BlogHer — Creating A Future History of Now

I often wonder what the future will be like when the history of now — enriched by the perspective of women (more than half of the world population) and the amazing diversity of cultural subsets in our society — is finally read.

Will the media and our social interactions still be obsessively focused on power, profits, sex, war, winning and sports? Or will a more caring, cooperative and inclusive meme emerge? And if it does what will be the impact?

Even now I can’t help thinking that blogging in particular will be a big part of any change.

Meeting so many thoughtful and intelligently engaged women (and, yes, even some men) bloggers at a recent BlogHer conference in Chicago brought the power of the internet and the value of diversity more clearly into focus for me.  And it gave me great hope. We will be the richer for this expanded view of the world.

So … In celebration of the extraordinary power in the  voices of ordinary people who write from the heart, share their thoughts to connect with others, and create a record of now for the future history of all our lives, and in humble thanks to Elisa Camahort Page, Lisa Stone, and Jory Des Jardins and everyone at BlogHer for showing me what it’s like to be eight feet tall:

Epiphany Amid Four Thousand Smiles

and an Estrogen Tea

by Linda Anselmi

 

On a personal whim

The road to BlogHer 13 began,

To revisit the rim

Where the Chicago river did span.

 

As an inspiration VOTY one hundred

From the 3,000 read by judges,

I knew a thankful dread

Of making too many ego glowing nudges.

 

But in my ten seconds of fame

Never did I imagine the high,

Of seeing my post

Boldly printed eight feet into the sky.

 

Having been Kiss Chronicles lured

Into meeting my chatter peeps,

I knew I’d be assured

Of both laughter and weeps.

 

I went to learn and explore

The many BlogHer mantles,

While meeting the score

Behind all that it handles.

 

But I was unprepared for the miles

On an emotional sea,

Or the epiphany amid four thousand smiles

And an estrogen tea.

 

We say — Women making History!

Yet it is as old as time,

But unrecorded we became a mystery

Told by an arm-less mime.

 

Now the future history of life

Is being given a new dawn,

By mother, daughter, sister and wife

And the she perspectives they spawn.

 

With each new card exchange

My BlogHer blessings did unfold,

Here was another her history gain

And not for future generations left untold.

~

My post at BlogHer that got Voice Of The Year recognition:  How Jack Andraka, 15, Used Google to Fight Cancer

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