read local. its good for your head

sometimes, when i'm not writing, i'm reading things that friends and strangers write. i generally find it easier to trust writers that i know, and they usually like to have people take a look at their stuff and comment on it. besides, if you read local, you'll get to know your readers better. its a win-win, amigos!

with that in mind, i would like to introduce y'all (pronounced "you guys") to some incredible and fascinating bloggers that i know. be a dear and check out the list below. i don't always agree with, but pretty consistently appreciate the writers listed below, and i hope you will too.

the unfinished blog
featured on this half-baked, undone and in-process weblog is a conglomeration of original poetry, visual art, random insights and pictures of the number forty-seven. 23-year-old andrew assumes the role of artist, writer and photographer while intermittently sounding off on subjects like programming, greek and the importance of not wearing shoes. classy and strange.

the salty flashlight
"i'm just traveling through," nathan asserts on the 'about me' section of the salty flashlight. he pauses to leave bite-sized offerings of encouragement and insight from a biblical perspective. he and his collaborators never cease to make me think, long after i've finished their posts.

micah onfire
brother micah's relatively new venture into blogging has been very intriguing thus far. his posts deal with the events of his day-to-day, like a trip to portland a worship night with family and friends, in the context of his relationship with God. what i like most about micah onfire is that its raw and unassuming, a simple blog for the everyday reader.

aublog
aubrianne's blog features a smatterish of scatterish posts that are both entertaining and lengthly. she thinks deeply into each subject and idea, digging the muck, the filth and the buried treasure up for readers to see. aubrianne's an honest abe with a nervous tick for blogging; she's down in it for the world to see, and some great writing results.

borrowing poetry
writers who lend words to melody, the creator and maintainer of the borrowing poetry blog, include gerard manly hopkins, mary oliver and shel silverstein. more importantly, however, her blog features page after page of some of the most beautifully engaging poetry that i've ever encountered. and speaking of, this poem is absolutely phenomenal.

well, i hope you check out a few of these fine writers (artists) when you get a chance. reading them, i think you'll find that noncompetitive expression is often more strikingly beautiful than the commercialized and edited fare of the papers, mags and news sites. i am blessed to be in the company of such incredible instigators of literature, and now (hopefully) you are too.

as ever,

joel

this unrelated photo was taken by andrew and edited by him on gimp