TWO blogging events on October 14!

When life hands you a scheduling conflict, turn around and declare it..synergy!

Shortly after last year's NEPA BlogCon, Northeastern Pennsylvania's blogging conference and convention, a date was set for the 2017 event. Arrangements were made, a venue was reserved, and sponsors and presenters were lined up. The 2017 NEPA BlogCon will be on Saturday, October 14 from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM at Penn State Worthington Scranton. (Get your free tickets soon - they're going fast!)

Meanwhile, Ben Hoon from Gort42 was hard at work making arrangements for the Fall 2017 edition of NEPA Blogfest, the region's long-running gathering of bloggers, politicians, political candidates, and others. After a long process of discussing schedules with politicians and candidates, a date emerged that would work the best, and the Fall 2017 NEPA Blogfest was set for October 14 at the River Grill in Plains from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

What to do? The two major blogging events in Northeastern Pennsylvania were now in conflict with each other! Sort of, kind of. NEPA BlogCon would end shortly before the NEPA Blogfest was set to begin. The two events were set to be taking place about twenty-two miles apart - a half-hour's drive under optimal conditions.

After some discussion, a solution was worked out: NEPA Blogfest would be the site of the official afterparty for NEPA BlogCon!

From the post on NEPA Blogs:

SAVE THE DATE: 10/14/17

Six years ago, NEPA BlogCon (NEPA's only blogging & social media conference) was born out of the informal gathering known as NEPA Blogfest. This year, we're happy to announce that we're coming back home to where it all began -- and you're invited! BlogCon's after party and NEPA Blogfest will join forces to bring you the bloggiest event this area has ever seen! Mark your calendars!!

NEPA Blogfest 2017 (Fall Edition)
10/14/17
5pm -- ???
The River Grille
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
RSVP on Facebook

Since its inception Blogfest has been described as the best non-political political event of the season. No speeches are allowed and the rule is to agree to disagree but don't be disagreeable. Many local and statewide candidates will be attending. All are welcome, and there is no charge for admission.

Since its revival in the Spring after a short hiatus people have been asking us to do it again. Started as an informal political mixer it became a networking event for bloggers, voters and political candidates.

This a joint venture of NEPA Blogs, The Lu Lac Political Letter and Gort42.

We hope to see you there!

NEPA BlogFest returns!

After a two year hiatus, BlogFest is back! This is an informal gathering of bloggers and politicians from throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond. The Spring 2017 edition will be held at Ole Tyme Charley's Restaurant & Pub, 31 South River Street in Plains on Saturday, May 6, 2017. The event will coincide with the running of the Kentucky Derby, so if you want to see a bunch of people get very interested in horse racing for about two minutes, that's the place to be!

You can read more about BlogFest here.

Upcoming...

I've been neglecting this blog a lot lately, which is sad, especially with my...TENTH?!...blogiversary coming up in a few weeks. Of late this has become mostly a poetry blog, and that's not likely to change soon. My current situation is giving me time for the occasional poem, some photography, and not much else, and poetry is something I can handle financially - mostly. At least for the free poetry readings.

I have a few poems slated to post here. I may put up two versions of each, as they were originally read and as they were revised. The second one is something of a work in progress and may continue to be revised for a while.

I also have a photography challenge to put out there. I don't know if anyone will hear it, but it might be worth putting out. Here's a preview of what it involves.

(Did I mention I have a new camera?)

We just had another Blog Fest this past Friday. While these have become primarily political events rather than primarily blogging events (confusing and misleading any new non-political bloggers looking to socialize with other bloggers in the area), it was good to see the bloggers who were there. (I was only able to be there before the crowd filled in, and after most of it had cleared out because of a previously scheduled poetry commitment.)

More soon, I promise. Other demands on my time at the moment.

Blog Fest is coming!

For full details, click here. See you there!

Upcoming blogging events

If you've been paying attention to the sidebar of this blog, you already know about these events. But here's a reminder anyway!

