Announcing the BlogHer '10 Voices of the Year Gala and Art Auction, Curated by kirtsy

In 2008, BlogHer hosted our first The Community Keynote and birthed a tradition. Featuring diverse voices from across our community, the Community Keynote - The brainchild of Eden Kennedy - made us laugh and made us cry. Hearing others read some of the best blog posts written all year made us think and made us feel. Most of all, the keynote helped us appreciate the quality of each other's blogging and made us all want to be better writers!

In the two years since, we have received hundreds of submissions for the Community Keynote. Reading the entries is both deeply satisfying to read the entries...and agonizing to narrow the list down to 15-20 keynote readers. So, this year we decided to shine the spotlight on a much larger group of community members by creating an expanded Voices of the Year event. Yes, 15 bloggers will still be chosen to present their work and make us laugh, cry, think and feel, but that's not all: Another 75 submissions also will be honored as Voices of the Year.

Here's what we mean by "honored": Today Lisa, Jory and I are proud to announce our plans for the expanded BlogHer '10 Voices of the Year Gala and Art Auction, curated by kirtsy. We're partnering with the creative geniuses behind kirtsy-- Gabrielle Blair, Laura Mayes and Laurie Smithwick -- to create a Gala worthy of the quality of voices you will hear during this year's Community Keynote.

What does that mean?

Immediately after the community keynote, at a reception and Gala, the kirtsy team and BlogHer are working to transform the words and images of our 90 keynoters into healing action for the Gulf Coast, with an auction of inspiring works that will live on after the conference, raising money to help fund the long-term recovery efforts the Gulf will need.

We'll start at BlogHer '10 with a Gala that is a feast for the senses. Not just fine food and divine drinks; not just music...including a special guest performance still to be announced...but also a feast for the eyes, as kirtsy will be transforming the entire space into a gallery featuring custom-commissioned art works that evoke the spirit of our Voices of the Year finalists.

Those works will be auctioned off post-conference, with proceeds benefitting The Nature Conservancy, so that BlogHer '10, and everyone there, has the opportunity to contribute in some part to what will be a long recovery process for the Gulf.

More than anything, we hope you'll contribute your voice -- : in a "living art project" kirtsy will help us create on site. We'll invite you to share who was your Voice of the Year. Share your own Voice. Be a part of the story.

Add this bling to your blog!

We can't wait to see your work, appreciate your spirits, and hear your voices.

Elisa,
for Elisa, Jory and Lisa, BlogHer Co-founders

Elisa Camahort Page
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com
My BlogHer profile truly shows you everything I do online...Check it out!!