., Allegra B.
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Fully
Self-Supporting:
Guidance for
Meetings
The 7th Tradition
states that every
A.R.T.S. Anonymous
group ought to be
fully
self-supporting,
declining outside
contributions. We
have no dues or
fees, but we do have
expenses in holding
meetings and
maintaining the
fellowship through
the World Service
literature, website
and office, which
exist to support the
groups. Without the
financial and
service support of
the groups
and members,
meetings cannot
continue to exist
and nor can A.R.T.S.
In a world of online
and teleconference
meetings, the
question often
arises, how
does a
meeting collect
monetary
contributions to
A.R.T.S.?
As a physical basket
is no longer viable
in many cases,
12-Step programs
have turned to cash
payment services. (By
no means is this
intended as an
endorsement by
A.R.T.S. Anonymous
of a specific
payment system.)
As meetings are
autonomous, World
Services can’t tell
you what to do.
However, we can
suggest the
following:
Click here for the
full guidance
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Meeting
Delegates and
Alternate Delegates
joining the Board of
Trustees for its
September 13th
Meeting
Service in the form
of representation
from the meeting is
needed and welcomed
for the benefit of
A.R.T.S. as a whole.
Members are often
grateful for what
they get from
A.R.T.S., and
Meeting Delegates
serve an important
link for that to
happen.
The Board of
Trustees has invited
all Meeting
Delegates and
Meeting Alternate
Delegates to attend
the A.R.T.S. Board
meeting on September
13, 2025,
Meeting
Delegates and
Alternate Delegates
are invited to join
the Board of
Trustees on Saturday
September 13 for
the Board meeting
beginning at 10 am
PT/1 pm ET/6 pm BST/7
pm CET/. The agenda
will include some
routine Board
business, but most
of the time will be
turned over to what
is brought from the
meetings through the
Delegates.
Hopefully Meeting
Delegates and group
members are talking
about how the
meetings are doing
and how the Board
might be able to
help.
The Board of
Trustees meeting
agenda for September
13 is here.
Please note that
this invitation is
open only to Meeting
Delegates and
Alternate
Delegates as
representatives from
their meetings.
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