Best Post Contest FINALE: winner, category winners, 1st & 2nd timers February 4, 2019 5:47 PM Subscribe
The posts were bested! This month's contest has had some really great posts, including a ton of single-linkers, obscure subjects, the weird and the wonderful. In here we announce the overall winner, the first- and second-time posters, and Mefites announce their category winners. If you have a underappreciated post you'd like to highlight, feel free to bring it in here too -- there's chips and dip and sparkling beverages for everyone!
The Mefite's Choice Overall Best Post Winner was.....
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Oh hello", about an experienced hiker who saw footprints leading off trail, in a mountain snowstorm
by bondcliff!
* * * * * * * * * * *
(Spoiler alert - - for folks who want a content warning - -
that post has suicide-related content.)
For process nerds - Because it was posted right at the end of the week, this post was *not* one of our weekly winners or even honorable mentions. And yet it was the top vote-getter for the month by a solid margin! As things worked out, no other posts were affected by the timing in this way, so it's a happy accident that we get to specially acknowledge this one.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rounding out the Overall Best dais (the next top 5 highest vote getters over the month):
The Chemical Table: An open dialogue between visualization and design (evolution of the periodic table) by filthy light thief
Wherever you go, there they are: a short history of portable toilets by MonkeyToes
February is International Correspondence Writing Month by needlegrrl
Silk Stockings and Socialism (1920s Philadelphia labor history) by sepviva
Minorcan Food of Florida by saladin
Congratulations to all, and thank you for the excellent month of posts!
The weekly roundup posts have a lot of great stuff too:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sing hey for First Time Posters!
Top posts by first time posters, as voted by the community:
Silk Stockings and Socialism by sepviva
Well of course you do, you rambunctious little pumpkin - exploring light music from the 1940s and '50s, and more, by mubba
(Media Watch, the Australian media-critique show entering its 30th year by Merus, honorary first-poster)
Panorama of the Thames made from un-displayed artworks by YoungStencil - not yet highlighted in any weekly roundup!
and let's have a round of applause for all the first-time posters:
A stop-motion crocheted animal love story by yours in calendrical heresy
Donkey Kong 64 marathon playthrough, funding a charity for trans kids by Is It Over Yet? (This was a great thread to read along with!)
Polish mayor assassinated by M. (Somber thread but several comments from local Mefites)
Elizabeth Anderson on inequality and private government by TinyChicken
Just be likeable, by Alexandra Petri by HotToddy
The music of Deerhoof by sjswitzer
Interviews on race with Claudia Rankine, Krista Tippett, Eula Biss by platitudipus
This Land is Mine, a song about race in America by Gary Clarke Jr by the primroses were over
History of wall games by always_implicated
Celebrating the weirdest C programs by silentbicycle
Apple pulls Facebook's certificate after more bad behavior by Making You Bored for Science
Obit for guitarist Phil Durr by outfielder
Captain Marvel trailer by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead
AI advances in playing Starcraft by Laura Palmer's Cold Dead Kiss
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Huzzah for Second Time Posters!
Top posts by second time posters, as voted by the community:
February is International Correspondence Writing Month by needlegrrl
Performance by up-and-coming bluegrass players by Pickman's Next Top Model
and let's give a hand for all the second-time posters:
The disappearance of the painting Salvator Mundi by majorsteel
Composers as biscuits by RhysPenbras
Fan site for the IROC-Z sports car by nikaspark
Animal Hot Tub, a cute game of running an animal spa by batter_my_heart
Sunless Skies, part rogue-lite game and part interactive fiction by OnTheLastCastle
The Missing, a gory game about queer identity by the Contender
Age discrimination at work after 50 by Altomentis
After lengthy impasse, Sweden gets a government again by St. Oops
"Live" tv musical Rent aired a tape after actor broke his ankle by wellred
The music of Grandaddy by sjswitzer
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hip hip hooray for Category Winners!
These are the categories with offered awards:
LobsterMitten - history
Eyebrows McGee - engages my kids
hippybear - non-US-centric
Wordshore - poop
rangefinder1.4 - (non famous, underrepresented) women doing awesome things
filthy light thief - keepmefiweird
filthy light thief - local history
Etrigan - gaming
EmpressCallipygos - butts
Meatbomb - phoned it in
capricorn - taciturn (single link)
(We'll add them here as people name them in the thread, and folks can feel free to add new ones too)
The Mefite's Choice Overall Best Post Winner was.....
