Throughout this year, several bloggers will engage in a conversation here and on their blogs — asking questions of each other and responding. Others are absolutely welcome to join the conversation, as well. Learn more about the ladies of Blogversation 2012.
We kicked off this online salon a few weeks back, so the Blogversationists are still getting to know each other and introducing themselves here.
To get a flavor for what each blogger does when she’s really hitting her mark, today’s question is “What is one of your favorite blog posts and why?”
I loved this post I wrote for our 10-year wedding anniversary: 10 marriage lessons learned in 10 years of marriage (and the second half of that post, which I broke up into five “I dos” and five “I don’ts”).
It was an excellent opportunity for me to reflect on what I’d learned in my first decade as a wife, and to celebrate that we still like and love each other. Though it hasn’t all been sunshine and unicorns, I’m grateful we’ve had and continue to have a good partnership. Writing about lessons learned helped me appreciate how far we’ve come as a team.
Once I shared the post, it was fun to see the comments on my blog and on Facebook — friends sharing their own lessons or thanking me for sharing. A few said things like John and I are role models for a good marriage, and I was honored to think that might be true.
As a bonus, the second half of that post features romantic advice one of the Blogversationists, Maria Stuart, gave me when I was in my early 20s. She helped me understand that romance isn’t the big showoffy display once in a while but how your partner treats you every day. That powerful distinction has stayed with me. Thanks, Maria.
What is one of your favorite blog posts and why?
Blogversation 2012: What's your favorite blog post?
5 Comments
Maria Stuart
I’ve got two blog posts that are my favorites for two very different reasons.
This one, http://open.salon.com/blog/maria_stuart/2009/04/02/life_after_newspapers, is the first I wrote. It came hot on the heels of my losing the job from which I was planning to retire. It was an important post on two fronts. It became an Editor’s Pick on Open Salon and got a lot of good reaction, which was so important to me.
For years I had my column run in a space that was my responsibility to fill. Whether that week’s effort was full of pearls or poop, the column ran. When I lost my job, I didn’t know if there would be an audience for my work. This first post proved to me that there was.
To have the very first blog I wrote chosen for a prime spot on a national blogging site was the first step toward my new writing life, a sign that it was my way with words — not guaranteed column space — that made me a writer. It was the powerful push I needed.
This other piece is kind of a funny one about living life with large breasts (http://open.salon.com/blog/maria_stuart/2009/06/25/my_breast_friends_im_sticking_with_them). It’s different from anything I had ever written at a newspaper — it’s got the word “tits” in it — and it’s also quite personal. I re-read it from time to time and smile.
P.S. Colleen, you’re welcome for the advice. I am glad for whatever small part I played in your happiness.
Eleanor
I’d have to say it was the post I did called “Meet Kevin Clash, the Man Behind Elmo.” I got the idea for the post by reading Kevin’s autobiography: “My Life as a Furry Red Monster: What Being Elmo Has Taught Me About Life, Love, and Laughing Out Loud.” I thought: Wouldn’t it be amazing to get to meet this guy? I went through a lot of channels to meet him. It took perserverance. But I did get to meet and interview him face-to-face. One of the greatest things about that chat is that Kevin directed me toward another one of my Sesame Street interviews – the one with long-time cameraman, Frank Biando. That Sesame interview led to the next one, which led to the next one. Now I have this collection of posts based on in-person chats with folks who have been part of the show for decades.
When I went to see the documentary about Kevin, I cried through a lot of it. His story is moving, plus it was so amazing to see everything I had read and written about him depicted up on the big screen.
It is consistently one of the most-read posts on my blog, which is great! But really it meant a lot to me because of the chance to get his story straight from him, and because of all the great adventures that conversation led to and will continue to lead to.
Next week, I’m going to Elmo’s birthday party!
Jennifer Worick
I’d like to say that all blog posts are like my children and shining a light on just one would be like making a cyber Sophie’s Choice.
But that’s crap.
Truth is, sometimes I have a bad writing day. The important thing was just to go through the practice of writing and posting. And sometimes I have a bad day, plain and simple, where writing is the last thing from my mind. Like, for instance, when my beloved cat Mac Daddy passed away. I was bereft. When my mom suggested I write about it, I’m ashamed to say I screamed at her over the phone, saying “The last thing I want to do is fucking write about this. My grief isn’t material!”
Of course it was. Rather, blogging about it was therapy. And my dad, a man who is as stingy with his compliments as his money, told me it was, in his opinion, the best thing I’d ever written. I cherish the fact that I got to him, and I access that well of love and grief every time I reread the post. So here it is: Mac Daddy: A Love Story: http://jenniferworick.blogspot.com/2009/01/mac-daddy-love-story.html.
Lesley Ware
Two summers ago I was in a dream happy place and wrote some of my favorite posts.
One is them was about a collection of clothing by designer May Kosaka — her line is called Mothe. I got entangled in the inspiration, the garments themselves, and the interview May and I had. I could totally envision myself wearing some of the pieces and used great description of the collection.
Another post that I wrote and love, from the same summer, was about Vogue Italia releasing a “Black Barbie Issue” celebrating 30 years of brown Barbies. When I was younger I was a Barbie fanatic, so to flip through glossy pages full of mocha-colored Barbies made me glow and want to do summersaults.
I’m refreshing my blog in February and figuring out how to always occupy the space where my writing tone dreamy and a wee whimsy. That’s where the magic happens in my writing.
Here are the links:
Mothe: http://depthoffield.typepad.com/the_creative_cookie/2010/06/mothe-fall-winter-2010.html
Barbie: http://depthoffield.typepad.com/the_creative_cookie/2010/05/the-barbie-issue.html
Jennifer, Eleanor and Colleen – I’m scooting around the internets (ha!) to read your fav pieces now…this is great Sunday morning inspiration. Now all I need is a cup of coffee!
Kim Ann Curtin
This is a post of mine from over two years ago from one of my first websites regarding how a lot of women suffer from “Wonder Woman” syndrome, including yours truly, which leads to making it nearly impossible for men to do the one thing they universally want to do: MAKE THEIR WOMAN HAPPY! That’s right ladies I said it, men really do want to make us happy. So if that’s all men want to do then isn’t it interesting that most women are not?! I believe it comes down to the simple tenants that I learned 10 years ago from Laura Doyle (www.lauradoyle.org – that’s org for orgasm Laura says!) Ladies just don’t know their own pleasure and are too busy “doing it all” that they forget to receive. Her book Things Will Get As Good As You Can Stand is a book that completely shifted my relationship to men not to mention the relationship I have with myself and my vulnerability. Here is the post: http://www.thecoachshoppe.com/soft-soft-soft.html
The reason its one of my fav posts was that I expected to have women get mad at me – and they didn’t! Plus I had men say thank you for saying what I said. I was totally blown away at what the response was. It just goes to show you that sometimes you just have to speak your mind come what may – and when what comes your way is applause – it’s all the more sweet!
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