PAULA WHYMAN

I was already planning to mention these two new blogs, created recently by writers I know whose work I have admired. As it happens, today is the She Writes Shout Out, in conjunction with International Women's Day, so what better time to do so?

The Angst Report: Taking the pulse of our collective anxiety, one scary headline at a time is the brainchild of novelist Debbie Galant, whose work I've talked about here. Galant's comic novels include Fear and Yoga in New Jersey and most recently, Cars From a Marriage. She's also the creator of the local news site Baristanet. The Angst Report is described as "rubbernecking from the dark side of the soul." I especially like her recent angst-ridden post about bed bugs, called Practicing Safe Suitcase. However, be warned--it will make you feel itchy.

Shetalkspolitics.com: Where the spin on government, media, and life gets unspun is the creation of journalist Dana Scarton, whose work has appeared everywhere from the New York Times to Salon.com. This is a brand new blog, and Dana will be posting regularly, so keep an eye on it in the coming weeks as it develops. I like the feature called the Leader Board, which promises to single out specific journalists who deserve mention. The first entry focuses on Ed Schultz and his work on the ground in Wisconsin. For more of Dana's recent work, see this interesting piece she wrote for U.S. News about new fathers experiencing postpartum depression.

The lovely Dionne Ford, who blogs at Finding Josephine, just picked me for her list of "lovely bloggers" who deserve a shout. Thank you, Dionne!

Officially, these are known as the Lovely Blog Awards, which originated with SheWrites. As a grateful recipient, I will now pass the baton to some of my own favorite Blogger Babes. This list is by no means exhaustive; I'm sure I left out some blogs I really enjoy. That will give me an excuse to do this again, down the road. (And, by the way, when I say "babes," I mean that in only the least sexist, most flattering way. And anyway, I'm a chick, so I can say "babe" and get away with it. Babe.)

So, here's my list of Lovely Blogs:

Deborah Ager/32 Poems blog

Sandra Beasley/Chicks Dig Poetry

Lauren Cerand/LuxLotus

Susan Coll/Alternate Sides

Tayari Jones

Caroline Leavitt/CarolineLeavittville

CM Mayo/Madam Mayo

Leslie Pietrzyk/Work-in-Progress

MJ Rose/Buzz, Balls & Hype

Karen Watkins/MocoScene

While there is absolutely no obligation to pass these awards on to others, the official rules for the Lovely Blogger Awards recommend that recipients do the following:

* Accept the award, post it on my blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
* Pass the award to 15 (or some number of) other blogs.
* Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

If this sounds like a chain letter, trust me, it isn't. I promise the award recipients, your future will be just as bright if you do not choose your own set of winners. It's simply a way to let people know about blogs (by women) that you think deserve some credit. So, there, you're released from responsibility, if you want to be...