Blog Fest is coming this Friday, September 21! Gort, Joe Valenti, and Dave Yonki originally envisioned this as a political event, more about politics than blogging. After a dip in turnout for the Spring 2011 Blog Fest while Gort was taking a break from blogging, NEPA Blogs co-administrator Michelle Hryvnak Davies took the initiative to run a publicity drive for the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 Blog Fests, bringing in large numbers of non-political bloggers. For the Fall 2012 Blog Fest Gort has expressed a desire to turn the focus back on politics, which seems reasonable given that this is a major election year. Nevertheless, all bloggers - political and non-political alike - are welcome to Blog Fest, which will be held at Rooney's at 67 South Main Street in Pittston on Friday, September 21 starting at 6:00. And any politician with half a lick of sense will know that politics is about getting your message out to everybody - which means they should be just as eager to talk to people who blog about fashion and photography as to those who blog about politics!

On Saturday, September 29, Luzerne County Community College will be playing host to the first-ever NEPA BlogCon! Michelle Hryvnak Davies is part of the "Fearsome Foursome" organizing this event. You can read more about it here. TODAY ONLY, Wednesday, September 19, you can get a ticket to this event for only $35 - a savings of over 46% form the regular price of $65!

Sometimes blogging can feel like an isolated activity. These events are your opportunity to meet and mingle with other bloggers from throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania!

Three Blogtastic Days, Day 2: NEPA BlogFest

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2012:

I was late, as usual. I really, really meant to be there early, but I got wrapped up with some yard work on what was threatening to be the last dry and beautiful day for a while, and then had to make a detour to buy some tickets for the Mega Millions lottery. (I am so glad that is over. Somebody let me know the next time a lottery is over $200 million or so, and I might consider buying another ticket or two.) I wanted to be there at 5:30, but it was closer to 6:20 when I pulled up.

Things hadn't gone off exactly as planned. We had intended to have the Arts SEEN Gallery, two doors down from Rooney's, open that evening for the benefit of everyone at BlogFest. But there was an issue of the doors being locked, and the keys (and keyholders) being unavailable. Then there was the issue of the coffee shop between Rooney's and the Arts SEEN Gallery. While I had done what I could to persuade the owner to stay open for BlogFest, he had made the decision to close at 5:00, as is his custom on Fridays. (Which would explain why, during the previous four BlogFests, I wasn't even aware that there was a coffee shop there.) So he lost out on a considerable amount of business. Oh well.

I met with Michelle Hryvnak Davies and Mike Burnside outside of Rooney's. We hung out and talked for a while, but I was eager to get inside and unpack the things I had brought, which included special "BLOGGER" nametags and a blogger sign-in sheet. Once I got inside I immediately saw Gort and Joe Valenti, the political-blogging duo who came up with the idea for Blog Fest. At a table inside I saw Karla Porter talking with Justin Vacula and someone else I didn't recognize, but would much later discover was Stephen Albert from Not Cease From Exploration.

As the night went on the bloggers continued to pour in: Chantal Rich from Crafternoon Tea, Steve Urbanski (whose blog is currently on hiatus, but who writes for examiner.com), and Brent Pennington and Mandy Boyle. Later still I saw Tom Borthwick of NEPartisan and someone I didn't recognize at first, but who I later realized was Cheri Sundra with a different hairstyle! Leslie Stewart of Darling Stewie came bopping in, unmistakable in her style, accompanied by a blogger we don't have linked yet - Daz aka DKSaxton. Dave Yonki came in and immediately called me Tom, apparently missing my name tag. (But at least this time he didn't call Michelle "Jen Wade" in his post!) James O'Meara stopped by briefly - he was there as a blogger and on the job as a political aide!

There were plenty of politicians in attendance for all or part of the night. I recognized Gerry Mullery, Matt Cartwright, and Bill Vinsko, but there were quite a few others - see Gort's post for a complete list!