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Oh hello", about an experienced hiker who saw footprints leading off trail, in a mountain snowstorm
by bondcliff!
* * * * * * * * * * *
(Spoiler alert - - for folks who want a content warning - -
that post has suicide-related content.)
For process nerds - Because it was posted right at the end of the week, this post was *not* one of our weekly winners or even honorable mentions. And yet it was the top vote-getter for the month by a solid margin! As things worked out, no other posts were affected by the timing in this way, so it's a happy accident that we get to specially acknowledge this one.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rounding out the Overall Best dais (the next top 5 highest vote getters over the month):
The Chemical Table: An open dialogue between visualization and design (evolution of the periodic table) by filthy light thief
Wherever you go, there they are: a short history of portable toilets by MonkeyToes
February is International Correspondence Writing Month by needlegrrl
Silk Stockings and Socialism (1920s Philadelphia labor history) by sepviva
Minorcan Food of Florida by saladin
Congratulations to all, and thank you for the excellent month of posts!
The weekly roundup posts have a lot of great stuff too:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sing hey for First Time Posters!
Top posts by first time posters, as voted by the community:
Silk Stockings and Socialism by sepviva
Well of course you do, you rambunctious little pumpkin - exploring light music from the 1940s and '50s, and more, by mubba
(Media Watch, the Australian media-critique show entering its 30th year by Merus, honorary first-poster)
Panorama of the Thames made from un-displayed artworks by YoungStencil - not yet highlighted in any weekly roundup!
and let's have a round of applause for all the first-time posters:
A stop-motion crocheted animal love story by yours in calendrical heresy
Donkey Kong 64 marathon playthrough, funding a charity for trans kids by Is It Over Yet? (This was a great thread to read along with!)
Polish mayor assassinated by M. (Somber thread but several comments from local Mefites)
Elizabeth Anderson on inequality and private government by TinyChicken
Just be likeable, by Alexandra Petri by HotToddy
The music of Deerhoof by sjswitzer
Interviews on race with Claudia Rankine, Krista Tippett, Eula Biss by platitudipus
This Land is Mine, a song about race in America by Gary Clarke Jr by the primroses were over
History of wall games by always_implicated
Celebrating the weirdest C programs by silentbicycle
Apple pulls Facebook's certificate after more bad behavior by Making You Bored for Science
Obit for guitarist Phil Durr by outfielder
Captain Marvel trailer by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead
AI advances in playing Starcraft by Laura Palmer's Cold Dead Kiss
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Huzzah for Second Time Posters!
Top posts by second time posters, as voted by the community:
February is International Correspondence Writing Month by needlegrrl
Performance by up-and-coming bluegrass players by Pickman's Next Top Model
and let's give a hand for all the second-time posters:
The disappearance of the painting Salvator Mundi by majorsteel
Composers as biscuits by RhysPenbras
Fan site for the IROC-Z sports car by nikaspark
Animal Hot Tub, a cute game of running an animal spa by batter_my_heart
Sunless Skies, part rogue-lite game and part interactive fiction by OnTheLastCastle
The Missing, a gory game about queer identity by the Contender
Age discrimination at work after 50 by Altomentis
After lengthy impasse, Sweden gets a government again by St. Oops
"Live" tv musical Rent aired a tape after actor broke his ankle by wellred
The music of Grandaddy by sjswitzer
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hip hip hooray for Category Winners!
These are the categories with offered awards:
LobsterMitten - history
Eyebrows McGee - engages my kids
hippybear - non-US-centric
Wordshore - poop
rangefinder1.4 - (non famous, underrepresented) women doing awesome things
filthy light thief - keepmefiweird
filthy light thief - local history
Etrigan - gaming
EmpressCallipygos - butts
Meatbomb - phoned it in
capricorn - taciturn (single link)
(We'll add them here as people name them in the thread, and folks can feel free to add new ones too)
Right on, first- and second-time posters!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:54 PM on February 4, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:54 PM on February 4, 2019 [3 favorites]
EmpressCallipygos - butts
It appears that only two people took up the mantle of this challenge, so I am declaring you both winners:
A post from a fiendish thingy about how hockey players with well-developed butt areas have trouble finding pants.
and
A post from duffell about attempts to recreate the instruments used in Hieronymous Bosch paintings, including a flute that was to be played with the butt.
