Friday 16 April 2010

Jubilations: Penny Red makes the Orwell Prize shortlist! [and finds more gainful employment]

Penny Red has made the shortlist for the Orwell Prize for blogs, along with Jack of Kent, Hopi Sen, Winston Smith, Tim Marshall and the brilliant Madam Miaow. MM has a full report of the event, along with a photo of herself and moiself looking fierce.

I've only just sat down to process this happening, as the past two days have involved two last-minute freelance copy deadlines, nine hours of sleep in total, and the first days of my new job as Features Assistant at Morning Star. I am, of course, incredibly flattered that the judges (Jack Knight and Oona King) like my work, and I'm glad that people like my blog, and I'm delighted that the blogosphere is getting the recognition it deserves as, in Orwell Prize director MC Jean Seaton's words, "representing reporting from places that aren't getting reported."

I blogged some polite and hopeful thoughts about political theatre and the leaders' debate at New Statesman today. I'm about to post up some more coherent thoughts about why, despite very exciting and pleasing things happening for a full, exhausting 48 hours now, I'm storming around in a rage. Part of it is just anxiety, I'm sure: I felt incredibly out of place at the shortlist debate, with all the nice wine and posh canapes and ubiquitous Peter Hitchens, and the leaders' debate, as well as being structurally exhilarating, made me more angry than I can actually justify, given that I've just won a big shiny prize.

But before I grump off into a sleep-deprived grump, I thought I ought to put up something saying: jubilations and celebrations! And thank you to everyone who flatters me with their attention on this blog. I love you all. Even Vanilla Rose.

9 comments:

  1. Bravo - it's hugely deserved. And congratulations on the Morning Star gig too.

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  2. Congrats, plus you get a mention on Ray's masterpiece of a blog...
    http://thebadolddayswillend.blogspot.com/

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  3. And you deserve to be short listed even though you have wrote some utter rubbish about poverty in the UK. It is also heartening to see that you have forgiven Vanilla Rose for snatching your number commentator (me) away to her blog. Don't worry I'll make guest appearances, sometimes anonymously, just to cheer you up and piss you off stimultaneously (sic).

    PS: I too have been short listed in the Dicksonian list of blog commentators. I bet my prize is better than yours.

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  4. Well done, many congrats! Richly deserved if I may say so.

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  5. When you and Madame Miaow were being photographed why didn't you stand up? Were you sitting down or on your knees? Or is MM a giantess or similar? You look like a hobbit standing beside an elf! In fact the pair of you look like the latest pair of actresses selected by the BBC to play Dr.Who's new alien assistants/eye-candy/totty.

    Just joking!

    Well, what's life without a laugh, eh?

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  6. Yea I saw that photo and thought surely this has been airbrushed.

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  7. And why indeed are you wearing a star trek outfit, surely it wasn't fancy dress?

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