Gene Stilp was the hit of the night. He brought along a big enough posse of young, enthusiastic supporters to fill several tables alone - if they ever sat down! He was a ball of energy throughout the night, singing and dancing and posing for pictures. But what really stole the show was someone he brought along with him - Pignelope the Pig! This giant inflatable pig occupied much of the sidewalk in front of Rooney's, and has appeared in everyone's photos from the night.  Whatever happens, we'll have to make sure that Gene Stilp and Pignelope show up at future events.

Pignelope, looking dashing in a Blogging Hat

Several non-politicians and/or non-bloggers showed up just to see what was going on. My friend Betsy came in early (well before I showed up), and Susan Prywara and Sonibet Diaz of the Wilkes-Barre CareerLink came by along with several members of the Job Club to see if it was really as good a networking opportunity as I had made it out to be. I was able to connect Susan with Gerry Mullery as a potential Job Club speaker, and directed some friends who can benefit from the services of CareerLink and the Job Club to speak with Susan throughout the night. A blogger who I know through my writing group, Leslee Clapp, also stopped by to see what I've been talking about the last few weeks.

As the night wore on I noticed that two bloggers had signed in who I had never met before - Nathalie Sousa of Casa de Lola and Brian Fanelli of All the Right Notes. I was able to locate them quickly by looking for people who hadn't been there earlier. Brian also runs a monthly poetry reading, and I excitedly told him about the 570 Writers site that is a combination blog and events calendar for writing-related events. He pointed out that he already knew about it, since he actually co-administers the site.

(I probably missed a few bloggers throughout the night. I know that one aspiring blogger was in attendance, though his blog is currently without content. If you were there and I missed you, let me know!)

UPDATE, 4/2/2012: I took a look at the picture below to see if there were any bloggers that I missed. I started off by saying, "OK, at the bar there's Big Dan and Mrs. Big Dan, and..." So, yeah, I missed the bloggers from Big Dan's Big Blog and the Politics in Healthcare Blog!

As the night wound down I flopped into a chair at a table with, variously, Michelle, Karla, Duke from Dallas (who doesn't have a blog, but should), Cheri, and Justin. We exchanged pleasant conversations until the band - a four-piece electric act - started blasting out the greatest hits of the 60's and 70's at such a deafening volume that the conversations quickly devolved into "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" "I SAID, 'WHAT DID YOU SAY?'" "I SAID, 'I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!'" At that point I could have really, really used a quiet coffee shop to use as a refuge and a source of coffee and pastries. That place would have seen a steady stream of business throughout the night.

People standing and talking. Many of them could have spent a few minutes sitting and talking in the closed coffee shop next door,
especially once the band decided to rock out at full volume and made it impossible to have a conversation.

So the "BLOGGER" name tags worked really well, helping to distinguish bloggers from non-bloggers, and identifying bloggers by name. The sign-in sheet worked well, too - not just as a way to keep track of who was there, but as a way to alert us when new bloggers walked in when we weren't watching.

The coffee shop being closed was a definite problem, a problem we've got nearly six months to resolve. The band was another problem. I love live music, but for an evening of mingling and networking, perhaps something more subdued would be more appropriate. I know several acoustic acts in the area who might be willing to play at the next BlogFest. Alternatively, we could incorporate the music into the event itself. Three words: BLOG FEST KARAOKE. See your favorite bloggers sing their hearts out!  Thrill to candidates for political office trying to make it through versions of "Brandy," "Horse with No Name," and "Sister Golden Hair" without screwing up badly enough to lose any votes! ...hey, it could work!

Gort has posted a wrap-up of all of the posts about the Spring 2012 Blog Fest over on NEPA Blogs. And before you get worried about when the next Blog Fest will be...well, that was announced even before this Blog Fest was over!

OK, technically it's the last full day of Summer. We'll see what the weather is like then!

