Liebster Award

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to grapefruitviolins for nominating me for the Liebster Award. As a fairly new blogger, I had to do a bit of research after being nominated to find out what blogging awards are all about. The Liebster Award is given to new bloggers with fewer than 200 followers to show appreciation for their work and to help build their readership. Nominators of the award also give nominees a list of questions to answer as a way to get to know their fellow bloggers a little bit better, so I thought I would take the opportunity to answer these questions here:

Do you prefer typing or writing out by hand? Why? – I used to be a loyalist for handwriting even though my penmanship is rather childlike and my cursive is practically illegible. Since I started blogging, I’ve been doing more and more of my writing on the go, typing ideas for poems and posts into my phone as they come to me during the day. However, I recently started a bullet journal in an attempt to slow down and get back into handwriting again. It feels like I am making something tangible and worthwhile when I see all the scratches and notes in the margins as I edit my work.

Front page of my bullet journal with an inspirational quote loosely derived from a letter Kurt Vonnegut wrote to a group of students urging them to “practice art” and “experience becoming”

Is this your first blog? – Technically, this is my second blog. I attempted to start a travel blog just before I left for England on a study abroad semester back in college, but I only ever wrote one entry. I admire travel bloggers who find the time and put in the effort to write as they are travelling the globe. For myself, I got so immersed in my travels, making new friends and seeing new places, that I neglected my first travel blog. I am attempting to write some posts about my past travel experiences and hope to incorporate more travel posts on my current blog in the future.

Which of your blog posts are you most proud of? – So many of the poems that I have written for this blog mean a great deal to me because they are about very personal and difficult experiences in my life, but I would have to say that I am most proud of my very first post for the simple fact that it signifies the start of my blogging journey. I tend to be the type of person that has a difficult time seeing my creative goals through to the end, whether it’s writing a story or creating an art project. I have stuck with writing this blog for 8 months and counting and it feels like a massive achievement, one that I couldn’t do without the love and support I have received from family, friends, and my fellow bloggers/readers.

What is your favourite place that you have only been to once? – This is a tough question, as I love to travel and it is hard to narrow down my favorite destination. The first place that comes to mind is Quebec City. I had the chance to visit Quebec for the first time just a few months ago and it was significant for multiple reasons. For one, both of my mother’s parents can trace their ancestry back to Quebec and I grew up listening to my older relatives speak a combination of heavily accented Canadian French and English. I was lucky enough to visit the city with a large group in celebration of our friend’s birthday and that made the trip extra special. Quebec City is also incredibly welcoming to members of the LGBTQ community, so it was heartwarming to feel so at home and accepted in a new city.

What pet peeve of yours do others not share? – This is another tricky question. It’s not an altogether unique pet peeve I suppose, but I can’t stand scented air fresheners and hand soaps. I am allergic to them and they give me a headache as well, so I don’t use them and try to carry my own hand sanitizer in my purse in case I find myself in a public restroom with scented hand soap. I couldn’t help but laugh and relate when a fellow blogger, Paul at The Captain’s Speech, wrote a memorably funny post on the subject.

Which is better- a riddle or a joke? – As much as I love J.R.R Tolkien’s riddles from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I would have to say that I prefer a good joke. Even though I often write about serious subjects in my poetry, I am a sucker for a good comedy movie or stand-up special.

How would you rate your most recent camping experience out of 10? – I have actually never been camping even though I have always wanted to try it and come from the state of Maine, which is a well-known camping destination. I hope to remedy this in the upcoming year.

What is your favourite hot drink? – I love hot chai tea with coconut milk and a touch of honey for sweetness.

Have you ever been to the zoo? – I’ve been to several zoos in the US and even one in England when I was studying there.

Giraffes at Marwell Zoo in Winchester, England

Can you describe your time at school in 3 words? – Dizzying, eventful, and surreal (but who hasn’t felt that way about high school?)

How do you feel about horror films? – Horror films aren’t really my cup of tea and psychological horror films (the stories that could actually happen in real life) especially give me the creeps. Ironically though, I have always had very vivid dreams and nightmares even as a child, so my mother has often suggested that I write them down and try to become the next Stephen King (who, as it happens, is also from Maine.)

Thanks again to grapefruitviolins for nominating me and to all of my readers for supporting me on my blogging journey! Below is a list of the blogs that I have nominated for the Liebster Award and my list of questions for them. Please note that I will not be offended by those who decline or do not wish to participate in answering the questions. I understand how this can come off like a chain letter of sorts, just as bloggers like Cultural Life have expressed in their posts, but I hope the bloggers that I have nominated see the gesture as a show of my appreciation. I simply want to thank them for sharing their work with the world and encourage them as others have encouraged me. WordPress is a wonderful blogging community that I am proud to be a part of and I wish you all the best of luck with your creative endeavors in the year ahead!

Just For Her – I’ve only just read the first part of this touching love story set in Mussoorie and I already want to visit this beautiful mountainous region of India.

Wallie’s Wentletrap – The charming illustrations on this site drew me in, while the wonderful fiction made me read on.

Leadership Matters – As someone trying to break into the museum field, I found this blog on museum leadership and careers to be very insightful and informative.

A Book and a Half – I read this blogger’s winning submission to the NYC Midnight Short Story competition and very nearly cried, well worth the read.

No Man’s Land – This is a great interview about an inspiring woman named Elaine Wu who changed careers and became a visual effects animator. The blog is a haven for all things geek.

Alohas and Goodbyes – Loaded with beautiful pictures, this travel blog makes me long to hop on a plane and fly away.

Questions for my fellow bloggers (I’m keeping my list short, but please feel free to share your responses in the comment section below or in a separate post on your own blog):

• What made you want to start a blog?
• Who inspires you? (i.e., other writers, artists, people from your life)
• How do you come up with new ideas for your posts?
• What is the most helpful piece of advice you have received about blogging?
• What are some other blogs that you have enjoyed reading?

I welcome all of my other readers to answer these questions in the comment section as a way to get to know one another a little bit better. Happy blogging!

— B.