BlogHer ’09 Community Keynote: Reflections from Number 19

There were 21 women chosen to read their posts in front of scores of women during BlogHer 2009′s Community Keynote this year. Although my name appeared close to the top of the list in the announcement, I was actually number 19. There are some good and bad things about being so far down on the list. The first being that although I may have been initially nervous (okay terrified because we were backstage the entire time), I couldn’t sustain that level of craziness until I went on. By the time I went on I was totally calm. Although I could have become paranoid because every single woman that went before me was excellent. There were a lot of very personal posts that were quite poignant and had me fighting back tears. These women were so brave. (There’s a photo of me above but trust me I’m looking down and not asleep.)

But two of my favorites were from Julia D.’s “I Do Things So You Won’t Have To called “I Faked a Concussion” and from Danielle Henderson’s Knotty Yarn called “Stuck in the Middle With You”. They provided much needed comic relief in the midst of such raw emotions. Okay, so you’re probably wondering what I read. The committee chose a post I wrote back in May called When White Women Become Experts On Michelle Obama’s (And Our Hair). Catchy title huh? Anyway, because everyone else was so good I had to rise to the occasion and gave the best recitation (my grandmother’s word) of my life. I will never forget the experience, the amazing women I met and the encouragement and affirmation in the air.

For the complete list and links to the rest of the Community Keynotes check out fellow Keynoter Karen Waldrond’s blog Chookoolonks. She was #4 and the subject of her post was the other Obama, the POTUS.

Oh and when I get the video of my actual reading I will add it later.