A Major Award!

January 27, 2014

Dear Writers,

Who hasn’t seen A Christmas Story, and who can forget Darren McGavin’s glee over receiving a “Major Award”?

It’s my turn to be gleeful, having been nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award. It’s really wonderful and encouraging to receive an atta girl from a fellow blogger. My sincere thanks to Anne at TalesAlongTheWay for this nomination.

She has a popular blog, so you may already have checked it out. She often writes about her fascination with and love of India. Some of my favorite posts by Anne include November 22, 1963 Dallas, Texas; A Garden?; and India’s Got Talent “Akshat, 8 Year Old Dancer.”

If you are major award savvy, you know it’s time to answer the Seven Things About Myself question.

1. There were four deer right outside my back fence this morning, which sent my dog into such a tizzy she didn’t want to take her morning walk. After some debating, she went with me to the edge of the cul de sac but then ran back home to make sure the deer hadn’t further invaded her territory.

2. I’m newly 50 and reserve the right to wear purple, snort when I laugh, and call people under the age of 30 “honey.” A really cool birthday present in October was learning that my story “Darrell, In Milwaukee” would be published in the December 2013 issue of Clover: A Literary Rag. On February 16, I’ll join other Clover authors in a reading at Village Books. If you want to submit to Clover and see your work between its gorgeous letterpress covers, the next reading period starts in February.

3. I’ve recently developed a fascination with Swedish television. You can read more on my love of scantily dressed actors over at the Dogpatch: O Magnus, Where Are Thou Clothes?

4. I’m also not so secretly addicted to The Bachelor and variations of, to the point that I watched the U.K. version on my phone at 5 a.m. Saturday morning. Great way to start the morning!

5. I changed my sheets this morning AND swept the floor.

6. After a decade of drinking tea only, I recently fell off the wagon and have been sneaking cups of sinfully delicious strong, black coffee. I won’t say it’s better than sex, but it’s right up there. The only downside is that I haven’t fully admitted my failure, so I haven’t bought a coffeemaker, which means I pay $2 a cup at the local market. I may have to get a second job to pay for my coffee, but it will be worth it.

7. I have an awesome family and awesome friends!

Here’s my nominees for the Versatile Blogger Award:

Café Casey – a marvelous blog that explores topics ranging from I’m About to Fail Kindergarten and What Do Vegetarian (Freaks) Eat for Thanksgiving.

Cecile’s Writers – a fantastic group blog by some talented writers in The Hague who also publish a digital lit mag featuring the work of intercultural authors.

Daily Haiku by Haiku Andy – a great blog to check out for your daily snippet of poetry. Haiku writing takes amazing discipline and Andy is great at it.

Toemail – a blog that features the adventures of TOES! It will make you smile everyday.

Rumpydog – this is the bestest blog. Besides featuring pictures of amazing dogs, it covers topics of importance to four-legged creatures and their human companions. I love Rumpydog!

The Top 10 of Anything and Everything!!! – Russell Deasley’s blog is super fun to check out. It has pics and wit about the top 10 of whatever he or his guests decide are worthy to make the list, and you can also see Russell’s tips for bloggers.

The Green-Walled Tower – I like this blog for its daily dose of dark, funny fiction by David Stewart. For all you Tolkien lovers out there, check out the Tower.

Coco J. Ginger Says – You’ll find amazing images on this blog paired with short, snappy sayings that are sometimes funny and often thoughtful. I’m always drawn to this blog because I can read it in two seconds and feel like I read something worthwhile.

Writing Between the Lines – This is often the first blog of the day I look at. I love Naomi Baltuck’s photo art and the heartfelt stories of places and people she weaves around the photos. Sometimes the photos are variations on a theme, which are some of my favorites, like Sunday Post: Doors and Birds of a Feather.

A Wilderness of Words – Another favorite of mine and a blog I like to wander around in and get lost. The book cover on this post drew me in: Kill the Indian, and save the man.

heylookawriterfellow – This blog by Mike Allegra is regularly smart and hilarious. It’s the blog I often head to when I need to get a lot done but would rather just go read something entertaining and maybe there will be something about zombies now and then.

Jilanne Hoffmann – I’ve reblogged a few of Jill’s posts and always find them well crafted and relevant. She’s got her finger on the pulse of the San Francisco writing scene and doesn’t mind taking a risk now and then in her blogging or her writing. She also challenges writers to think about their craft and what they read. Check out What Does Literature Do to You? and Poetry and Death.

Here are the guidelines for the Versatile Blogger Award:

• Thank the person who gave you this award.
• Include a link to their blog.
• Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.
• Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award — include a link to this site.
• Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

XO Laurel Leigh

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WRITER’s WORKSHOP: P.S. Starting Thursday, February 6, I’ll again be teaching the Writer’s Workshop class at WCC. Our focus this time will be on looking at the architecture of a piece of writing as a way into discerning how to best revise and maximize its potential. Another way to think about it is figuring out how to catch and ride the wave of your story. This class isn’t genre-based, so short story writers, novelists, essayists, and memoirists are welcome. In the past, I’ve had poets in the class, too, and if that is the case I’ll be interested in seeing a sampling of work that is potentially linked or appropriate for a chapbook. Please get in touch if you have questions about the class.

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• Photo credits: Lamp Leg Major Award: Notes From a Cottage Industry.
• “Naked Man on the Road to Athens” from Adam Laurel’s blogspot.