It's been an amazing year on Open Salon. One would be hard pressed to find a subject that has not been given thoughtful analysis and inspired passionate opinions in the past year.
Choosing just ten of my very favorite posts has been a challenge to say the least. I have limited myself to posts that did not receive Editor's Picks and those that I remembered clearly and fondly from the past year. Each and every one of them is dear to my heart and made me want to be a better writer.
This list could number in the hundreds if I let myself get carried away, so I've limited it to my personal favorite top 10 posts of 2009. I hope you'll see some things that you haven't before and revisit those that you love as well.
In no particular order....
bbd - Get Closer
bbd is not at a loss for Editor's Picks. Much like me, he is the recipient of an embarrassment of riches in that department. However, my favorite post of his this year didn't make the cut. This is a tutorial about taking better close up portraits of people. My camera fits in the zipper pocket of my purse and I still cut the heads off of people, but bbd's generosity of spirit, talent, unending patience and kindness makes me want to try a little harder and take a step closer to people, even when I'm not taking photos.
fingerlakeswanderer - Tell Me: When Will Women Matter?
FLW is the finest feminist writer on Open Salon. She completely gets the idea that human rights include everyone. Her message is always positive, without the broad-based man bashing that often goes on in feminist blogs. She has empathy and compassion for every single human being on this planet and fights for clear-headed common sense in dealing with the world around us. She's all about actions that lift women up without demonizing men as a whole. She has a beautiful soul and if everyone was like her, we'd have world peace.
Duaneart - Lori's Big Heart - A Fable
Fiction is scandalously ignored here at Open Salon - both as Editor's Picks and in readership. Each of Duaneart's pieces are excellently crafted and never disappoint. As writers, most of us try to touch people's hearts, teach them something or make the world a better place - even in a small way. Duane's fable about a girl who gives away pieces of her heart until she has nothing left is one of the most intimate, moving and beautiful blogs of 2009. Duane is a master of blending imagery with words and feelings. This one inspired the ugly cry, which looks a lot like the ugly laugh.
Gary Justis - Impressions of Things
Speaking of images... Gary Justis is one of the most talented artists on Open Salon. His original artwork is beyond beautiful and never fails to make me think and feel differently about his subject matter. This post shows the impressions that common objects leave behind and makes me wonder about what sort of impression I'd like to leave when I roll away with an antique clickity-clack.
Chuck A. Stenson - Remembering on this Veteran's Day
Chuck is one of the finest poets on Open Salon. Poetry tends not to get much play here, but Chuck's stuff is just too good to pass up. This particular poem is accompanied by a visual timeline of American wars. The steady march to the present day is heartbreaking and begs for an end to senseless conflict. I could have chosen so many of Chuck's poems, but this one really stuck with me.
Rob St. Amant - I Am Not God
Rob is a teacher above all else. His blogs about the mysterious realm of science have taught me more than any class I ever attended. Rob's talent for relating how the universe works to how human beings interact with it comes to a hilarious summit with this blog about why he is not God and suggestions about who could be. Pastafarians unite!
Lonnie Lazar - I Cannot Tell a Lie: My Picnic with the King
The great thing about Open Salon is that we are self-entertaining. Open calls often manifest because of the curiosity of individuals rather than editorial suggestion. OESheepdog sent the call out far and wide for everyone to share two truths and one lie, to be revealed when we were darn good and ready. Lonnie's contribution included consuming lunch on the freshly-deceased Elvis' grave. The true story is moving, funny and brilliant.
Verbal Remedy - Bless me, Father, For I Have Sinned
Verbal's acerbic wit serves her well in this intimate and frank conversation with what may or may not be God about the 10 Commandments.
"I'm just saying, LordYourGod. If you want to score some followers, swaggering into the room and commanding people to worship you just isn't the way I'd play it. Sheesh, you know. Loosen 'em up a bit first. Try some flowers. Buy 'em a drink. Ask 'em to dance. Tell 'em they're pretty."
If the Verbal's take on religion is wrong, I don't want to be right.
Will Someone Feed the Cat - The Trouble with Poor People
If Open Salon took a vote for the most influential blogger of 2009, WSFTC would win hands-down. Her Friday "Tiara Picks" are consistently opening our eyes to content we've missed and new writers that have the freshest voices on OS. But, even beyond her editorial eye for excellence, she is a magnificent writer as well.
This particular blog details the financial woes of "Esther" - a not-so-poor acquaintance that never seems to be satisfied with the charity thrown her way. It's a common story in these hard financial times of people with very little money trying to help others who have problems that can't be fixed with a hand-out. It's timely, painful and brutally truthful.
Floyd Elliot - On Being a Grammar Douche
I may have said that this list is in no particular order, but I have saved my absolute favorite for last. Floyd's love letter to the intricacies of the English language reduced me to an instant puddle of fangirl goo. He has captured the spirit of "playing" with language by knowing it deeply, lovingly caressing it and then smacking it playfully on the rump to spice things up. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamt of semicolons.
So, those are my picks for the best blogs of 2009. Within these blogs are love, war, pain, happiness, religion and humanity. They are the embodiment of how we thought, felt and acted in 2009. They are what made me want to write better, act better, love better and live better than I did in 2008.
I am honored to know a few of these people as friends. I haven't chosen their blogs because they are my friends, though. I became friends with them because they are outstanding writers and artists. Some I know very well and others I'm just beginning to discover through their work.
I am acutely aware that I view Open Salon from a position of privilege, not because I get recognized for my writing, but because I am surrounded by the outstanding artists, writers, thinkers and teachers that make this place the most creative website I have ever seen.
Happy New Year, Open Salon.
Be excellent to each other.
