Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. Blog, Internet resources, online reading groups, articles and interviews, Illuminatus! info.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Ten years of RAWIllumination


Writing on my Chromebook as Neko, my Siamese, keeps me company. 

[I had not even noticed that today marks the 10-year anniversary of RAWIllumination.net, my blog devoted to Robert Anton Wilson and also Robert Shea. Eric Wagner, evidently more observant than I am, noticed the anniversary and wrote the following piece. (That very first posting from me on June 10, 2010, has a comment Eric posted.) Thank you, Eric, and thank you everyone who has befriended me or posted a comment or participated in some fashion. -- The Management.]

By Eric Wagner
Special guest blogger

On June 10, 2010, the blog RAWIllumination.net manifested from the mind of Tom Jackson. New posts have appeared almost every day for the last decade. He has done original research, interviewing Robert Anton Wilson’s editors and many other people. Tom writes very well, and he has brought his journalistic professionalism to a field which all to often features ego, sloppy writing, and contentiousness.

That lack of contentiousness seems a key feature of this indispensable blog. Most fan spaces fall victim to factionalism and name calling. RAWIllumination has practically none of this.

Tom has provided a space for reading groups of Bob’s books as well as related texts like Nabokov’s Pale Fire and Kerman’s The Beethoven Quartets. The rich discussions in these groups have enriched my life, as have all the other, widely varied, posts and comments at RAWIllumination.

Tom has built a community with frequent comments by some very interesting people. I have checked out the blog almost every day since it began. I think I missed a few due to family hospitalizations, but checking back in always brought me comfort and relief.

I have felt a void in my life since Bob’s passing in 2007. This blog and this community have helped to fill that void. Thank you, Tom.


15 comments:

Manic The Doodler said...

Thanks for all your hard work. I discovered RAW Illumination after you commented on my blog about a comic I made about RAW on July 18, 2010. I've made this space a daily visit since then. Here's to another 10 years!

Eric Wagner said...

Happy anniversary! I wonder what the next ten years will bring.

Van Scott said...

Thanks Eric. Tom does such a great job that it’s easy to just take this blog for granted and to forget all the work that He puts into it.

Cleveland Okie (Tom Jackson) said...

Thank you, guys.

One point Eric raised I should follow up on: The quality of the comments for this blog have been very good, and not because I moderate the comments. I moderate the comments because it was the only way to block the spam -- otherwise, I would have to allow in ads for prostitution in India and other stuff I find unacceptable. But almost without exception, I have not had to block unacceptable comments. Even disagrees are handled with courtesy and respect for the opinions of others. Pretty rare for the Internet.

Rob Pugh said...

Congratulations, and thanks again for all you do.

Oz Fritz said...

This blog provides an excellent service to RAW's legacy. It's a daily stop for me too. Thank-you Tom for your constancy and dedication to a great writer. Thank-you Eric for noting and honoring this anniversary.

Rarebit Fiend said...

Great write up Eric!

After Google News, RAWillumination is my first stop on the Internet...some days I don't feel much need to spend much time online other than the headlines and this site.

I think I started reading around 2012 and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Tom gave us a place for community and your content is always interesting. And, as Tom knows, reading this blog turned me onto a book that led to me marrying my wife. This is a magical resource if there was one.

supergee said...

Thanks for a great ten years

Branka Tesla said...


Productive anniversary!
Thank you for informing and illuminating us.

Unknown said...

Congrats, Tom! Thank you for all you do. RAWIllumination has been my first internet stop of the day since I first discovered you. Happy to have become friends! --Chad

Lvx15 said...

The only blog I look at every day. Thanks Tom!

Richard said...

Ten years of high-quality, righteous work, thanks!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for maintaining this site. It's become a regular place for me to visit when I'm browsing. Happy anniversary! Iain Spence

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary and a huge Thank you for your work.
Rawillumination seems like an interesting and fascinating island within an ocean of confused and unnessesary ego pages.
I also enjoy the almost always inspiring and delightful comments!
D.M.S.

acwo said...

Thanks. Keep it up. Greetings from Poland, I visit rawilluminatiom regurarly.