As a prize, the best thing I can think to offer is a butt-related beauty care product. Fiendish Thingy and Duffell, memail me and I can give you details for what I've got in mind; if it doesn't appeal, we can negotiate an alternative.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:47 PM on February 4, 2019 [6 favorites]
It appears that only two people took up the mantle of this challenge, so I am declaring you both winners:
A post from a fiendish thingy about how hockey players with well-developed butt areas have trouble finding pants.
and
A post from duffell about attempts to recreate the instruments used in Hieronymous Bosch paintings, including a flute that was to be played with the butt.
As a prize, the best thing I can think to offer is a butt-related beauty care product. Fiendish Thingy and Duffell, memail me and I can give you details for what I've got in mind; if it doesn't appeal, we can negotiate an alternative.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:47 PM on February 4, 2019 [6 favorites]
Help me mods how do I delete poop?
posted by loquacious at 11:31 PM on February 4, 2019
posted by loquacious at 11:31 PM on February 4, 2019
bondcliff, I am so happy for you! Congrats!
For process nerds
LobsterMitten, reading that was maybe example 5,623 of me thinking here, "Yes, I am in the right place."
Still going through candidates to narrow down winners for the awesomewomen category - please bear with me for about another week or so. There's so much good content! I will announce the winners here as soon as I'm able to read/click through more of the links in the posts.
Also want to apologize to capricorn for not making a taciturn MeFi post as I'd hoped. As penance, I promise to make one in the future even though the contest is over.
If I can just take a moment to say -- personally it's been difficult getting through some points over the past few weeks, and one thing that's really brought me joy is the anticipation of this contest and seeing so many fantastic posts all month. So I'd like to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to: the mods for organizing the contest for January and rounding up all the votes; all of the people who participated in the contest by posting, commenting, and voting; all the folks who also sponsored a category; all the people who kept posting while not having any idea they might win something; all the people who posted about awesome women; all the past winners who posted again, whose usernames I now recognize and sort of think of as MeFi Best Contest friends...even if it's just in my own head... And all first- and second-time posters who took that leap to make a post.
Does the Best Post Contest make me irrationally happy? Maybe? I don't mind if it does -- I'll take it. Huzzah, everyone!
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 1:49 AM on February 5, 2019 [4 favorites]
For process nerds
LobsterMitten, reading that was maybe example 5,623 of me thinking here, "Yes, I am in the right place."
Still going through candidates to narrow down winners for the awesomewomen category - please bear with me for about another week or so. There's so much good content! I will announce the winners here as soon as I'm able to read/click through more of the links in the posts.
Also want to apologize to capricorn for not making a taciturn MeFi post as I'd hoped. As penance, I promise to make one in the future even though the contest is over.
If I can just take a moment to say -- personally it's been difficult getting through some points over the past few weeks, and one thing that's really brought me joy is the anticipation of this contest and seeing so many fantastic posts all month. So I'd like to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to: the mods for organizing the contest for January and rounding up all the votes; all of the people who participated in the contest by posting, commenting, and voting; all the folks who also sponsored a category; all the people who kept posting while not having any idea they might win something; all the people who posted about awesome women; all the past winners who posted again, whose usernames I now recognize and sort of think of as MeFi Best Contest friends...even if it's just in my own head... And all first- and second-time posters who took that leap to make a post.
Does the Best Post Contest make me irrationally happy? Maybe? I don't mind if it does -- I'll take it. Huzzah, everyone!
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 1:49 AM on February 5, 2019 [4 favorites]
Hey wow. Thanks! This is a total surprise.
I almost didn't post it because of the content and also because hiking posts don't often do too well. I'm glad I did and I'm glad people got something from it.
So when do I get to be mod for a day? I got some folks I want to ban and some comments I want to delete. Also the fonts around this place could use more flair.
posted by bondcliff at 6:18 AM on February 5, 2019 [7 favorites]
I almost didn't post it because of the content and also because hiking posts don't often do too well. I'm glad I did and I'm glad people got something from it.
So when do I get to be mod for a day? I got some folks I want to ban and some comments I want to delete. Also the fonts around this place could use more flair.
posted by bondcliff at 6:18 AM on February 5, 2019 [7 favorites]
Help me mods how do I delete poop?
