More about this whole deal, such as it is.
Don't want to read an FAQ about a newspaper? Reasonable. Go read the latest issue.
Is this real?
Yes. More or less.
The Monroe Street Tattler is a real neighborhood paper about real local places, real small observations, and real matters of limited public importance.
The stories are real. The investigations are real. The level of institutional seriousness applied to them may occasionally exceed what the situation requires.
Its tabloid appearance should not be mistaken for actual scandal.
Who runs this?
The Tattler began as one neighborhood resident making a tiny paper for fun. Things have since escalated.
The operation has involved sworn-in Junior Correspondents, unnecessary culinary investigations, hand-delivered trophies, reader tips, limited-edition giveaways, and considerably more logistics than anyone anticipated.
It is still a very small operation, but the hope is for the paper itself to become increasingly made with the neighborhood, not just about it.
What is this about?
Mostly the neighborhood, especially the parts that probably would not make the news anywhere else but that people might still be curious about. That might mean local food deserving unreasonable scrutiny and celebration, a strange thing someone noticed on a walk, an overheard line worth preserving, a tiny mystery, a strongly held opinion, an old neighborhood story, or something a reader sends in that makes us think: yes, people need to know about this.
Underneath all of it, the goal is simple: help people notice where they live, know a little more about their neighbors, and give the neighborhood more reasons to talk to each other. If the Tattler makes someone laugh, introduces them to a local business, gives friends something fun to explore together, or gives two neighbors something to talk about, it has probably done its job.
Can I read it online?
Yes. Head to MonroeStreetTattler.com.
How do I get a print copy?
If you live in the neighborhood:
Printed copies appear in Free Little Libraries, local businesses, and other approved points of Tattler circulation.
If you would like a future issue delivered your way, use the interest form on the homepage or write to MonroeStreetTattler@gmail.com.
Availability depends on printing, demand, geography, and the limits of a distribution network that currently involves actual human beings carrying newspapers around.
If you live outside the neighborhood:
We're currently collecting interest from people who would like the Tattler mailed to them. We are not offering regular mailed subscriptions yet, but we're exploring it.
If that interests you, add your name to the waiting list. It will help us figure out whether this is an idea worth making unnecessarily complicated.
How do I submit something?
Write to MonroeStreetTattler@gmail.com.
The Tattler welcomes neighborhood discoveries, strongly held opinions, tiny mysteries, drawings, cartoons, puzzles, corrections, questions, overheard gems, historical leads, pet nominations, and anything else that feels funny, useful, oddly specific, or worth preserving.
You do not need to be a writer, or even particularly funny. You mostly need to have noticed something worth sharing or exploring.
When will the next issue come out?
Hopefully soon.
The Tattler does not currently maintain the sort of dependable publishing schedule associated with larger institutions.
New issues appear when curiosity, civic spirit, available printing funds, or questionable editorial judgment require publication.