The Blog North Awards – Review by Christina Hirst
As I walk towards the Deaf Institute I wonder what the first ever Blog North Awards will be like. I shuffle my way through the dimly lit room to the bar observing the abundance of people around me holding up their phones, taking pictures of the unusual features of the room including the giant disco ball and impressive stack of speakers behind the bar. Drink in hand I find my way to a seat as the friendly and enthusiastic host begins the evening.
After a short introduction, a short-listed blogger, Amy Roberts, makes her way onto the stage to read from her blog ‘I Never Knew You Were Such a Monster’, a blog that looks at the horrors of everyday life. She reads with excellent expression and it is easy to see the truth behind her claim that the events of the stories within her blog are based on personal experience. The humour in the piece gets the audience laughing and fun atmosphere is created within the audience.
As the next blogger, Kevin Boniface, make his way onto the stage to read from his blog ‘The Most Difficult Thing Ever’ I begin to understand the diversity that exists within world of blogging. My ignorance on the subject led me to believe that blogging is very much a young person’s pastime but as Kevin reaches the microphone I am faced with a middle -aged postman. His approach on reading is very different as he awkwardly picks out excerpts from his blog. His awkward demeanour only adds to the humour of his observational blog that covers topics such as little old ladies and custard tarts to name but a few. The room is filled with laughter and I too laugh as I spot a woman desperately trying to stifle her own bout of giggles.
Next to take to the stage is Simon Moore who reads a selection on his ‘Sonnet Reviews.’ Simon uses the medium of the sonnet to review topics such as ‘Downton Abby’ to works shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. The audience laugh with delight at this quirky take on the review format.
The final guest blogger, Len Grant takes to the stage to read from his blog ‘Her First Year.’ He is joined on stage by a young couple and a small baby. Len introduces his blog and explains how he was linked with a young teenage mother through the Reclaim Project. He speaks of her tough upbringing and I am found choking back my tears as the girl he is speaking about is stood in front of me on stage. The blog follows the young couple in the first year of their daughter’s life. As Len reads from his blog, accompanying pictures fill the screen behind and the child on stage coos, elements which both add to the real-life, raw emotion of the piece. After the humour from the previous bloggers, this blog really gave the audience something to think about. As they left the stage they were greeted with a huge applause.
During the short break, the talk turns to the blogs so far. The people that surround me are chatting enthusiastically about the excerpts from the blogs they have just heard. The buzz that fills the room is interrupted as the next speaker is announced.
Adam Christopher, writer of the science fiction novel ‘Empire State’ is next to read from his upcoming book ‘Seven Wonders.’ The excerpt he reads is an interesting take on the world of superheroes seen as the protagonist amusingly struggles with issues such as what his superhero name should be. I wonder why his reading is part of the ‘Blog’ awards but as the Q & A section starts I am soon enlightened. He explains the influence social media had on his career and notes how he made friends with his current publisher through Twitter. As the questions turn to the audience, the humorous nature of the evening is again evident as a man at the bar raises his hand to ask ‘If you were a bad robot what would you do that would make you so bad?’
The excitement of the evening reaches its peak as award ceremony beings, an announcement which is greeted with an accompanying ‘oooo’. I am excited as the seven categories are read out: best arts and culture blog, best city or neighbourhood blog, best food and drink blog, best personal blog , best specialist blog, best writing and finally best young blogger. The tension has got to me as the names of the winners are announced and I am pleased to hear that a couple of the bloggers who read earlier in the night have won awards, though I don’t know how the judges could decide between them.
As the evening comes to a close, the crowd shuffles and make their way once again to the bar to discuss the success that was the evening. I however head back home eagerly waiting to get my hands on my laptop so I can read more blog posts from these amazing bloggers.