Think your blog’s good enough for print? Read on…

This beautiful little volume is a book of original poetry and short stories by my ex-RA (and first friend at UVA!) Annie. It dropped into my hands when my Desktop Publishing professor was passing around samples of past projects in class. Our final project is to select and compile material – any kind of writing, not necessarily your own – into an anthology for publication via Lulu.com. We are also expected to design the interior and exterior layouts.

Many of us call blogsurfing a guilty pleasure. But I have personally found that this habit can swing from voyeurism to inspiration. Some bloggers – close friends, acquaintances, celebrities – have made me roll on the floor laughing, pick myself up when I relate acutely to something they’ve said, and ultimately want to become a better (and infinitely more prolific) writer. I wish I could say this about half the books I’ve read.

My project idea is to create an anthology of blog posts and in the process consider whether reading online writing in print form can qualify as the same sort of experience. Is writing still good writing if it’s not as accessible? Can it still be understood and appreciated outside of immediate context?

So here’s where I call for your help. If you’re interested in helping me out AND getting one or a few more of your blog posts published in print form, contact me! Comment! Email! Do something! I’m still trying to narrow down my content to a specific blogged-about topic or age group of bloggers, for example, because this is merely a semester-long project and won’t require more than about 15 entries (to make my life easier during typesetting). But I still hope to compile as diverse a collection as possible.

Spread the word!