easy town books

CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE

last updated/extended: 16 October 2026

The FINALE is coming

In book 4, building, part 1, a diverse team of visionaries and experts have 39 days to convince the British government and the British public to let them build a town from scratch and to run the town as an experiment for twelve years.

Their aim of the town experiments is to find out what kind of environment the human needs to thrive and the planet requires to recover.

So far the team’s research suggests nothing short of rethinking everything: from the way humans build, learn, communicate to rethinking economic and political systems, and pretty much everything in between.

In order to make their case for the town, the team organise major CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE which aim at engaging the British public in discourses about the future trajectories for humanity and the planet. With these discourses the team hope to win the public’s support for their town project.

What started with a few ideas for campaigns and a lot of politics in the British parliament, when I began to assemble book 4, part 1, in 2024, soon became a large collection of ideas for CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE, stretching over 39 days.

That’s why I decided to publish this part of book 4, online, chapter by chapter. By now, I also decided that the campaigns chapters will always remain available online for free. Saying that, readers are welcome to also buy the book in support of my work.

Presently I have taken down all published chapters since I reviewed and partly extended or shortened some of those first 33 chapters, including days 39-9, in the previous weeks. I will republish them here after the next editing round, and extracts on Substack.

These 33 chapters lay the foundations for a FINALE that digs deep, sideways and expands on urgent topics.

Unexpectedly, the last eight chapters have grown into books of their own, a breathtaking, multi-layered push by the town teams to get a deal for the town project and by their opponents to stop them.

While their opponents barks and sneer, the town team surprise the public every day anew with interconnected CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE.

The final days are a build-up from the individual and the community to a full frontal mirror of our economic system and failing politics. From there the campaigns move on and offer an opening into a future via rewilding (nature, minds & everything in between) and events where visitors can experience how everything is connected.

The final day of the CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE asks a crucial question: DO YOU WANT A FUTURE?

And this is only the campaigns side. The final eight chapter open the story to many voices inside and outside the project. Strangers, helpers and people like the Mayor of London find themselves more and more involved, and yes, at some point the House of Commons gets a stage, too. And there is drama, breathtaking at times. Plus the Illustrious Circle of baddies, first active in book 2, travelling, do what they can to put a stop to the town project. And they are not the only ones.

Though, most of my favourite parts are those where the story relentlessly digs deeper into everything that makes our world weird, and it usually does so with clarity, balance, humour, courage and a focus on creating alternatives instead of solely pointing the finger.

The number of personal story snippets which have found their way into the story are often funny and sometimes allow a deeper look into very personal struggles with facing and rethinking our present world.

Here a few of my HIGHLIGHTS

• THE WOBBLY PATH OF ENLIGHTENMENT. It first appeared in the story on day 30, but on day 8 it gets fun footnotes which are too long for the footnotes, and I haven’t yet decided how it will be published. Probably as a separate download and as part of the logbooks. Each of the final days will get a logbook, containing all additional material and likely posts and reactions from the publication days (3). If this works well, a logbook will always be published in the evenings of the third posting days. Find out more further below.
• The COMICS! All 8 days have great, fun COMIC BOOK ideas. To name just a few: THE BODYLY GOOD MORNING, CURIOSITY FOR DUMMIES, FEARS FOR THE BRAVE, REWILDING THE MIND.
• Eleven year old Toby and his Plymouth multi-generation house, all told 18 very different people, day 8ff, are great fun to come across throughout the final days.
• Marc & Yasmin let a conversation unfold on paper about what troubles men and women, day 7. They do a second written conversation on day 2 while sitting on an artificial mushroom above an installation with magnified fungal networks and other underground life. This time they write about CONNECTIONS.
• Mia Sanches, an independent journalists, keeps growing on me with her light and yet deep reports from the campaign events. One of my favourites is on day 6. This is where I first created her, by now I’ve added her to some previous chapters, too.
• day 5 features two games, both played in actual huge installations and online: RISE & FALL and ALIVE. What I love most about this whole chapter are the many, many layers, and how it is woven from the stories of a great variety of characters. Mack and Edna, Londoners, chance characters are repeatedly great. While RISE & FALL is a brutal if simplified mirror of our present economic system, ALIVE is an experiment of whether it is possible to craft an economic system that imitates nature’s ecosystems – something the town team have only begun to think about and are curious about themselves.
• Paul Woods, another independent journalists, I have by now briefly introduced at the first press conference on day 36, and who gets some more mentions in the previous chapters, adds some excellent observations and personal insights to the story. He has a particularly challenging day on day 5. So far, my favourite writing by him is on the town idea HAPAMAHACHI on day 6 where he draws on his childhood experiences.
• The start of day 4 is an author’s dream. Funny enough, while writing it, I didn’t yet realise what this was about to become. But these days I just smile, shake my head, and grin that I should have gotten this lucky.
• The FOREST TRAILS, day 3, inspired by an uninspiring visit to a nature museum.
• The opening of day 2. I would love to see that happen in London and any great city, town and village.
• The question: DO YOU WANT A FUTURE, day 1.