How many times do we have to say this.... use the flush handle.
posted by terrapin at 7:08 AM on February 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
How many times do we have to say this.... use the flush handle.
posted by terrapin at 7:08 AM on February 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
That hockey butt post is terrific.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 7:37 AM on February 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 7:37 AM on February 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
rangefinder1.4 - (non famous, underrepresented) women doing awesome things
Can I give an honorary shout-out to rangefinder1.4 for her wonderful tribute to MovableBookLady? This was a fantastic post about one of our own community, and in terms of "women doing awesome things" meets the bar for both poster and postee I think. *Technically* she could send a prize to herself...but I'll donate something as soon as I can think of an appropriate reward.
posted by billiebee at 8:50 AM on February 5, 2019 [20 favorites]
Can I give an honorary shout-out to rangefinder1.4 for her wonderful tribute to MovableBookLady? This was a fantastic post about one of our own community, and in terms of "women doing awesome things" meets the bar for both poster and postee I think. *Technically* she could send a prize to herself...but I'll donate something as soon as I can think of an appropriate reward.
posted by billiebee at 8:50 AM on February 5, 2019 [20 favorites]
Can I just say thanks for doing the contest? It served as a great mcguffin for me to get out there and do more FPPs. I've been here for almost 12 years and before January, had done 20 posts in that time. And hey, that's fine, there's no "acceptable minimum" and however much or little you wanna post is cool. But I was able to double that number in the month of January and once I got in the habit of doing it, I really came to enjoy making new FPPs. I expect to be doing that more often in the future!
posted by duffell at 9:00 AM on February 5, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by duffell at 9:00 AM on February 5, 2019 [5 favorites]
Congratulations to the winners and to all the new posters! That was a FPP great story, bondcliff, and like all best-of-the-web posts, it drew out terrific comments on the topic from the MeFi community.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:56 AM on February 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:56 AM on February 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
I was so sad that bondcliff’s post hadn’t won the weekly contest, or even gotten an honorable mention. I’m so glad it won! (And thank you for the explanation. Makes total sense.)
posted by Weeping_angel at 3:15 PM on February 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 3:15 PM on February 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
You all made so many amazing single-link posts in January that I can't even begin to link them all. I could not possibly narrow down the winners to one, so (in no particular order) these three winners will all be receiving a MeMail from me!
- jenkinsEar delighted video game and bird lovers alike with this post on birding...in Red Dead Redemption 2. I may have to play it just for the fauna.
- Etrigan helped demystify--or maybe further mystify?--Jewish doctrine with this post on whether the Muscovy duck is kosher. I still don't know whether the duck is kosher but I do know that you should definitely read the comments on this FPP.
- Chrysostom captured our literary-loving imaginations by taking us into the Grolier Club's secret collection
Some other favorites include Console Variations, Graciela Iturbide's magical photographs, Afrofuturist dance, weird animal noises, animated VHS covers, millennials and burnout, Fourier transforms, Men's Fiction, A Tuna Called Justice, Soviet control rooms, and The Embroidered Computer. Y'all rule. This ruled.
posted by capricorn at 5:14 PM on February 5, 2019 [4 favorites]
rangefinder 1.4: "Also want to apologize to capricorn for not making a taciturn MeFi post as I'd hoped. As penance, I promise to make one in the future even though the contest is over."
I can't wait to see it!!!
posted by capricorn at 5:15 PM on February 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
I can't wait to see it!!!
posted by capricorn at 5:15 PM on February 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
The best post on gaming was all about breaking games: Fizz'z Hoo-ray, about a gamer who has dedicated himself to beating Mario games weirdly.
posted by Etrigan at 6:41 PM on February 5, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 6:41 PM on February 5, 2019 [3 favorites]
I feel honored that my second post was on...the...iroc-z...
posted by nikaspark at 8:20 PM on February 5, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by nikaspark at 8:20 PM on February 5, 2019 [3 favorites]
We talked about it on the podcast!
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 6:32 AM on February 6, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 6:32 AM on February 6, 2019 [2 favorites]
The best post on gaming was all about breaking games: Fizz'z Hoo-ray,
“A WINNER IS YOU!”
posted by Fizz at 8:00 AM on February 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
“A WINNER IS YOU!”
posted by Fizz at 8:00 AM on February 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
(I'll be along in a day or so with the history winner but you guys make it so hard to choose, every time it's like this, gah)
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:33 AM on February 6, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:33 AM on February 6, 2019 [2 favorites]
So, catching up here and...billiebee! What the heck, friend -- your comment caught me off guard. I don't know what to say, except...thank you. That is really kind of you, and the thoughtfulness behind your comment is a gift by itself.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 12:15 AM on February 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 12:15 AM on February 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
Unfortunately, while I was away with others building a wickerman and doing other fun projects, the butler put the poop competition results in the wrong thread (in fairness my instructions weren't great). So here they are. Ambrosen: check your MefiMail!
posted by Wordshore at 1:44 PM on February 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Wordshore at 1:44 PM on February 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
I am super late with my contest results and am going to be even a bit later. My apologies, but I'll get them announced as soon as I can!
posted by hippybear at 10:51 PM on February 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 10:51 PM on February 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
awesomewomen category update:
The good news is that I have over 80 posts that technically qualify for my category!
