When I finished my novel Echolalia for Hope Press in Spring of 1991, I was under option to do a second TS related book. The idea of a Tourette Syndrome reader or anthology occurred to me as the best possibility. Like my novel, the first published by a diagnosed writer with TS, I thought a collection of original writings by people with TS would change people's perception of what TS is. I didn't expect the book to change my own perceptions as well.

In August of 1991 I received a long first person essay by John S. Hilkevich that became the chapter "Making Friends with Tourette Syndrome." After a brief phone call and immediate rapport we decided to edit the collection together. John, in fact, had already been collecting first person accounts and these chapters formed the core of the presentation that Hope Press accepted for a book project to be published in the summer of 1992.

At the 1991 Tourette Syndrome Association Leadership conference in Washington DC we met with a half dozen other writers with TS and asked them to contribute chapters to the forth-coming book. Additionally several TSA newsletters ran our request for articles. We ended up with fourteen writers, with John and I writing an additional couple of collaborative chapters and my writing an account of the TSA conference as an example of a Tourette community.

The book was very successful. Despite limited mainstream exposure, Hope Press did very well with the book, and it remains a popular collection for both people with TS and the newly diagnosed. When I started my own press in December of 1995 with the intention of publishing books by people with TS, John and I immediately wondered if we could get the rights to the sequel. Not only did Hope Press let us have the rights to the series, it also offered to let us do a revised edition of the first book.

We collected articles throughout 1996 and I looked for the financial backing to print what would be an expensive project for a new publishing house. When Paula Schwindeman (A.K.A. Lilith), a web designer with disabilities offered to create our web site as a class project, I had the thought of putting the articles we had collected 'on-line.' The concept of a electronic magazine followed right after that. While we still intend to publish a book sequel to the first book, Echolalia Press will also put selected articles and excerpts on-line for INTERNET readers.

We will update the magazine every few months. Check the contents page for new poems and articles. Also check the date and look for the 'NEW' icon. We're starting with New Years Eve 1996. On August 15th, 1997, more articles went 'on-line.' Each time we update and add to the magazine we will include the date of the most recent update and the newest articles will have a date of first appearance and a graphic indicating it's new.

While you can read Don't Think About Monkeys on-line Magazine for free we do ask you to respect the copyright of the individual writers. Do not make more than one copy for personal use and please credit both the magazine and the writer if you quote in reviews or term papers.

To interest you in books and music by writers with TS, we'll make a sales pitch at the end of some articles if the writer has books or music for sale. Books published by Echolalia Press pay royalties to writers with TS: books we distribute are often bought from writers with TS or other publishers who then pay the writers royalties. Please support your Tourette artists, and if you don't like the commercials at the end of the story, let us know. We WANT to hear from you.

Also at the end of each article or poem will be MONKEYS INTERACTIVE, your chance to send an instant email to us for both our letters to the editor page and so we can monitor and improve the quality of our electronic publication.

Finally, if you have Tourette syndrome or a related disorder and would like to submit poetry, first person accounts of living with TS, fiction, or artwork to be scanned and returned, send us a query via email. We'll tell you how to submit and about payment options for your work.

Welcome to the monkey house -- and ENJOY!

Adam Ward Seligman
Echolalia Press
seligman@sonic.net