Bay Roll is a column here on Pagan Newswire Collective Bay Area that includes information, blog or website updates, book releases or general updates from Pagan authors, presenters, artists or performers here in the Bay Area. If there are announcements or information that you would like posted in the Bay Roll, please email them to Crystal@CrystalBlanton.com to be included.

For the week of January 16, 2013, there are many updates and information floating on the web from local Pagans. Social media has continued to bring much discussion this week and local Pagans are interacting.   Here are some of the new ones for this week.

• Patrick McCollum has been blogging from his current trip to the Kumbh Mela in India.  As he is blogging on his daily experiences, the reader gets an insightful glance into the work of an interfaith representative traveling to do work in another country.  His blog is currently posted on the Covenant of the Goddess Interfaith blog and can be found at this link. http://covenantinterfaith.blogspot.com/2013/01/patrick-mccollums-journey-to-india.html  In this article, Jason Pitzl-Waters states, “January 14th in India marked the beginning of the Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world. Held in full every 12 years, it is an integral festival within Hinduism, one focused on prayer, purification, and spiritual awakening.”  This article can be found at http://wildhunt.org/2013/01/a-pagan-at-indias-kumbh-mela.html
• Bay Area local Rachael Watcher posted a report on the Covenant of the Goddess Interfaith blog about her recent interfaith trip to Guatemala.  She posted part one of two on her trip, stating “I left San Francisco early in the morning to participate in a gathering of indigenous people from Canada to Chile and Argentina called “The People of the Eagle the Condor and the Quetzal”.  An interesting read about her interfaith work for the Covenant of the Goddess and the Pagan community.  http://covenantinterfaith.blogspot.com/2013/01/part-one-day-to-day-discription-of-my.html.  The Wild Hunt also featured an article about Patrick’s trip to India and shows video of the festivities
• Pantheacon tickets increased from 65.00 to 75.00 after the 15^th but it is still not too late to register and have your badge waiting for you at the check in desk. According to the website, it appears that pre-registration goes until February 1^st, and after that date you have to wait and register on-site.  Go to www.pantheacon.com and click on registration for instructions.
• The Wild Hunt reporter Heather Greene has done two recent articles on the concepts of Pagan solidarity.  The most recent came out this week and featured quotes from several Bay Area Pagans.  M. Macha Nightmare, Rachael Watcher and myself (Crystal Blanton) are quoted in this incredible piece. http://wildhunt.org/2013/01/a-question-of-pagan-solidarity-part-two.html
• Yeshe Rabbit, Bay Area High Priestess and co-owner of the Sacred Well in Oakland, posted an updated call to the men of our community to support the stop of rape culture.  In her piece Stopping Rape & Rape Culture: Men, we still need your help, she addresses several questions, outlines her mission and asks for the attention of fellow men to join in the continued fight.  A passionate and moving plea to take a stand against this culture that has been so damaging in society.  You can read this post at the following link and get involved in the fight. http://way-of-the-rabbit.blogspot.com/2013/01/stopping-rape-rape-culture-men-we-still.html
• Moonwater Silverclaw is a local High Priestess that has started a new blog, addressing many of the beginner elements of the Craft.  She has been focusing on posts around the directions the past few weeks and has a series of posts about ritual tools.  You can find her blog at http://thehiddenchildrenofthegoddess.com/
• Jason Mankey, author of the Patheos blog Raise the Horns, posts an article this week titled Big Tent Syndrome or Running to the Word Pagan.  He explores more if his feelings around the use of the word Pagan and his surprise at the offense many people took to his previous use of the word Pagan when talking about other.  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/panmankey/2013/01/big-tent-syndrome-or-running-to-the-word-pagan/

The Bay Roll is meant to continue bridging links and information from the Bay Area to the Bay Area readers. Please support this column by providing your information for inclusion in these weekly logs of the incredible work within this community. Without information, it will not be included on this list and we really want to highlight your work. Crystal@crystalblanton.com.  We want to know what YOU are doing!