I’ll close my HIGHLIGHTS list here, realising that I could go on and on.

Part of the reason why the publication of the final days of book 4, building, part 1, has been delayed for nearly a year now is that I got to a point where I needed to go back to the previous chapters, and as I did so, I didn’t only add characters like Paul Woods and Mia Sanches, which I would need in the final days, but I also extended some of the chapters (in particular days 32, 24 and 22). Day 32 and 24 open the first and the second week of CAMPAIGNS FOR OUR FUTURE respectively and on re-reading them, I thought they fell short on the campaigns side and gave them several additional doses of campaign ideas. Day 24, the NO PLASTIC DAY in particular is stuffed with great additions. Day 22, the THE END OF ALL WARS DAY didn’t do justice to this important topic and I gave it a full makeover. What used to be three pages, now has over seventy with another set of campaigns I would love to see in London and everywhere else.

So, WHAT’S THE PLAN?

While my material grows, deepens and expands, I frequently find myself questioning which schedule I should adopt.

The general plan is to use as many digital platforms as possible for the FINALE. Since I have no account on most platforms, I want to start with an OPENING TOUR to introduce my work as a thinker, photographer, visionary and author, with a special focus on the UNIVERSE STORIES, and on the previous easy town books before a quick intro into book 4 and a fast re-run of all previously published chapters as a prelude to the FINALE.
Much of the OPENING TOUR will also introduce locations which played a role in my life (the place where I was born), those which played a role for the easy town ideas (the place where the easy town idea emerged), those which serve as one of the settings for the story (Prague), and those places which had/have a special significance in the writing processes like Berlin, Usedom, Waren, Rügen or Hellsee. Many of these locations have plenty of additional stories to offer and are great places to discover, explore and celebrate nature which is why I will revisit some of them during the OPENING TOUR.

After the OPENING TOUR, the FINALE will begin. The chapters day 8-2 get three days of posting & discussing each and on many platforms. For day 1, things will be a little different.

FINALE

• day 8
  WRAP (4 days)
• day 7
  BODY & SEXUALITY (4 days)
• day 6
  COMMUNITY (4 days)
• day 5
  SPOTLIGHT ECONOMICS & BUSINESS (4 days)
• day 4
  POLITICS FAIL US, part 1 (1 day)
• BREAK
• day 4
  POLITICS FAIL US, part 2 (4 days)
• day 3
  REWILDING (4 days)
• day 2
  EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED (4 days)
• day 1
  DO YOU WANT A FUTURE? (8 days.)

Apart from the final chapters of book 4, building, part 1, highlights will be the UNIVERSE STORIES, DIGGING DEEPER, ONE PERSON and PLAYBOOK FOR CHANGE, plus the introductions of TOWNS WITH A PURPOSE, as well as BUSINESS MODELS and BUSINESS IDEAS.

As mentioned above, I frequently find myself questioning which schedule I should adopt. Part of me is terribly impatient to finally get the final chapters online. Another part cautions me that over Christmas people might be too busy for a challenge like that. Yet another thought keeps reminding me that there is little use in starting before I’m certain that I have all the material I want. To which another thought says: dear, you could be working another year on this and still find something to add, but this needs to be out there, even if it still has some imperfections, even if not all additional material makes it into the FINALE. I sigh.

