The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg: Big Fish in Small Communities with Keith Kahn-Harris
Intrepid Times
Date: June 19, 2017
Theme: Small worlds, The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Podcasts
The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg: Tales of Big Fish in Small Ponds was a book that I began crowdfunding in 2011 through the then-newly-formed publisher Unbound. The book was intended to be a travelogue in which I would track down obscure big fish in obscure small ponds – beginning with the eponymous waterskier.
The crowdfunding was a partial success. I raised enough money to go and meet the actual best waterskier in Luxembourg, as well as the top politician in Alderney (one of the Channel Islands). However the crowdfunding campaign eventually stalled – the fundraising target was too ambitious – and the rest of the book was never completed.
I have no regrets. The project was enormous fun. In this themed collection you can find and download the chapters recounting my adventures finding the best waterskier in Luxembourg and the top politician in Alderney. You can also find some fun pitch videos and talks I gave about the project.
Maybe one day I will return to this project. For now I remain interested in and continue to write about the theme of Small Worlds more generally.
The crowdfunding campaign offered various rewards to those who supported the book. Here is a postcard I created for supporters, showing the best waterskier himself (a guy called Jeff Bidinger):
And for those who backed the project at a higher level, I commissioned a T shirt with a specially created black metal-style logo of the ‘Luxembourg waterskiing legion’. It made no sense then and makes no sense now but I still love it:
Scroll down for further silliness…
Writings, talks and videos relating to The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
The Most Powerful Politician in Alderney
This was intended to be the second chapter of the book 'The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg: Tales of Big Fish in Small Ponds' but, after completing it, the crowd-funding campaign with Unbound stalled. Surprisingly though, this chapter has been tracked down by citizens of Alderney, a number of whom told me I was spot on in my take on the island.
Publication Date: January 20, 2014
Theme: Small worlds, The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Journalism and essays
Keith Kahn Harris: A Lover Of Small Worlds Across The Globe
Join Up Dots
Date: 2014
Theme: Small worlds, The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Podcasts
Review of ‘The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg: Chapter One’
Souciant
Review by Danielle Sottosanti
Publication Date: October 24, 2012
Theme: The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Journalism and essays
Scenes, subcultures, groups – obscure but outstanding
TEDx Krakow
In praise of small worlds.
Date: September 21, 2012
Theme: Best Of, Small worlds, The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Other talks (selected), Videos
The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg: Chapter One
The succesfully crowdfunded first chapter of the book 'The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg: Tales of Big Fish in Small Ponds', published by Unbound.
Publication Date: 2012
Theme: The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Journalism and essays
The pleasure and pain of crowd funding
The Literary Platform
Reflections on the experience of watching the crowdfunding campaign for 'The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg' stall
Publication Date: August 25, 2012
Theme: Personal/Memoire, The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Journalism and essays
The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg: Pitch Video 2
Unbound
This was the pitch video for the - ultimately unsuccessful - campaign to crowdfund the second part of the book 'The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg: Tales of Big Fish in Small Ponds' with the publisher Unbound.
Date: July 5, 2012
Theme: The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Videos
Keith Kahn Harris talks about The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg
Unbound Live
Keith Kahn Harris reports back on the research trip for the first chapter of his book - The Best Waterskier In Luxembourg at Unbound Live.
Date: May 25, 2012
Theme: The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Other talks (selected), Videos
Luxembourg: posh restaurants and free clubbing in the party city
The Guardian
Luxembourg City may not be an obvious weekend break destination, but with free entry to clubs and an all-night party bus, it's letting its hair down
Publication Date: April 6, 2012
Theme: Miscellaneous, The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Journalism and essays
How a childhood spent collecting building societies taught me to celebrate the power of obscurity
Ignite London
Date: November 5, 2011
Theme: Personal/Memoire, Small worlds, The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Other talks (selected)
Publishing: Website helps authors pitch books to readers
BBC News
Includes interview with me about 'The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg'
Date: November 4, 2011
Theme: The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Media appearances and Interviews
The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg: Pitch Video 1
Unbound
This was the pitch video for the - ultimately successful - campaign to crowdfund the first chapter of the book 'The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg: Tales of Big Fish in Small Ponds' with the publisher Unbound.
Date: September 16, 2011
Theme: The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Videos
Deserving an Audience: The Limits of Scholarly Publishing
Souciant
Publication Date: September 6, 2011
Theme: Personal/Memoire, The Best Water Skier in Luxembourg
Category: Journalism and essays