Blog Fest Spring 2012 report, part 1

The Spring 2012 edition of Blog Fest was held at Rooney's in Pittston last night, and it was a great time. We did some things differently this time around, and they worked out well. Although we've had "Hello My Name Is" tags in the past, this time we made special "BLOGGER" tags to help identify the bloggers in the crowd more quickly. We also had a blogger sign-in sheet at the door. The idea was that this would help us to say who was there when we started doing the post-fest reports and tagging the photos, but it also worked to let us know who had just walked in through the door. I met several bloggers I might not have otherwise recognized, just by seeing that they had signed in as they arrived.

A photographer from the Times-Leader and a writer from the Citizens' Voice were there. Neither was wearing anything identifying them as press, so we had to judge by the fact that one was carrying a large camera and the other was carrying a pad. (I didn't realize reporters still took notes on pads!) Maybe next time we'll make up special "PRESS" badges.

Citizens' Voice: NEPA Blog Fest draws candidates' attention

Most of the politicians didn't need badges because they were wearing their own campaign buttons. (We tried to get a picture of Matt Cartwright in front of a TV that was showing one of his ads, but we weren't fast enough.) Gene Stilp's people took the regular name badges and marked their own names, followed by "for Gene Stilp" - a very effective way of identifying their association. As far as I could tell, Gene Stilp had the largest and most enthusiastic crowd with him. Plus he had a giant inflatable pig.

In addition to  the bloggers and the politicians and the candidates, there were several people who stopped by to see if Blog Fest lived up to the hype. Several people from the Wilkes-Barre CareerLink's Job Club came to visit, and I was able to help connect them with both politicians who might speak to the group in the future and people who could benefit from taking part in the Job Club. A member of my writing group (who is herself a blogger) also stopped by with her husband, as did several other friends.

Unfortunately my persuasive speaking skills were not adequate to convince the coffee shop owner next door to stay open a few extra hours - during which time he might have doubled his revenue for the week. As the night wore on people became more and more tired of standing and straining to hear and be heard, and many would have appreciated having a quiet place to sit down and talk over coffee. This became especially obvious once the band took the stage around 9:00 and began blasting the hits of the 60's and 70's, making it almost impossible to have a conversation without shouting, even with a person sitting across from you at a table. I'm thinking for next time maybe we could arrange for a quiet acoustic act to play, something that would be more in keeping with what is essentially a mixer and networking event. (Or we could go in another direction entirely and introduce...BLOG FEST KARAOKE! Thrill to NEPA's bloggers belting out their favorite tunes! Judge political candidates based on their singing skills! See competing candidates square off in rap battles! ...hey, it could work!)

All in all it was a very successful event. I was very pleased with the number of non-political bloggers who came out, as well as with the turnout of candidates. The dynamic, as always, was very relaxed and upbeat, and I think as a mixer and networking event Blog Fest was extremely successful. As a bonus, Gort has announced the date of the Fall 2012 Blog Fest: September 21! (Though it's technically the last day of Summer...) So now everybody has nearly six months to plan around this event!

NEPA Blog Fest is coming!

NEPA Blog Fest is coming! Born out of the irregular gatherings of bloggers hosted by veteran blogger Gort in a small Wilkes-Barre bar, Blog Fest has become a twice-a-year gathering of bloggers from throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Spring Edition of Blog Fest 2012 will be held on Friday, March 30 at Rooney's Irish Pub on 67 South Main Street in Pittston, starting at 6:00 and going until 10:00 or even later.

Past Blog Fests have seen attendance by 100 to 150 people - bloggers, blog readers, politicians, political office-seekers, and just regular folks.  Even last September's inclement weather (which included several feet of water in the first floor of the house of one of the event's organizers) didn't put a damper on things. And, new for this edition of Blog Fest, the nearby Arts SEEN Gallery (71 South Main Street, two doors down from Rooney's) will be staying open for anyone from the Blog Fest who needs to stretch their legs, get some fresh air, and take in some art!

