Friday Link-Up: Ways to Help.

(Photo from al.com)


I, as well as all of you I'm sure, am completely overwhelmed by the devastation of our state. There are so many needs, but thankfully, there are also so many ways to help. Our Southern Hospitality really shows itself strong when disaster strikes. Seeing everyone pitch in to make a difference really is the break of light in the clouds.

It's wonderful that there are SO many options to help, because some are obviously easier and more accessible for different ones of us than others. I've been tweeting and retweeting opportunities and needs as often as possible to help get the word out, but instead of posting a link-up for "Best Post of the Week" this week, I thought it might be helpful to have a centralized place to link these options up. So if you've written a post about ways to help or know a website that has opportunities to help, please link up below so that we can all help spread the word about options to help those so severely affected in our state.

Thanks!!

#AlaBlogMeet POSTPONED due to weather!!!

We will not meet tomorrow due to weather cleanup and power outages. Stay tuned for a rescheduling!!!

April Blogger Meet-Up THIS THURSDAY!!!

Don't forget about April's Blogger Meet-Up This Thursday!! We already have a great group of people that are planning on coming, and we'd love for you to come as well! RSVP here or on the original post if you plan on attending - we look forward to seeing you there!

Time to mark your calendars to come to April's Blogger Meet-Up!! If you haven't been to one
April's meet will be on Thursday, April 28th at 11:30 am Cantina in Patton Creek. Our host will be Carl (@MediaGuyCarl) of New Media Rules.

Come out to join us!! And be sure to RSVP on this post by April 27th so that we know to save you a seat!


Cantina
181 Main St. Hoover, AL (205) 560-0500 (map)

Best Post of the Week: Week Ninety-Seven

Have you RSVP'ed for the April Blogger meet-up yet? If not, click here for all of the details!!


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

See Jane Write presents See Jane Tweet!

By Javacia

I believe in sisterhood.

I truly feel a kinship with every woman and girl on the planet and this drives nearly everything I do. As an English teacher, published essayist, blogger and former full-time journalist, I am particularly passionate about empowering women through the written word. This passion motivated me recently to start See Jane Write, a networking group that seeks to enrich, support, and promote female bloggers, journalists, and creative writers in Birmingham, Ala.

Last month we met for the first time, bonding over burritos at Cantina in Pepper Place. This month we’re presenting a social media seminar aptly called See Jane Tweet. I hope many Alabama Bloggers will join us.

See Jane Tweet is a seminar designed to help women writers discover ways to use Twitter and other social media tools to promote their work, connect with other writers, and get published. Our speakers, Erin Shaw Street and Kristen Record Heptinstall, will also teach participants more about digital branding.

Erin Shaw Street (@erinshawstreet) is Associate Editor at Southern Living Magazine and board member of the Alabama Social Media Association (ALSOCME). She also has a thing for gold shoes. You can find her writing at www.erinstreet.com.

Kristen Record Heptinstall (@kristenheptin) is Senior Producer for Social Media and Community at al.com, executive director of the Alabama Social Media Association (ALSOCME), and a Walt Disney World fanatic. She blogs at southernwebgirl.blogspot.com.

See Jane Tweet will be held Thursday, April 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Matthew's Bar & Grill. This event is free but you must RSVP by Tuesday, April 26 to attend. To be added to the participant list, simply email me at javacia@georgiamae.com. To learn more about See Jane Write visit seejanewritebham.blogspot.com.

I hope to see you there!

- Javacia Harris Bowser

See Jane Write presents See Jane Tweet

at Matthew's Bar & Grill, 2208 Morris Ave.

Thursday, April 28 at 6 p.m.

Event Schedule:

6-6:30 p.m. -- Networking (Time to grab some grub from the bar and mingle with other local female writers)

6:30 - 7:30 p.m. -- Presentation (Erin and Kristen talk Twitter, digital branding and much more)

7:30 - 8 p.m. -- Q&A session

Best Post of the Week: Week Ninety-Six

Have you RSVP'ed for the April Blogger meet-up yet? If not, click here for all of the details!!


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

April Bloggers Meet-Up!

Time to mark your calendars to come to April's Blogger Meet-Up!! If you haven't been to one yet, definitely give it a try - we always have great conversations about widely varying topics, and there's nothing like meeting in person to grow relationships with other local bloggers!

