Jeri Smith-Ready

In-blognito

There's only room for you
In your world of two.
--Cake, "World of Two"

You're probably wondering, where the hell'd all Jeri's posts go? They're at Seething in the Wilderness, which used to be the name of this blog, though no one ever called it that. Everyone called it Jeri Smith-Ready, and while name recognition is great for an author, it has its dark side.

Most political bloggers are more or less anonymous. Though they will reveal their real full names from time to time, they don't advertise them at the top of their blogs. They're not necessarily ashamed of their opinions or trying to dissociate themselves from their political stances. More often, they maintain anonymity to protect their jobs.

I find myself in the same situation, not from my employer or even my publisher, but with the true source of my bread and butter--readers. November 2006 will bring the coincidence of two major events in my life: Election Day and the first widespread distribution of my fiction by a major print publisher.

I could choose to clam up about politics to avoid alienating potential readers, but speaking up for what I believe in is how I bring both my patriotism and my humanity to life. In these outrageous times, I can't be a neutral observer and still see myself as a good person. It's not enough simply to entertain (though for a last-born child, entertainment is always the highest value).

Enough of that self-important claptrap. The point is, as of today I'm splitting my blogging between this page, which will focus mostly on the writing life and more personal items; and "Seething in the Wilderness," which will continue to, well, seethe. Gradually I'll copy my old non-political posts over to this blog, though unfortunately without their accompanying comments.

I look forward to posting more writing-related topics here without worrying whether I'm boring those in search of acidic political commentary. And as for the aforementioned commentary--wow, I can't wait to rise to new heights of sardonia--er, sardonicism. Being sardonic. Making fun of Bush.

• posted by Jeri @ 10:44 AM
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