If you're a blogger, a blog reader, are interested in blogs, or are just looking to have a fun, relaxing time with interesting people, come on out to Rooney's in Pittston on March 30 for the NEPA Blog Fest. You'll be glad you did!


Here are some posts that will give you a taste of past Blog Fests:

Fall 2011: Gort42: Some photos from Blogfest
Spring 2011: Pittston Politics: Blogfest turns out great crowd
Fall 2010: Another Monkey: BlogFest: Fall 2010 edition
Spring 2010: Gort42: Blogger meetup post game


You'll find updated information about Blog Fest on NEPA Blogs!

Blog Fest (Spring 2012 edition) is coming!

NEPA Blog Fest is coming! March 30th at Rooney's (67 South Main Street) in Pittston, starting at 6:00!

This is going to be the biggest and best Blog Fest yet! In part that's because NEPA Blogs is bigger and better than it's ever been before, with new bloggers being added almost every day. But the venue has changed - sort of! It's still at Rooney's Irish Pub, but Rooney's has now become the cornerstone of a renaissance in Pittston, with new places opening up all around it in what used to be a run-down neighborhood. We've been informed that the art gallery Arts SEEN, located just to the left of Rooney's, will be staying open late to provide an opportunity for the folks at Blog Fest to stretch their legs and get some fresh air. And there's even a chance that the Coffee Table Cafe, located just to the right of Rooney's, can be persuaded to stay open past their usual Friday closing time of 7:00, to provide everyone with a chance to sit down and engage in conversation over coffee and maybe even a bowl of ice cream!

Blog Fest isn't just for political bloggers! We're inviting all bloggers in Northeastern Pennsylvania to come out and meet other regional bloggers! It's also a great chance for blog readers, blog fans, and people curious about blogging to come out and find out what blogging  is about. If you fall into any of these categories, please come out to meet with us on Friday, March 30 at Rooney's in Pittston at 67 South Main Street, from 6:00 to whenever!

Blog Fest is coming!

The Spring 2012 edition of NEPA Blog Fest will be held at Rooney's Irish Pub in Pittston on the evening of Friday, March 30.

Blog Fest grew out of Gort's periodic gatherings of Wilkes-Barre area bloggers and others at a small bar in Wilkes-Barre.  Occasionally a candidate for local office would stop by to put in some face-time. Two years ago Gort decided to try something new: working with local political bloggers Joe Valenti and Dave Yonki, he moved the event to a larger venue - Rooney's Irish Pub in Pittston - and put out an invitation to as many candidates running for state and local office as he could. He also put out the call to local media, letting them know this was happening.

And, whaddya know: it was a huge success.

We did it again in the Fall of 2010 with a slightly smaller turnout.  (This was, however, the first time the event was dubbed "Blog Fest," on a handwritten sign in front of the place.) But in the beginning of 2011, Gort was taking a break from blogging. As the Winter started to edge into Spring I began to wonder about whether a Spring edition of the event would be held at all. Finally, while catching up on posts I had missed on Dave Yonki's blog, I came across the announcement - nearly three weeks after it had originally been posted on Joe Valenti's Pittston Politics blog. (Dave's blog is indexed by issue number, and Joe's by date, so if you miss an announcement on either one, the only way to know about it is to go back and read through every post you've missed.) While word of the event may have gone out to Dave and Joe's regular readers, the larger community of bloggers throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania were generally in the dark about it.

Michelle and I found out about this at about the same time, and with just a few weeks to go she decided to try to publicize the event to non-political bloggers and the general public. She wrote up a post for NEPA Blogs, she sent out information to the local media, we posted announcements wherever we could find available space.

