Coming to Blog Out Loud this year? Or wishing you were?

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Here’s the thing. For the past two years, just about everyone who wanted to read got to read (except those who came out of the woodwork the day before the event to ask if there was still space, and I am telling you now, if you are thinking of going that route, that there is NOT going to be space). I just took people on a first-come, first-serve basis and there was room for everyone and that was so great.

But this year, I am worried, both because I have cut back the maximum number of readers (to 21) and because the event is growing all the time.

I’m still hoping that everyone who wants to read, especially newbies, will get a chance. But just in case there are floods of interested bloggers, I’m setting up some guidelines, just so there are no surprises for everyone. Here’s what I have come up with, but I’d like to stress that I’m totally open to ideas and if anyone has any other suggestions about fairness, please don’t grumble in the background, just let me know and we will work on it. This is as much your event as it is mine, and I want it to feel that way.

Here’s the basic idea:

* There’s a due date for declaring you want to read – Monday, May 14, 2012. If you’d like to read, I need to know the exact blog post you have in mind – please don’t send me an email saying you want to read, but you don’t know what. It should be something from the past year (or so) and should be able to be read aloud in less than five minutes. Pick something you really love, that represents who you are and what your blog is about – and that will be sure to come across when you’re standing at the microphone.

* All entries received by May 14 will be read and enjoyed by me and a panel of bloggers (who are not submitting a post for reading). Our favourite 10 entries will be selected for reading at BOLO.

* All other entries will go into a random-draw pot and the final 11 readers will be picked at random.

If we have 21 people or fewer interested by May 14, then you’re all in, and that would be fantastic. I’ll definitely announce it when all the spots are gone, so if it’s after May 14 and you haven’t heard anything, and you’d still like to read, we probably have spots left.

If you are interested in being on my judging panel, please let me know. Note that if you are on the jury, you can’t submit a post for reading.

Lastly, I’d just like to add that I hope that if the worst happens and we just can’t take everyone who is interested, that y’all will still come out to the evening and, more importantly, submit your writing again next year. There is so much talent in this city and so many fantastic bloggers – almost every day I discover someone new and I wonder how it’s possible that I haven’t heard of them before. There’s never been a reader at BOLO that wasn’t brave, smart, funny, entertaining, and above all, interesting, and trust me when I say, you are one of those people.

So don’t be shy, send in your work, and get in the game.

To submit a blog post for reading, please send the link to lynnturtlehead@gmail.com.

I’ve booked it!

Blog Out Loud 2011 – Thursday, July 7, 2011 – 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. – at The Prescott on Preston at Beech.

More details coming soon on the venue and how to apply to be a reader.