I think, one way or another I will be online again around mid-November. At the very least with the updates for the existing books (they have new covers) plus uploads to make them available on more platforms, and with offers of some of my photo prints on etsy, with the re-publication of the previous book 4, building, part 1, chapters up until day 9, and the audiobook of THE END OF ALL WARS. If I stick to this plan, then all of this will take me right to Christmas. And I’m thinking, I might do a CHRISTMAS SPECIALS TOUR, just to cheer me up and as a test run for the OPENING TOUR.

Anyway, the more I worry about when to do what, the less I focus on completing these amazing final chapters. So, I’ll leave it at that. I’d be pleased to hear from you with any question or comment, though it might take a while before I read it and reply.

If you’d like to get involved or if you’d like to support me, please, get in touch: contact@easy-town.org or visit https://www.charlie-alice-raya-photography.com/support-the-easy-town-projects/ where you can find details on how to support me and my work.

PS: The easy town books got new book covers. Not all pages are updated yet. I’ll probably add updates around mid November.

Take care!

Charlie Alice Raya, 16 October 2026

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book 2,
travelling

and we (still) need to talk about sex

by Charlie Alice Raya

Travelling around the world, Alice and her team build an international network for the Easy Town Project.

Travelling with them are the past, personal demons and unwittingly the issue of sex.

About the author

Someone once said to me that she had never met a person who encompassed so many contradictions. I think the remark was partly about me being very strong and occasionally disappointing her because I am also a human who carries quite a few scares.

I like the thought of contradictions, of acknowledging all we can be and all we are. Which reminds me of a quote from book 3/2, shaping:

‘Unfortunately,’ she added, ‘my past is quite a downer. But what helps me is to remind myself to be all I am — and nothing I am not.’
Rose smiled a little. ‘To be alive, kicking and dancing, and laughing.’

© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3, shaping

Unfortunately, I didn’t ask her what she meant. I was very young back then. Very young. That makes me chuckle. I never think in terms of getting older, but I always look back and shake my head about how terribly young I was in my twenties, thirties, forties. I felt so grown up, especially in my twenties. How little I knew. At least, I had already read Socrates, the Apology, and knew something about what I don’t know. But still, I was so young. And yet, I am not a bit old now. A bit wiser, maybe. But mostly, I am just me, age doesn’t feature. But there is a sense of extension. The child in me is wide awake and so is the adventurer, though he is ageless and yes, he is male. Then there is the wise old woman. I don’t think she has fully materialised, but her seeds are in me.

I have to laugh. The above sounds so mythic, but I’m not at all a spiritual person and I don’t believe in gods. Mind you, they might exist, but they clearly have no interest in humanity. As for the universe, I sometimes wonder whether it plays a game with me, the universe or fate – but if either do, then I’d like a word in private. I sometimes joke: if fate has anything to do with my life, then fate is a bastard.

Mind you, I am stubborn enough, and I have all those contradictions which enrich my world. I will keep going.

Maybe, I shouldn’t write these texts in the evenings, I can never get quite serious at this time of the night.

You see, I have a playful, life-loving soul, a curious, rarely resting mind and a body that says I’ve been sitting too long, today.

And then there is my dedication to explore how we can do better, for ourselves, for our fellow humans and for our planet.

You can find out more about me here about the author page >

Have a great evening, morning, day, wherever you are.

Charlie Alice Raya, 24 March 2025

More news

including from the other Charlie Alice Raya projects

Overviews

The easy town story is the source of many ideas, projects, questions, thoughts and by now there are 14 websites for the various ideas online, there is more in planning and still more, waiting to be considered.

I built the Charlie Alice Raya website as the hub for all ideas, books, offers, challenges and more: charlie-alice-raya.org

There you can also find an overview of all 14 websites.

Which isn’t to say that there are good reasons to stay on this website where you can dive into the easy town books and find a lot of background information, plus some of my photographic work.

universe

When I returned to work in autumn 2024 after a long period of recovery, I brought some new projects and books. The end of all wars is one of those, and the first book of that series was published on September 2024.

Find out more on the website the-end-of-all-wars.net

breastless

breastless is another new project and deals with overwork, cancer, gender and other trifles.

Find out more on the website: breastless.net