April's meet will be on Thursday, April 28th at 11:30 am Cantina in Patton Creek. Our host will be Carl (@MediaGuyCarl) of New Media Rules.

Come out to join us!! And be sure to RSVP on this post by April 27th so that we know to save you a seat!


Cantina
181 Main St. Hoover, AL (205) 560-0500 (map)

Upcoming Event: Atlanta Food and Wine Festival!

One of the highest privileges of living in The South is the amazing delicacy that is southern cooking. It’s comfortable. It’s delicious. And it’s versatile – it easily can combine with many other regional fares to create delectable combinations like Tex-Mex and my personal favorite, Southern-Greek.

And now southern cuisine has an entirely new way to be appreciated and honored – coming in May, The Atlanta Food and Wine Festival will debut to highlight and celebrate everything about Southern food.

“This event is all about highlighting the diversity of the Southern Chef”
– Chris Hastings, Hot and Hot Fish Club

Even though 2011 is it’s inaugural year, this festival has been exceptionally well planned and designed. They have a founder’s council of 63 chefs from 14 southern states (including four of Alabama’s top chefs, Frank Stitt, Chris and Idie Hastings, and James Boyce).

The event founders, Elizabeth Feichter and Dominique Love, asked the chefs of the Founder's Council what they would want the event to look like. And by letting the experts guide the event, it is certain to be an amazing weekend.

“[Having] the Founder’s Council is the dream approach – that’s what sets this festival apart.”
- Scott Jones, Jones is Hungry

The events of the weekend include many seminars and demonstrations, a la carte dinners at various restaurants around Atlanta (featuring out-of-town chefs), a Street Cart Pavilion to sample the South’s top food trucks, and Tasting Tents that take you through a tour of Southern Cuisine (imagine being able to taste every region’s barbeque, then walk to the next tent and taste all of the various forms of Southern fried chicken…YUM).

The three focus areas of the festival will be Old Traditions (soul food, barbecue, Cajun and Creole, meat and three, etc), New Traditions (the fusing of Southern food with Asian, Greek, French, Latin, etc), and Imports and Inspirations (“Other Southern” – food from other southern regions around the world, including Southern Europe, South Africa, South America, etc).

The event also supports Grow for Good, a national campaign to support sustainable agriculture and local farms – something that will most definitely benefit us all.

This inaugural year is certain to be a special year – if you love amazing southern food, this is a can’t-miss event!!

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The dates of the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival are Thursday, May 19th through Sunday, May 22nd. They have every type of ticket package available – day passes, weekend passes, Tasting Tent and Street Cart Pavilion passes, VIP passes, and, for the true foodie, connoisseur passes.

Best Post of the Week: Week Ninety-Five

It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

Visiting Pisgah – Gorham’s Bluff.

When people start listing off the great destinations in our state, Pisgah is not usually on the top of the list.

But if you’re looking for a stunning panorama and a cozy place to retreat to, it should be.

My husband and I made our first trip to Pisgah when we stayed at Gorham’s Bluff for our tenth anniversary a couple of weeks ago. Part Bed and Breakfast, part cottage community, it is completely fabulous.

The views down into the valley are stunning:

And the Bed and Breakfast is delightfully eerie on a foggy day…

And the perfect southern mansion on a clear day.

Thanks to the excellent service of Executive Chef Keith Izydore, the meals provided are worth the trip by themselves.

We enjoyed the Full American Package, which is all three meals (which I highly recommend, since once you get to Gorham’s Bluff, you're at least 20 miles from any other eating establishment.)

Our lunch was a gourmet boxed lunch that we enjoyed in our cottage,

and we ate our dinner and breakfast in the Bed and Breakfast’s main Dining Room.

Although we would have stayed at the Bed and Breakfast had their been a room available, we ended up in a cottage, and we were so glad we did – having our own space really helped us relax and retreat.

All of the vistas are spectacular,

as is the architecture of the houses.

There are also plenty of nature trails, some even going down into the bluff where a waterfall can be found:

Pisgah is near Scottsboro, Alabama, and a little over two hours from Birmingham. If you’re looking for a gorgeous place to take a weekend trip, I highly recommend it!

What great Alabama vacation secrets do you know?

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I was not compensated in any way, or even requested to write this review. My opinions are always my own.

Best Post of the Week: Week Ninety-Four

It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!