In the end it was a mostly political event, less well-attended than the first one (and possibly the second.)  Non-political bloggers were few and far between.  (This may have been due in part to a major political event in Dupont and a dinner for the Luzerne County Historical Society being held that night.) For whatever reason, Rooney's seemed to be unprepared for the size of the crowd, and service was very slow. Gort, however, was in attendance, and I believe that he was inspired that night to resume blogging, and to be at the helm for the next Blog Fest.

Gort announced the upcoming Fall 2011 Blog Fest on his blog and through Facebook. Unfortunately he did this with just nine days to go until the actual event! This wasn't as last-minute as it seemed: he had been working to schedule the event so that as many candidates as possible could attend without having a conflict with their campaign and fundraising schedules. The Blog Fest was held just weeks after the worst flooding in the region's history, only a hundred feet or so from the high-water mark, as a light rain managed to re-flood many of the roads leading away from the venue. There were plenty of candidates on hand, and a few more non-political bloggers than at previous events, all of which was quite remarkable given the circumstances.

So now the news is going out about the Spring 2012 event. Michelle has issued a "Save the Date" announcement - because, what the heck, this time there are twelve weeks until the actual event, and we're going to need to issue reminders every week or two or everybody is going to forget about it.

So who is going to show up? In the past a lot of non-political bloggers didn't show up because they perceived it as a political event, and their absence made it even more so. But it doesn't have to be that way. Politics is a part of life, but life is about more than politics. Blogs are about more than politics, too; some people - especially some political bloggers - may not see it that way, but a quick glance at the live updates list on the NEPA Blogs sidebar will reveal a whole lot of bloggers who do not write primarily about politics, if at all.

Yet non-political bloggers cannot pretend that politics doesn't exist just because they, say, find political chit-chat so godawful dull that they would rather core out their ear canals with a grapefruit spoon than listen to someone drone on and on about the intrigues and treachery in some local school board or political body. This stuff affects us all - if not directly, then regionally; the corruption of judges in Luzerne County or county commissioners in Lackawanna County or whoever in Wilkes-Barre or Pittston or Scranton affects the overall perception of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and affects little things like how willing companies are to move into the area, and therefore what the likelihood that more and better jobs will ever come back to NEPA.

So if you're a political blogger, show up: you'll find plenty of candidates who want to talk to you and try to get in your good graces. And if you're a non-political blogger, show up too: you'll find other non-political bloggers who would love to meet and interact with you. And maybe the two groups could mingle a bit. Political bloggers might discover a world of blogging that exists outside of politics, and non-political bloggers might find a few thoughtful, intelligent candidates who are willing to actually listen to what normal people have to say.

But whatever you do, please keep me away from the grapefruit spoons.

Blogfest 2011 - Fall edition!

I've been blogging like a blogging fool over at NEPA Blogs this weekend, posting links to (among other things) four sites that I became aware of after the Bloggers' Roundtable this past Thursday. (I'm hoping there will be more, especially since I invited everyone in the audience to begin blogs of their own, which we would gladly list on NEPA Blogs!)

This past Wednesday Gort announced that the next gathering of regional bloggers will be at Rooney's in downtown Pittston this coming Friday, September 23 starting at 6:00 PM. See his post for complete details:

Gort42: Blogfest-2011 fall edition

Rooney's is in a part of Pittston that was above the water line, but much of Pittston and surrounding communities like Jenkins Township and West Pittston (like many other communities along the Susquehanna) was devastated by the flooding that resulted from Tropical Storm Lee. As with previous Blog Fests held at Rooney's, there will likely be a number of local and state politicians in attendance - though this is by no means a purely political event, nor is participation restricted to "political" bloggers. But this is a very good chance to meet with politicians (as well as bloggers!) face-to-face in an informal setting, and bend their ears with the concerns of constituents that might otherwise go unheard.

I have revised the logo for the Spring 2011 Blog Fest to reflect the season a bit. (The original logo was itself an attempt to recreate the look and feel of a logo from a gathering of "style" bloggers that was being held in New York City, a logo that someone had cropped and appropriated for use with the local blog event.)