Two more blogs I read regularly are quite different from one another both in subject matter and in the  women writing them. Still, they each write with a clear individual voice which engages me no matter what the topic. In each case I have appreciated that all comments I make are responded to with care and thoughtfulness. When that back and forth can happen with comments, I feel connected to the writer in a satisfying way even though we haven’t met in person.

Rachel Mankowitz writes “The Cricket Pages” every Saturday night, I expect at the end of the Jewish Sabbath. Her posts are long but only occur once a week, so they are worth reading thoroughly. She intersperses her writing with photos of her dog(her second dog died recently) and captions those photos with “quotes” from the dog. This light humor balances the often serious reflections Rachel makes about graduate school, chronic illness challenges, religion, and, of course, dogs. I always look forward to catching up with Rachel each week.

Alexis Chateau, who writes a blog with the same name, posts often, but not as predictably as Rachel and Arlene. A native of Jamaica, an entrepreneur, a traveler, hiker and generally savvy young woman, Alexis can be counted on to post a variety of interesting and sometimes challenging writings. Her travels around the United States are accompanied by selfies of Alexis and her crew and introduce me to new places to see. Her reflections on race in the United States are of particular interest to me since she comes from such a different racial environment–one of white minority. Like Rachel, Alexis responds to comments, often asking questions to invite further back and forth.

As I have been reflecting on writers I follow, I have discovered that I like some posting consistency, a chance to interact with comments, good writing with a strong sense of voice(hard to explain but easy to recognize) and a sense of humor. Tomorrow I will mention a few men bloggers I also enjoy.