This year's Renewing the Anarchist Tradition (RAT) conference--to be held November 7-9, in Montpelier, Vermont--is almost full. If you'd like to register, please get in touch ASAP, as there are only a few spots left and it's on a first-come, first-serve basis. Below you'll find the registration information.

RAT REGISTRATION

RAT registration is limited to 150 people, on a first-come, first-serve basis until we're full--with registration definitely closing by October 17 at the latest. Everyone coming to RAT (presenters and participants alike) must all register by or before October 17. RAT has no outside or independent funding, so everyone who attends contributes financially to making this conference possible. Those who register for RAT can also book a table(s) for bookstores, infoshops, magazines, and other projects (see below).

We're offering a sliding-scale registration for the following three options:

1. Registration and five meals (for locals and others not requiring housing): $50 to $65

2. Registration, five meals, and 2 nights in shared dorm room: $115 to $135

3. Registration, five meals, and 2 nights in single dorm room: $165 to $190

Registration includes five meals (Saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner; Sunday breakfast and lunch). Rooms are single or shared dorm space, and include linens and towels. Note: we cannot custom-tailor registration fees to include, say, only three meals, and we cannot refund registration fees, since we prepay for all actual expenses.

To register, or if you've additional questions, please e-mail: ratregister@gmail.com

Please include the following information: your name and email; whether you're registering for option 1, 2, or 3, and what amount on our scaling scale you can pay, or if you need scholarship assistance; whether you prefer vegan, vegetarian, or meat at meals during RAT, and if you have any special food needs or allergies; and if you request a shared dorm room, please indicate any roommate preferences such as a specific person or gender. We'll then send you details on where to send your registration fee.

Once you're registered and have paid, we'll also send you more specific details on the location, schedule, talks and panels, and so on, especially as the conference date nears.

SCHOLARSHIPS

A limited number of partial scholarships are available to subsidize RAT conference fees for those with limited resources. We will do our best to offer assistance to those who need it. Please ask about this when registering.

These scholarships are made possible because of the generosity of other RAT participants. If you can afford to pay the higher end of our sliding- scale registration fee or want to donate more beyond that, we will pass along the extra funds to those needing financial aid to attend RAT.

GETTING TO RAT

RAT will be taking place at a small college in Montpelier, Vermont, easily accessible by car off I-89 North or South.

If you're driving and have extra room, let us know; if you want a rideshare, let us know. Hopefully, we can put people in touch with each other.

Both Amtrak and Greyhound offer train and bus service, respectively, to Montpelier. It is a relatively short but uphill walk from the bus station to RAT. The bus is much more reliable than the train, and the train isn't right in town, so if at all possible, use the bus over the train. Limited pick-ups and drop-offs will be available, or you can call a taxi (KC Taxi at 802-476-0882 or Payless Taxi at 802-476-4097) during the daytime hours. Please check with us about your travel arrangements before assuming that a pick-up or drop-off in Montpelier is possible.

There is an airport in Burlington, Vermont, about 40 miles (or a 45-minute drive) from Montpelier. We will be unable to do any airport pick-ups or drop-offs, however. If you fly to Burlington, please arrange your own ground transportation. There are several car rental agencies at the airport. http://www.burlingtonintlairport.com

In addition, there is limited bus service between Burlington and Montpelier on either Greyhound or Chittenden County Transit Authority and its LINK Express. http://www.cctaride.org/pdf/route-templates/PDFs/MontLINKv.pdf

Please let us know if you decide to fly to RAT, and we'll attempt to put you in touch with others doing so, in hopes that you can all share a rental car or make other collective arrangements.

MINI-BOOKFAIR

A small number of bookstores, publishers, infoshops, and others will table at RAT as part of our annual mini-bookfair. Tables are available for bookstores, publishers, and others selling literature/materials for a sliding scale of $30 to $50 per table; if you can afford the higher end or more, we'll donate the extra to our scholarship fund. You must reserve and pay for a table in advance.

Tables will also be available at no charge for free literature or other giveaway materials (zines, patches, art, and so forth)--although any donations to our scholarship fund are welcome.

SCHEDULE

RAT will open this year with a single panel on the evening of Friday, November 7, followed by a full day of presentations, panels, and a party on Saturday, November 8, and will wrap up with more presentations and panels until about 2 p.m. or so on Sunday, November 9. All presenters and participants should plan on attending the full conference, since RAT is meant as an extended and participatory conversation. We are renting space at a small, accessible college in Montpelier, Vermont, for meeting rooms, tabling, five meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday; breakfast and lunch on Sunday), and dorm rooms. You should plan on arriving by or before 10 p.m. on Friday to be assured of your dorm room.

INSTITUTE FOR ANARCHIST STUDIES (IAS)

The IAS, a nonprofit foundation established in 1996 to support the development of anarchism, is primarily a grant-giving organization for radical writers. Our aim is to promote critical scholarship that explores social domination and reconstructive visions of a free society. To date, we have funded almost sixty projects by authors from countries around the world, including Argentina, Canada, New Zealand, Lebanon, Chile, Ireland, Nigeria, Mexico, the Philippines, Germany, Uruguay, South Africa, the Czech Republic, and the United States.

In addition to organizing projects like the RAT conference and the Radical Theory Track at the National Conference on Organized Resistance (NCOR), we also publish an annual journal, "Perspectives on Anarchist Theory," to cultivate community among those interested in the development of anarchism, and offer a speakers bureau.

The IAS is part of a larger movement to radically transform society as well. We are internally democratic and work in solidarity with people around the globe who share our values.

For more on the IAS, see our soon-to-be-redesigned website: http://www.anarchiststudies.org