Let’s revisit the age-old practice of a Shout Out. Remember? Remember always making sure we supported our Internet friends and colleagues? Why yes, I do get nostalgic for the halcyon days of blogging, back when we were all journaling in public and the twin towers of monetization and ego production hadn’t yet cast their long shadows.
(I hasten to add, as I have said before, I actually enjoy the monetized blogs/influencers I follow, Une Femme, Emily Henderson, Northern California Style, Carmeon Hamilton, etc. The weight of industry has not distorted their aesthetic or voice one whit. And I use monetized links myself, sometimes, as the service I belong to has a great search engine. But we all know a presence for whom it went terribly wrong.)
In any case, caveats aside, this morning I am recommending the work of a few women I like and admire enormously.
Goods
Let’s go back all the way to the 2010s;). Remember Patsy Kane? She has stuck by the nautical, while broadening her jewelry line. There’s something about a latitude and longitude that for me encapsulates our attempt to situate in an unknowable universe. Or else just a cool bracelet for a cocktail party, worn with default black trousers and top.
Books
And books. First up, Marchelle Farrell’s book, Uprooting, will be released in August. I know many of you follow her at Afroliage, on Instagram, and are therefore familiar with her lush/crisp, romantic/analytic writings. Her book delves into and examines with one lens her garden, her personal history, and some of what transpired in British/Caribbean history. Available for pre-order; I would not let 2023 go by without reading it.
Next, two, count them, two of my dear fiction-writing critique partners will be publishing novels this year.
Naomi Shippen will release her debut; Far From Harm. For lovers of suspense and domestic noir, with the additional interest of a setting in the High Country of Victoria, Australia. A woman must recognize the evil in the plans of her new husband, or risk her life and that of the baby she so desperately wants. Naomi is the absolute queen of ostensibly personable, creepy, criminal male characters.
Kerry Chaput will release two, count them, two novels this year. Both available for pre-order now. Chasing Eleanor is the story of her heart, for lovers of historical fiction about found families. A Depression-era orphan finds her chosen family via the words, spirit and finally the actual presence of Eleanor Roosevelt. Daughter of the Shadows is the sequel to Kerry’s very successful first book of the three-part Defying the Crown series, Daughter of the King. For lovers of historical action-adventure fiction, especially if the action and adventure are led by a woman, through the streets and tunnels of 17th century Paris. Kerry’s heroines are impossible not to love, and her stories will make even the most blasé hearts beat faster.
Arts
Kathy Leeds, a friend featured here before, is investigating ceramics. Her large, organic tulipières have already developed a fan club. (I own, and love, one of her paintings.)
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Lis Addison is a friend from high school, who as she says, makes music for the voice, body, and higher self. You can listen here, on Spotify. Or follow her on Instagram when you need to reverberate.
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Websites
I couldn’t finish this old school shout-out without acknowledging Mighty Minnow, the designers/builders of my new website. I worked with Kristin Long, the company’s founder, in a custom process, and as a result got something better than I’d even imagined. Highly, highly recommend.
For that matter, I can’t conclude without thanking all of you. If anyone would like, BTW, to shout out themselves or someone else, the floor, as we say, is yours.
Have a wonderful weekend.
17 Responses
Thanks for the shout out, Lisa! It was really fun working with you on this project. And in the process I became an avid fan and reader. :-)
Kristin, that’s so nice! And unexpected! It was really fun to work with you. Thank you again:).
I very much admire the work you did for Lisa. It’s elegant, with an interesting use of positive and negative space, and beautiful, atypical font choices.
Aw, the old days of yore. Or is that an oxymoron? Anyway, loved the shoutout and loved the old days. Loved you in stylish clothes. Loved your blogs about the privilege life. I mean that’s the way it got started. Fun and illuminating to read.
Sandra, you’re another of the original crew who has gone on to monetize, or at least become famous, without any risk of losing authenticity. Kudos upon kudos to you. And I will try to post more outfits. After all, everyone’s already seen my sweatshirt collection;)
I would have loved this post, even if I wasn’t in it, but of course, I do appreciate having a shout out!
I’m always appreciative of a monetized link, because if I follow someone, I like their style….so therefore I do sometimes use the link for a purchase and it makes me happy knowing some of my money will go to an influencer who works hard.
All great referrals here, and I can’t wait to read Far From Harm ~ favorite genre.
And a big shoutout to you Lisa, who has always lifted up other women, and for your continued generosity. XO
Kathy, my pleasure!!! I love having followed your path from abstract, back to figurative, and now to ceramics. I learn a lot about how an artist’s mind work. I agree, following someone’s monetized links is a really great way to appreciate their work.
Adding my admiration to Lisa’s. I feel fortunate to own one of your drawings, because it’s beautiful, soothing, and by a person I know to be a lovely soul. You’re a talented artist who keeps surprising me with your new directions. I look forward to your posts.
This is a lovely post. Thank you for it.
Remember Twitter Follow Fridays, back in 2009/10/11, when we’d write about the people whose posts we loved? That was a precursor to this, and I think it’s a powerful way to, as Kathy Leeds wrote above, lift up others. I appreciate your recommendations, and I’ll investigate those I’m not already familiar with. The Patsy Kane bracelet is beautiful; I adore your elegant new website, and appreciate knowing about Mighty Minnow (love their logotype)/Kristin Long; and I add my own emphatic enthusiasm for the work of the multi-talented Kathy Leeds. Witnessing Kathy move from one medium to the next in a way that reveals the richness added by the previous work explored is really stunning. I own one of Kathy’s pieces from the period when she was doing large flower drawings. It’s a cherished piece in my bedroom that calms me each time I look at it. And? Kathy’s latest work with tulipieres reveals her extraordinary gifts for flower arranging. Combine all that with Kathy’s supportive and modest personality, and it’s a real pleasure to watch her work becoming increasingly well-received.
Thanks so much for the shout-out, Lisa! I remain indebted to those early years of blogging for some of the wonderful friendships made, yours especially!
Your new site design is lovely!
My pleasure! Long may the friendship persist:)
I love the layout of your new website Lisa, elegant and simple. And best of all, no ads popping up, a pet peeve of mine. It is restful and a pleasure to read along. Thank you for the introductions in your post, lots of new faces which I love. I look forward to reading UPROOTED….my kind of story! :))
Jeanne, hello! So nice to see you here. I think you will adore Uprooting. A lot of points of confluence. Very glad you like the new blog design.
I do love the layout. However, being up in years, my vision is not what it was. The light grey typeface on a white background is difficult to read comfortably. Other than that, it’s a lovely website.
Allison, I’m very sorry. You’re the second person to say this. Technically we have enough contrast, as per Internet rules. But maybe I can either darken the type or lighten the page, a tad.
Thank you so so much, Lisa! You are endlessly generous.
My pleasure!
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