STATE OF THE TOAD: 2020
by Mark Neuenschwander
State of the toad addressFebruary 2020
Greetings, toads.
2019 was a magical year. This was the year that the Joplin Toad came to be. It began as an experiment. And now it’s 2020, but we’re still here with our safety glasses dangling around our necks, staring at each other, trying to figure out what’s next. Thanks to the support from those who’ve engaged with us, we are emboldened to continue with a longer standing presence.
This (annual) State of the Toad Address will talk about our city, about our mission within that city, and of the help we will need to make the toad thrive. Stay with us!
WHAT IS A JOPLIN?
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Joplin is a unique place. It’s an old place in the very heart of the midwest, an urban center somewhere between a town and a city, full of very kind, close-knit people (and, of course, some meth-heads too. We can’t be perfect).
Joplin was the mining town that sprang up from nowhere, named by a pastor and citified to establish law for the miners that populated it. After the mining died down, we were left with a population center that could thrive without the mining (in spite of a whole lot of lead in our soil). Old photos of our downtown show a place that was absolutely thriving with people, business and culture.
Later came the mall, and the 80s, and... lots of beige. We won’t speak of those times.
We faltered just a bit. We kept busy, the population generally remained , but our downtown emptied and we struggled even more to find our identity.
Then 2011.
Joplin is the town that “recovered” from one of the most massive tornadoes we’ve ever seen- and then startled the world afterward. People continued to take notice not simply because of the disaster that took place, but for our refusal to engage in self pity and for the quickness with which we served each-other and worked hard to rebuild. People that thought we could never fully recover were amazed to see what we accomplished in so short a time (with the help of countless folks from around the world).
While we’ve grown tired of being known as the ‘tornado town’ in years since, I think we did identify a piece of our identity in the process that we shouldn’t be so quick to throw out- the kind, entrepreneurial, hard working spirit at our core.
Joplin is a city with a college, but as someone recently observed, it’s not a college town.
Joplin is an incredible base for a huge number of businesses that export nationally, yet it's not often aware of itself in such a fashion.
Joplin is a town that has struggled to find a clear identity. From a mining town to a midwest metropolis to Boomer to the tornado town, we’ve again and again grabbed hold of little elements that maybe we can band around, but then tend to fall apart because they are not always strong enough to define the whole.
CURRENT STATE OF THE JOPLIN
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We’d like to propose a thought. That the identity of a city- this one, in particular- can and should be driven largely by its creativity. Something we’ve observed from our own standpoint, is that Joplin is simultaneously:
1: not an inherently creative town
2: absolutely full of creative people
And so, one of the things we seek to do in our own way, is to help remind Joplin that it can be an extremely innovative and creative place. Perhaps, Jomo can form a new identity that is driven by this creative spirit- but only if it recognizes, celebrates, and equips its creatives. Perhaps, this is already beginning to happen.Certainly, we’re not alone here. Recently, we’ve been encouraged, seeing pillar organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Downtown Joplin Alliance, and Connect2Culture coming together and working to forge a new vision for the city as a whole, not just for one group at a time. We celebrate those efforts, and humbly seek to add our own- not through enormous administrative efforts, but through a quiet and playful publication that can create new art, show off what’s already here, make us laugh, celebrate our history, provide a platform for emerging creatives, and continually surprise readers.
CURRENT STATE OF THE TOAD
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Firstly, the Toad is a success. We’ve put out 5 digital issues. We sold mugs and shirts. We’ve had nearly 5,000 visitors on our website and an abundance of support on social media. While people don’t always know exactly what we are, they seem to like us. Since we’re not always sure what we are either, that’s good enough for us.
As far as what we are… to the best of our knowledge, we are a local online magazine that exists for the following:
to celebrate local culture
to create new culture
to give local artists a quality platform
to provide a local publication that works outside the box
to bond as Joplin dwellers through humor and entertainment
That’s what we are. As for what’s next:
We’ve shifted a bit when it comes to how we operate. In 2019, we had 5 issues total, and only released new content within those issues. In 2020, we’ll only have THREE actual “issues”:
1: SPRING/SUMMER
2: FALL (HALLOWEEN)
3: WINTER (CHRISTMAS)
The rest of the year, we’ll simply be releasing content as we get it. This will keep things fresh, fun, and pressure free for those of us investing our time in the project. Since this is all volunteer based, we have to pace ourselves carefully to make sure it’s sustainable long term.
Here’s where you come in:
Our #1 current need is for regular CONTENT. We need columnists, poets, short story writers, photographers, illustrators, painters, designers, reviewers, comedians, videographers, historians, and every other genre of creative we can find from the Joplin area, to work with us.
We DO still have a submission process, so sending us your content does not guarantee entry. But please, send us your work and your ideas. If you have a specific skill-set and want to help, let us know. We might be able to use you.
We need YOU to believe in this with us. We need your help, your art, your writing, your ideas, your time. It’s a for the people, by the people kind of deal. Let’s make this THE YEAR OF THE TOAD!
Want to submit? Let’s see what you’ve got!