In August, WordPress.com bloggers strike us with their best: Smart takes on a month’s biggest stories. Thoughtful musings on culture. Photographs and art that move a universe to life.
The following 10 picks paint what Freshly Pressed is all about: strange calm that engages readers, timely posts that minister to a incomparable discussion, and personal letter that resonates with others. Enjoy!
Glimpses of Iran
This print letter papers quiet, astonishing moments of daily life in Iran and captures a tasty sum and textures of Yzad and elsewhere. The collection of 6 photographs illustrates peculiarity over quantity—each picture is strong, well-composed, and tells a possess story.
Frankie V. Debra, Roe V. Wade: Patricia Heaton’s Two Famous Moms, and Can You Still Be a Feminist If You’re Anti-Abortion?
“But I’m still happy to be in their gang, since we don’t all have to consider a same.”
This post examines hot-button topics—abortion and feminism—through an strange and nuanced contention of singer Patricia Heaton. We are tender with a blogger’s honesty, deferential though assured voice, and eagerness to ask questions; these elements inspire readers to criticism and join a discussion.
Thinking of New Orleans
“Why do we spin to these stories? For shelter. We need an explanation, since “It happened for no reason during all” is somehow too offensive to face.”
In this thoughtfulness on Hurricane Katrina, writer/photographer Kim weaves thoughts on Louisiana, loss, and a film Beasts of a Southern Wild. We generally like her musings on how we emanate stories to cope, and to make clarity of since things occur in a world. Her gallery of evocative images of New Orleans complements a piece.
Armstrong Is Probably Guilty, But It Is Definitely Meaningless
“This whole long, contemptible part ends in dual competing realities. The initial is that Armstrong – notwithstanding his protests – expected is guilty. The second is that doesn’t matter if he is.”
After introducing a story on Lance Armstrong’s conflict with a US Anti-Doping Agency, Mark presents an dogmatic nonetheless satisfactory take on doping in cycling (and touches on other sports, too). He admits he is not an Armstrong fan, that serve illustrates a offset proceed to a issue.
Authors Behaving Badly: The Seedy Underbelly of Reviewing
“As a writer, I’m not gentle with a thought of someone letter a examination of my book if they haven’t examination it. I’m not letter so people can pat me on a back, I’m letter since we have stories we wish people to read.”
Here, Jo offers her thoughts on an engaging edition story: an businessman who set adult a business in that authors compensate him to write a certain review. Solidly created and thorough, a post leads to a contention for both writers and readers alike. We like how she asks questions during a finish to assistance launch a healthy debate.
Republican Todd Akin: Don’t Worry, You Won’t Get Pregnant From Rape
“The indicate is, this is a preference that many deeply affects a victims of rape; those victims have to live with a outcomes of that preference as good as a effects of a crime itself; and those women should be authorised to make a preference that is best for them.”
August saw no assent in debate in a news, and WordPress.com bloggers confronted these issues conduct on. A post rebellious a hot-button emanate can turn polarized—even angry—but this take on Todd Akin’s matter on rape is during once ardent and professional.
Lie to Me: Five Lies I’m Proud of Telling My Kids
“Actually, Timmy, there’s a really, unequivocally good possibility that we won’t be an astronaut. Considering your finish inability to know prolonged division, you’re substantially going to sell cars when we grow up. Now let’s speak about Santa Claus.”
Readers enjoyed this tongue-in-cheek list about a lies one father tells his kids. Whether or not we are a parent, we can describe to this lightsome post, and will expected remember your possess childhood and wonder: did my relatives distortion to me?!
Rethinking Sleeping Beauty
“Before she pricks her finger, she hesitates, her palm outstretched, though afterwards during Maleficent’s urging, she finally touches a spindle. I’ve always elite to consider that she did it on purpose, not only since she was underneath a spell. we like to see it as an act of rebellion, a refusal to go from Briar Rose to Aurora utterly yet.”
We like how Melissa uses a childhood story to demonstrate ideas about entrance of age. Musings are quite musical when a author takes something familiar—such as a story of Sleeping Beauty—to illustrate observations on a some-more personal level. As a result, she engages with her readers, who have done their possess connectors by her insights.
When Saturday Mornings Meant Something
“Cartoons – the word, a concept, a feeling, a sacrament — is dead. Dead and archaic like a Gothic-arched rodent hole where Jerry took refuge. Drowned in a sea of unconstrained animation.”
This loyalty to old-school Saturday morning cartoons left readers swimming in a sea of nostalgia. He-Man! Dungeons and Dragons! The shows of Hanna-Barbera! The pointy and interesting explanation and tangible passion for a theme minister to this well-received post.
For Neil.
“Rest in assent other Neil.”
We’re always on a surveillance for strange artwork: illustrations, paintings, sketches, and more. Shortly after training of Neil Armstrong’s death, (another) Neil common an painting celebrating a famed astronaut. The square is only as many about Armstrong as it is about a artist himself, and this creates a post timely as good as touching.
What do we consider about these selections? Were there other Freshly Pressed posts that stood out this month?
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