What is a Filthy Piker?

Okay, to start, the Filthy Pikers are a writing group. No porno! We're the Filthy Pikers, not the Naughty Pikers. Though this is a writing group primarily for adults and our material often addresses issues best left to mature audiences, keep in mind that people's parents, children, co-workers and fellow parishioners read the Press.

Now that we've got that out of the way, the Filthy Pikers are a writing group. We have all sorts here, from previously published to regularly published to never published. We have fiction writers and non-fiction writers, singles and couples, fogeys and whippersnappers, zealots and agnostics, straights and gays, conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats. What we have in common is that we enjoy writing. We find that we enjoy writing for the Press for many reasons, but primarily because it gets us to (in the words of a reprehensible capitalist parasite shoe company with a really good motto) "just do it".

What do Filthy Pikers do?

Write regularly. Or not. Post silly chat on the forums. Or don't. Chat on Tuesday nights via Instant Messenger. Or not. Join one of the Play By Forum games. Or don't. Anyone can be a Piker.

How do I become a Staff Writer?

Relax -- they don't get paid, either. Staff Writer is a title I confer upon those dedicated souls who come up with something every week (or almost) for the Press. They are my tried and true regulars. Try it. It's good for you.

Where did you come up with the name 'Filthy Pikers'?

Okay, this one was probably lack of foresight on my part. It was part of a line from a collaborative story telling effort. The scene was one of bitter combat, and one of the characters had just received an arrow to the back from a party member. Another got in the way of a compatriot's sword swing. It was my husband, John, who came up with the classic line: "That's it. From now on, I work alone, you filthy pikers." It charmed us inexplicably, and we referred to ourselves as Filthy Pikers from that point on. When we went to pick a name for our website, that was the obvious choice. When the website went from just a regular site to a weekly publication, "The Piker Press" seemed a natural extension. However, if I had a nickel for every time I've mentioned the name or handed out a business card and had someone look at me primly and say, "Oh, one of those sites," I'd probably cover my out of pocket expenses for the Press and then some. I'm thinking of having the byline on our cards changed from "From now on, I work alone" to "Not a porn site!". On the other hand, the name is not a bad way to screen new buddies. If you don't think the name is funny, you might not think a lot of the other humor is funny, either.

So how do you profit off the Filthy Pikers?

Ha! Hahahahahahahaha -- ga-a-sp -- BWAhahahaha! What a cute question. I don't. I don't sell any info, I don't advertise, the Piker merchandise has a miniscule markup because we anticipate it's mostly Staff Writers buying the stuff and we wanted to pool money for business cards with people's names on em. I do not retain any rights to the submissions I receive, so I don't make any money when an author goes on to sell something they've submitted here. I've got a couple of lucky breaks that have made this not too expensive a hobby, and the rewards in what it's done for my writing and personal entertainment are worth it.

This is really spammy. When will it be over?

Uh... now.