Saturday, November 05, 2011

SWG Coffee Social: An Introduction

For the past several months I have spent every Saturday participating in The Lady Blogger Society Social Tea Party. The tea party was a blog hop designed to gain exposure for your blog and to meet other bloggers. I enjoyed this particular blog hop because it was professional, took place on Saturdays (I work during the week), and didn’t require that I answer questions or create a blog post.

Now that The Lady Blogger Society has new owners who, for the time being, have decided not to continue the tea party. Saturdays are no longer the same and I have been struggling with how to fill this void. I have come up with the:

SWG Coffee Social

I realized what I missed most about the tea party was meeting all the great bloggers. The SWG Coffee Social isn’t going to be a blog hop or a meme, I am going to use these Saturday posts to introduce some of my favorite bloggers and hope that in return you will introduce me to some of yours by providing a link in the comments.

This week I want to introduce three of my former tea party participants:

Monica of Monica's Tangled Web:
Monica is an incredible writer who keeps me enthralled with her tangled webs especially The Road Not Taken - A Book In Progress. Monica and I are similar in that we are close in age, book lovers and dog owners. She is creative so be prepared to be inspired and entertained.

Bella of One Sister's Rant:
For Bella, blogging is her humble attempt to find answers to life’s confusing, irritating, frustrating and what she is convinced, are rhetorical questions. If that isn’t enough to entice you to stop in, she is also quite funny check out her post The Return Of The Speedo?  She has a partner in crime - her dog named Roxy Lee.

I also want to point out a blogger who was inspired into action by the documentary Miss Representation:
Heidi Rettig in her post Miss Representation Documentary: How Women are Portrayed in the Media tells us how she now responds to tweets that under represent women:
Each one I see I re-tweet and then respond to the author asking them if they have seen the film and suggesting a more gender neutral headline that is respectful to the accomplishments of the person in focus – woman or man.

As theatre people, writers, artists, filmmakers, it is within our control to influence how others see and understand women’s roles in society. What conversations have you had about this issue when making your own work?
Thanks for taking action Heidi.

Now I am going to sit back drink my coffee and read all the great blog posts built up in my reader.  Don't forget to let me know what blogs you are reading today...

8 comments:

  1. I am with you - I miss the Tea Parties - it was typically the only hop I participated in.

    I have a few favorites of my own - I enjoy From Chaos Comes Happiness -the author is Leanne- and she is simply a breath of fresh air. She keeps such a light hearted spirit on her blog.

    I thought I would share just one this time!

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  2. Anonymous9:02 AM

    Thank you SO much mentioning my blog and for starting this new way to connect with other bloggers.
    We just got power back after the storm on Thursday and I've missed all of my blogggy friends!
    Looking forward to some great reading this weekend.

    Now I'm thrilled to share a blog that I LOVE reading - Adventures in Estrogen
    http://adventuresinestrogen.blogspot.com/

    Always naughty, always entertaining and always well-written.
    Enjoy!

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  3. Nicole,
    Thanks for stopping in. The tea party was the only hop I participated in as well. Also, I've been meaning to tell you how much I enjoy your "What I learned this week" posts. So insightful.

    I've checked out Leanne's blog. You can visit her here: http://www.fromchaoscomeshappiness.com/p/me.html. Her story is inspiring: she was a theatre major in college, but ends up working in healthcare to pay the bills. She was downsized in August after her company closed their office. Now she is pursuing a career in art. Will definitely follow her journey. I am also considering having her design a blog header for me. Doesn’t a new look for 2012 sound fun.

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  4. Savvy, thank you for the mention, lady! I am honored! I'm so glad you have taken the initiative to do this. I really do miss the tea party! I like your concept and I will recommend that you the check out the following blogs. They are exceptional! Once again, thank you for including me in your list, sweet lady! :) Here are my own reviews of these blogs:

    Me As A Mother-. Heidi combines her exceptional photographing skills with razor-sharp wit to deliver posts that make you feel that mother or not, you are not alone. Heidi’s most distinctive characteristic is her “realness.” No fake, plastic, sugar-coated nonsense from this sister. Her posts feature her family, her life, and her friends. However, it won’t be long before you feel like you’re reading about your own life; with its ups and downs and everything in between. A definite must read.

    http://www.measamother.com/

    Presence of Magic- Blog author Brynne wants you to believe in magic. Why? Because she feels it’s alive and all around us. Skeptics will quickly turn into believers after reading just one of Brynne’s magical posts. She will enchant you with her kindness of spirit, unique writing style, and penchant to see the good in everything and everyone. With every post, Brynne opens her heart and soul and invites you to use your imagination and believe.

    http://presenceofmagic.blogspot.com/

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  5. Anonymous3:12 PM

    Oh, Savvy, you're a doll to mention us and to find a way to keep the Tea Party alive. We can do it and we can thrive. Well, I am honored to be part of your blog today, and I'd like to recommend My Inner Chick, http://myinnerchick.com/. Nobody tells like it is better than Kim!

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  6. Saucy B,
    Adventures in Estrogen -
    always naughty, always entertaining and always well-written. Sounds like my kind of blogger. Thanks for sharing. And glad to see you survived your first snow storm.

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  7. You are welcome. I just checked out Me As A Mother and I am not kidding her photographs are the best I have ever seen on a blog. They are so striking and draw you in immediately. Now this is art.

    Brynne of Presence of Magic had me hooked with her Alice Walker video. This would be a great blog to peruse when you are looking to change perspective – which I am most of the time. I also found a list of bloggers who have helped Brynne transform Presence of Magic into something much greater than it could have ever been on its own. See her post http://presenceofmagic.blogspot.com/2011/09/presence-of-magic-awards.html. I am looking forward to checking them out as well.

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  8. Monica,
    Ah My Inner Chick, I remember Kim’s blog from the tea party. After revisiting her blog yesterday I’ve discovered another flaw of the tea party. In my mad rush to discover two NEW bloggers each week, I never took a real hard look at Kim’s blog. Kim’s sister, a victim of domestic abuse, was beautiful and so is her blog and I missed it. Thanks so much for sharing, this is an amazing discovery that I will be revisiting.

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