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May 09, 2006
Shout-Outs
Isn't the term "shout-out" so 2000? Why am I using it? (Especially given that I am 37 and not 19? Then again, if I were 19 I would probably know the more current term for publicly recognizing those deemed worthy of recognition.) Anyway, three lovely ladies of the blogosphere have been inspiring me of late, and I wanted to point you their way. Sometimes it's their subject choice; others it's the skill with which they've crafted the stories they've chosen to tell; still other times it's just respect for pure writing talent when I see it. While I've been wasting time crabbily grousing about Barry Bonds, each of them have been particularly worthy reading of late.
"Jane" over at Three New York Women has been on a roll lately. Her post on her relationship with her sister -- both as a young girl and now as an adult as her sister has come out -- was touching, human, and was crafted beautifully, arced around the plot point of taking her sister out to her first gay bar during a visit to Manhattan shortly after coming out (or, not coming out, exactly, but her realization that she was "just a heterosexual woman who has discovered I could also be attracted to lesbians. So I'm just exploring the idea now that my flirting and dating could be open to both men and lesbians."). It's a wonderful post. She followed it up with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek post about the challenges and emotional swings that come with being thirtysomething and being the last single holdout among a group of friends -- and then trading them in for a new set of single friends and watching them pair up and breed too. She's witty, she's poignant, and she's a hell of a writer. Jane, you're on a roll this week - nicely done!
"Liz" over at The Brain Dump visited my blog for the first time this week... and when I clicked over to check out her blog, I was taken by some highly personal, yet compelling and powerful posts. Her post entitled "O-R-E-O," specifically, though it's a couple of weeks old now, provided me with perspective on a life experience that I would never have -- being a black person growing up primarily among white people, then getting into high school and college and finding herself called "not black enough" by the black communities there, and her adjustment/coming to terms with this dynamic. Among the best things about blogging is the opportunity to read perspectives that you would otherwise never experience; Liz provides this articulately and entertainingly. Well done, Liz - and thanks for dropping by my corner of the blog world.
And last but not least... long-time friend of this blog and Curmudgeon favorite, Jill over at JillWrites, has been busy making me laugh. Playwright, poet, and all-around muse, Jill's been populating her blog this week with a few characters from plays she's in the middle of writing -- those characters just didn't feel like waiting for the play to be finished before speaking up. She's also done a very nice post on the relationships we bloggers end up having with our readers, the members of our communities whom we've never met yet have still become close to. Jill, my muse and comment banterer, I've been enjoying your stuff this week, even more than usual. (We still need to discuss my prize for being first to figure out Anais Nin, too.) :-)
Ladies... well done this week. Thanks for writing. And for everyone in my community, if you haven't clicked over to any of these three blogs yet, this'd be the week to do it. They're kicking out good stuff these days.
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Comments
Oh, I am mighty flattered by your kind words. I don't believe I've ever been called a muse before, so now I will blush. Aw, shucks.
Yes, I told you, you get a book of my choice. I haven't yet decided on the book, though. I might have to interview you and then make my decision. We can discuss.
Posted by: Jill at May 10, 2006 12:50 AM
Hey there Mister!
Wow. Thank you. And i must agree with your props to Liz and Jill. Liz has also been illuminating my world lately. She has a way of writing about everyday things with a unique perspective. Her O-R-E-O post was incredible and I equally shout her out from my own blog.
Being mentioned amongst the company of such great bloggers reminds me of how much they inspire my own writing.
So thanks for the inspiration Curmudgeon and double thanks for the shout out!!
Posted by: Sober In The City at May 10, 2006 10:50 AM
Aww Curmudgeon, thank you! I too am a fan of Jane's blog and read it religiously. Through our blogs, "Jane" and I have come to the realization that we are the same person. The similarities are eerie. My favorite post from her remains "The Experiment." Poignant, insightful, and downright hilarious, it's everything a good blog should be.
Since you have such great taste in blogs, I will definitely heed your reco and head right over to Jill's blog.
Once again, thank you for the shout out. It's more appreciated than you know.
Posted by: Liz at May 10, 2006 12:21 PM
I must say, you have excellent taste. I'm already a big fan of two of these ladies, and am anxious now to go visit the third.
Posted by: Jennifer at May 10, 2006 01:30 PM
Ladies, it's my honor. Thank you all for inspiring me, and for making me want to be a better writer.
Posted by: Curmudgeon at May 11, 2006 07:26 AM
