Blogs worth reading, my music tastes, and summer. And TEDxRedmond. And polysyndeton, apparently.

I'm not sure what it is with teenage girls in Washington State, but we have a thing for blog writing. So much so that I have three recommendations of thoughtful, lyrically-written, far-more-frequently-updated-than-mine blogs. By...you guessed it. Girls in Washington State.

Is it the water here?

Delitescency, by Niyathi
The first is a new find: "Delitescency," with the not unambitious tagline of "A teenager's view on human nature," is quietly beautiful; its sentiments, those both grave and whimsical, remind me of myself at odd moments. A quote: "This blog sets me free." Liberation is one of my favorite words, so this blog speaks to a kindred spirit. I highly recommend the post "Doll Dilemmas." Oh, that's one more thing: Niyathi and I both beheaded our Barbies. I promise, less disturbing than it sounds. Indeed, reading the blog gives one a sense of deepness and remove (in its consideration of issues of human nature, for instance) and immediate relatability, a rare gift. - http://delitescency.blogspot.com/

Merry Go Round, by Christina
I know Christina from our work together on the TEDxRedmond committee, but seeing the depth of her writing finesse provoked the same reaction from me as seeing a video of her singing: "What have you been hiding from us all this time?" :) The description--"a ride through the optimistic side of life and all its wonders" provides a clear introduction to the tone and mood of the site. From happy tidbits of all sorts--pictures, quotes, life updates--to moving poems (one of my favorites is "Noir," with lines like "Yesterday's tea was the color of deception" and "praying to the deep blues on the wallpaper to take us in"), Christina's blog is an enchanting merry-go-round indeed - http://christina-merry-go-round.blogspot.com/

Allegro, by Maya
Maya is a friend, TEDxRedmond colleague, and fellow poet of mine (I fondly recall our work together on the City of Redmond Centennial Poetry project). She truly brings the best of all her many strengths to her blog: clarity, dedication, and serious consideration of every issue. Though her non-fiction writing is indubitably excellent, her poetry is the most magnetic aspect of her blog; I consistently envy her ease in creating poems of ethereal, wistful images with clear precision. Maya has the skill of bringing an image close enough that you can grasp it--before it slips through your fingers like so many grains of precious sand. My favorite stanza, the last, of her poem "Fireflies":
"Laugh.
Open your hands
and watch dancing lights
fade into fluorescence."
Her blog is many dancing lights. - http://mayaganesan.blogspot.com/

Since I like polysyndeton I'm keeping the ridiculous title of this blog, but I'm actually going to write about all those things in my next post.