Party on.
Now, get busy on 2010.
This post is dedicated to Josie Ortez (DakiniDancer), a dear member of our OpenFamily who danced away on May 20, 2009.
Her grace, humor and kindness remain.
Images:
Demand Justice from Obama: foundshit.com
All other images used with the permission of the respective authors
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Ryan Soberg
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Comments
I love that you dedicated this to Josie. I love that Joan has her as her front Favorite. I wonder if those of us who love her and miss her would consider "unfavoriting" her and re-favoriting her just to put her front and center for a while in a community remembrance. Thank you so much for reminding us of her spirit and passion.
I'll be looking forward to 2010 with fresh eyes and ears. You just never know who will surprise you next with a top ten post for next year. Thanks for the insight and a great upcoming year for you and your family!
Thank you for including my post in your list, Jodi. You're very kind.
And Steve, you're right: I do deserve more attention, which is why from now on I'm going to be wearing a clown nose in all my posts. Or possibly a flounder.
Off to have coffee and read the rest of these posts. Thanks too for highlighting them.
I'm glad to see some of my featured bloggers have seen this - I thought it would be shamelessly disgusting to plug the post to them. You can always count on me not to fill your inbox with beggary (buggary, yes... beggary... no).
I wish I could have done this by choosing a favorite post from every active blogger, but then I wouldn't have been able to read all weekend and plot the creation of homemade Peppermint Patties. Life is all about trade-offs.
Thanks for reading this. Because I've been actually working this year I've spent most of it madly running from restaurant to restaurant praying I don't die of cholera. This means I don't have time to devote to the care and feeding of this place in the way I used to. Unfortunately, that means that sometimes it looks like I don't give back nearly as much as I receive from OS. This post is my tiny way to remedy that.
Much love everyone.
Cross your fingers - I'm headed back out to The Getting Place!
Also, "Sound if you speak Latin?" Ah: "Honk." "Honk if you speak Latin." Soooooooonnnnnnaaaaaa! Except for how I only read it, and then with the aid of a dictionary, and not so much any more.
Thank you. I am overwhelmed. I too love that you dedicated this post to Josie. Her spirit is always here within our community, OS.
I'm glad no one has egged my blog for yelping about them yet. Thanks for that!
Oh, and honk at bobbot and tell him you're happy to see him. I am always happy to see him. bob is the shiznit.
Of course, Floyd got it too. I still haven't found Guinness Bull's Eye BBQ sauce again, but we're on the way back to summer, so maybe I'll find it again in Michigan and bring a case back with me.
Maybe I'll stop in Chicago and lick Floyd's doorstep then walk away.
Off to the quilting store.
(Don't judge me, Ann!)
The big red reindeer runny nose mat help.
The shiny booze-ears need flea-bite marks.
You have to yodel `Pandemic coming on too.
Thank you for choosing my piece. I felt good about that as your choice because it was a blog that kind of evolved on its own in a strange way. I was noticing images that had a similarity and power..It seemed to all fall together. I'm so happy it can be re-visited..
I'm touched by your dedicaton to Josie..we all miss her so much...
Jodi, its truly an honor to be included with the folks whose work you have selected. They are all wonderful, and creative, positive artists in this community..many of us have grown tremendoulsy from their work.
Thank you also for your prodigious and masterful writing on this great forum. I feel many of us have become better writers because of your example...I am certain I have..
Gary - I love the stuff that makes me think about something beyond what's for dinner and how we're all screwed. You're a good dude, too.
I'm glad some of you are finding pieces you haven't seen before! I'm groovin' on the warm fuzzies here, too. Everyone likes to feel appreciated! Thank you!
Cindy, I was unaware that anyone else had passed away this year, though I'm sure with 100,000+ members, we're bound to have it happen. My purpose in mentioning Josie (and following Barry's suggestion) is with the intention of helping folks who may not have seen her work to find it. Thanks for the link!
Everyone can find Cindy's Top 10 here.
Thanks again everyone!
This is why Barry and I did these this morning. I thought it would be best to highlight non-EPed posts as a way to say thank you to the site at large.
Thanks for your kind words.
Thanks for including me on this list. I'm honored to be among such great writers. I won't even attempt to put together such a list. The number of blog posts that have changed me this year is enormous. Just know, all of you, that being part of this community has changed who I am.
Thanks, Jodi. And Happy 2010. Oh, and Jodi? You rock.
We weren't told to keep anything secret and we weren't told that other people were doing it. Barry and I just knew because we do talk to each other.
I posted openly the reason for my list in my comments, not knowing that it was supposedly secret. That wasn't in the message I got, so I suppose it's a good thing that I have two feet to stick in my mouth. We were not told to do non-EP posts, just to pick our favorites. I thought it would be nice to do non-EPs, so that's what I did.
I purposely made my post positive and talked about the community being uplifting. It's not a secret plot to make people feel bad, it's just something that I was asked to do that I thought would be nice for the end of the year. I participated with the best of intentions and I hope that no feelings are hurt on my account.
I hope everyone will be patient with the new editor. She probably thought this would be fun, not cause a problem. I didn't mention it in the original post because I didn't know how many people would be doing it and I didn't want to give away what she planned to do.
No surprises there. I'll be avoiding the cover that day, as I do most days.
I approached this post with a high degree of Kastenation - and you did not disappoint.
Happy happy Merry merry.
I never saw that Justis image. I love that one. It may be one of my favorites.
I LOVED bbd's lessons in photography. I remember that one. I hope he does some more. Practical lessons in photography that aren't too difficult to understand. Love it. I like it when we get all practical-like and teach!
Will check out the other.
Thanks, Jodi!