As a side thread to the "Person of the Year" I thought it would be interesting to list those individuals who are creating and publishing good material each and every day. For those of you who don't read blogs every day, perhaps we can tempt you into the habit.

The good thing about the internet, as I've said before is that people are writing, photographing, creating art. But the second point is that people are reading again, even those who would never pick up War and Peace. And discovering new talent is always satisfying.

Here are a few of my favorite People of the Year. Please share yours also.

WHITE CROW WALKING

www.whitecrowwalking.blogspot.com

Marda put me on to Jesse White Crow. He's left any form of conventional life aside and is walking across America, posting from public libraries. I would give anything to be able to construct a sentence that invokes such images as Jesse composes. Here's one -

"In a minute the coyote is over by the dry creek bed singing its painful woes to a night that makes all of creation wish they had mastered fire."

Eventually his trip and writings will be published as a book. Think about it, how much easier is it for an unknown vagabond to find a publisher if he already has thousands and thousands of people worldwide reading his material?

EXPRESS TRAIN

www.travisruse.com

Travis Ruse is a Brooklyn resident who decided two years ago to take a photo each and every day on his commute into New York City. He's one of my favorite photobloggers and he understands the importance of his work beyond the photography. His work will stand out some day in the future as a chronicle of daily life in the New York Underground.

Spend some time in his archives. There are some interesting stories to be told.

BAVAND - Bavand Bikdeli, Tehran, Iran

Bavand is an excellent photographer. I first met him when he navigated to my site and left a message. If you check his site out today, scroll down just a bit and see the photo of roasted beet roots out in the open winter countryside.

WICKHAM STONE PARK

www.wickhamstonepark.com

Arlun has set up a wonderful website to digitally preserve the work of his grandfather, E.T. Wickham. A Tennessee farmer with only a 6th grade education, E.T., or Tanner as he was called, created one of the premier Folk Art Environments in North America. It's right up there with the Watt's Tower and the Concrete Park in Wisconsin. How come you've never heard of E.T.Wickham? Because his creations stand in literally the middle of nowhere in Tennessee. They're at least 2 hours or more from Nashville and many miles from any interstate or major road. They do stand only about 1 mile from our family cemetery, so Wickham's sculptures have always been a part of our consciousness. It's a fascinating "art installation".

FOURTEEN PLACES TO EAT

www.fourteenplacestoeat.com

There are several blogs that I visit that are hosted by people who have returned home to rural America, most times to care for aging parents. Some have left interesting work in urban settings and are struggling with their feelings about that choice.

Kay is a wonderful artist who chronicles her daily life in rural Indiana. Please link to the "About" section on all of these blogs, because that will provide you with a sort of mission statement. In Kay's case, she's seeking to portray her part of rural Indiana without romanticizing it.

KARBON KOUNTY MOOS

http://karbonkountymoos.com

This woman was raised in Brooklyn, but in her travels discovered Montana, which she immediately realized as "home". She stayed, married, and is recently widowed.

She's running this Montana farm/ranch herself. She's got true grit and provides some nice photos along with her musing.

I'd love to know which everyman you're reading. Please share.