Why Blog? Writers's Blogs I've Been Reading this Month

One of my favorite bloggers, poet and visual artist Christine Boyka Kluge, has a fascinating post about blogging. I too have often questioned, why am I doing this? It's such a new form that there are few examples (though more each day) of truly outstanding blogs. Whom to emulate? There are a million different ways to go about this and there are plenty of bad blogs, certainly. For a recent writers conference, I managed to cobble together a list of some best (& worst) practices for writers's blogs. Here are some of the several writers blogs I've been reading of late:
--->Christine Boyka Kluge
Unexpected beauty.
--->E. Ethelbert Miller's E-Notes
A poet's take. Casual. Eclectic.
--->Leslie Pietrzyk's Work in Progress
Newsy, friendly, thoughtful blog by an accomplished and hard-working literary novelist.
--->David Lida's Mostly Mexico City
Nobody covers the world's wackiest megalopolis as originally as David Lida.
--->James Howard Kunstler's Clusterfuck Nation
The weekly dose of doom and gloom but oftentimes funny, in an evil sort of way. (Maybe I just have a peculiar sense of humor.)
--->Tom Christensen's Right-Reading
The uber-cool renaissance font guy.

And here's a writer I wish would blog: Hattie Ellis.

Madam Mayo's Top 10 Writers's Blogs

Coming up Feb 9th: the Washington Independent Writers (WIW) All-Day Fiction Seminar at American University, Washington DC, for which I'm chairing the panel on writers blogs. So, what makes for a good writer's blog? I'm working on a list; meanwhile, here is a list of 10 that, though not necessarily my personal favorites, are outstanding examples of the genre.

#1. Design expert and author Edward Tufte's Ask E.T.
He calls it a moderated forum. Yeah, I'm calling the page a blog because I want to.

#2. Novelist and journalist James Howard Kunstler's Clusterfuck Nation
Once a week, a zippy op-ed style essay.

#3. Novelist and creative writing teacher Leslie Pietrzyk's Work-in-Progress
Highly focused and meaty with helpful information. Frequently updated and features many guest-bloggers.

#4. Poet and literary magazine editor Deborah Ager's 32 Poems
Wide-ranging, quirky, frequently updated. Big on Web 2.0 tools.

#5. Childrens writer Erica Perl's Pajamazon
Childrens' book recommendations (and a bit more). Part of Offsprung news.

#6. Travel writer Rolf Potts' Vagabonding
Fun, daily updates, multiple bloggers working for him.

#7. Professor of History, Middle East expert and author Juan Cole's Informed Comment
One of the go-to places for news about Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Updated daily with multiple links and commentary. (Boy howdy does he sell ads!)

#8. Novelist Laila Lailami's Moorish Girl
She's been around almost from the time blogging began.

#9. Editor, graphic designer, translator and writer Tom Christensen's Right-reading
Eclectic quality links, and he encourages both mail and comments.

#10. A cabal of crime novelists's Naked Authors
Regular posting by Paul Levin, Patricia Smiley, James O. Born, Jacqueline Winspear, and Cornelia Read.

------>Is there a writer's blog you think I should know about?

More anon. And meanwhile, click here for the Gone to the Litblogs archive.

New on Madam Mayo's Blogroll

Jim Kunstler, Prophet of Doom. P.S. Quick, buy a twike.