The bad news is that I have to narrow it down from 80. Honestly this may be the highest number of candidates out of all the previous times I've sponsored the category. It's been a treat going through all of them, and I do want to give everyone a fair shake. Give me a few more days and I'll post the winners. Trying to narrow down that to about 10. It may take me a few more days to post all the honorable mentions.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 12:47 AM on February 12, 2019 [3 favorites]
The good news is that I have over 80 posts that technically qualify for my category!
The bad news is that I have to narrow it down from 80. Honestly this may be the highest number of candidates out of all the previous times I've sponsored the category. It's been a treat going through all of them, and I do want to give everyone a fair shake. Give me a few more days and I'll post the winners. Trying to narrow down that to about 10. It may take me a few more days to post all the honorable mentions.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 12:47 AM on February 12, 2019 [3 favorites]
awesomewomen category winners!
Thanks for your patience! As a reminder, I asked for posts about not-so-famous women doing awesome things, with bonus consideration for diversity and under-represented people. The top winner, and most of the winning posts, fulfilled all those criteria. Although I requested that they be tagged "awesomewomen" and, optionally "representation" I also looked at other posts.
It was seriously difficult to pick from over 80 posts! (I'll post Honorable Mentions in a separate comment.)
The top winning post is about Dr. Mandë Holford and her research on how the venom from killer snails can help relieve pain and treat cancer. Yes, venom from killer snails. It is a real thing, and very captivating. Dr Holford also cofounded (with other women) the "Killer Snails" team, which promotes science games for kids. Not only did I learn there were killer snails, I also learned the word "envenomate." The post also introduced me to the show/podcast Nerdette (which had an interview with Dr. Holford) and more links about science, which in turn led me down a rabbit hole of more interviews with interesting women and the awesome things they do. Congrats to CMcG for making the post! I'll send you a MetaFilter sticker and a postcard.
And more winners! (I'll send one postcard to each poster). In no particular order, they are about:
- Alison Smith's beautiful personal essay on how she, a fish-out-of-water freshman at the University of Rochester in the late 1980s, managed to become Ursula K. Le Guin's "shepherd" during a week-long conference on campus. Aside from the conference events, Smith took Le Guin on a tour of her (Smith's) favorite spots; there are also unexpected interesting glimpses into Rochester history, e.g. local bookstores, and the gravesites of Susan B. Anthony and her sister Mary Stafford Anthony, who was unfamiliar to me and deserves her own post). (by ALeaflikeStructure)
- Historian Ruby Lal tells us about Nur Jahan, who ruled Mughal India as the only female emperor (17th century). From one of the linked articles, by Maria Thomas: "It would take over 300 years before another woman rose to the top in India, long after the Mughal empire was gone. Lal’s book captures that brief, incredible moment in history when the widowed daughter of a Persian noble boldly redefined the role of the royal wife." Yet another significant figure formerly overlooked by history. (by infini)
- Anoushé Husain, "British civil servant and paraclimber. She recently founded Paraclimbing London, and has received a Points of Light Award from Downing Street." And she speaks eight languages. I love her positive attitude. (btw there's a cool MeFite connection!) (by serathen)
- Graciela Iturbide's Photos of Mexico Make ‘Visible What, to Many, Is Invisible’ - mentioned already above. Iturbide, "76, has a photographic opus spanning several decades. Her pictures reveal a fresh perspective on Mexican indigenous personalities, communities and landscapes." Profile piece by Evelyn Nieves featuring some of Iturbide's stunning photography. Also check the additional info in the comments. (by Pfardentrott)
From poffin boffin:
- Andi Murphy and "The Wondrous Bread of the Pueblo Nations"- a piece describing her visits to four different bakeries in New Mexico that still create Pueblo breads (all headed by women/ by women with their spouses). Murphy is "creator and host of the Toasted Sister Podcast, a show about Indigenous foods. She’s also a photographer and producer for Native America Calling, a live radio show about Native American topics and issues." I have never had Pueblo bread but as a fan of bread in general, this was a neat tour.
- Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids, the first two Native American women to serve in Congress - an uplifting piece describing their historic first day in January 2019. (At the end of the article there's a reference to Pueblo cookies, which hadn't really struck me when I first read the article -- then I read it again after reading Murphy's Pueblo bread piece and I thought "Oh, I know what that means now!")
From duffell:
- Composer Florence Price, the first African-American woman to have her music performed by a major orchestra (in 1933). Fortunately, 30 boxes of her manuscripts, scores, and papers were found in an abandoned house in Illinois in 2009. It's great to be able to hear newer recordings/performances of her work.
- Katelyn Ohashi, gymnast at UCLA: "After enduring excruciating physical injuries and a toxic culture of body-shaming in elite gymnastics, Katelyn Ohashi eventually found her way to collegiate gymnastics, where she came to rediscover the joy of the sport--along with a passion for writing and activism." You might have seen her in a competition video on social media - this is a nice LA Times profile of her.
From filthy light thief:
- Discovery of pious Medieval women who quietly painted and wrote books - about anthropologist Christina Warinner, Aniti Radini and their colleagues' super interesting findings: how checking fossilized dental plaque of a medieval woman ended up releasing lazurite crystals from lapis lazuli. "women were scribing and painting manuscripts in medieval Europe, even if history had forgotten them. Until the 1400s CE, most scribes and painters didn’t sign their work, as a mark of humility, and that has largely erased women from the record, leaving historians to assume all the scribes were men." (Be sure to check out the photos in the linked articles to see the blue crystals.)
- Christiana Herringham: artist, campaigner, collector, whose influence and history has largely been forgotten. Among her efforts in the early 20th century, she visited and reproduced the Ajanta Cave frescoes in India. She is possibly the real-life inspiration for the character Mrs Moore in E.M. Forster's A Passage to India, which is notable to me personally as a Forster fan.
- (And while this post wasn't about a person unknown to me, I had no idea that Katharine Hepburn was also a talented painter, so check out her art if you missed it.)
From mandolin conspiracy:
- Alexis Hillyard and her "unique YouTube cooking show called 'Stump Kitchen' which showcases her love of food, alongside adaptive kitchen techniques for cooking with one hand." The episodes with kids are my favorites of the ones I've seen so far. I also liked that it's recorded with an iphone, and an elbow for a makeshift tripod.
- Veronica Lewis: "As someone with low vision and a blindness cane user, it worries me to see many unsafe and inaccurate videos about doing tasks with no vision. Here is a thread on safe and positive alternatives to the viral challenge." I appreciated the comments in the thread as well - there are some really great links/references.
- (And this was a few days before the contest started, but I also wanted to link to his post about CCGS Captain Molly Kool, named after "the first woman in North America to become a deep sea Captain, and only the second woman in the world to obtain that title" in 1939.)
- Sharon McConnell-Sidorick covering feminist hosiery union workers who pushed for equal treatment, equal pay, childcare, housing, social security, and labor rights in the 1920s and 1930s. Reading about the workers' efforts then unfortunately is still very relevant today, and I kept learning more as I kept reading, which is the best. Excellent first post, too! (by sepviva)
- Suzette Haden Elgin, linguist and sci-fi novelist who invented the language Láadan: "Can a language be designed specifically to express the thoughts and feelings of women? In 1984, the linguist Suzette Haden Elgin wrote a science fiction novel to test this question. The result was Native Tongue, a dystopian tale of a future America that has been widely compared to The Handmaid's Tale." Looking forward to picking up the book. (by kliuless)
- Soleil Ho and Blue Delliquanti and their comic on The Surprising History of the Fortune Cookie, featuring Jennifer 8. Lee (writer of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles). I didn't think that fortune cookies were Chinese in origin, but I had no idea of the actual history. Now I'm interested in picking up the book to learn more. (by Etrigan)
- Suzana Herculano-Houzel, neuroscientist - "Until very recently — until Herculano-Houzel published an important discovery in 2009 — we did not even know how many cells the human brain contained. We only thought we did." Really great comments in the thread, too. (by sciatrix)
- Sophie Scott, neuroscientist and sometimes-stand-up comedian whose research includes the science of laughter, and how people and animals use sounds to communicate. I really liked her Hidden Brain interview and am looking forward to learning more. (And of course I think it's super cool that she's the sister of a MeFite!) (by Bella Donna)
- Pam Bales, an experienced hiker with search and rescue training, who unexpectedly encountered footprints leading into dangerous territory during bad weather on Mount Washington, New Hampshire. Riveting. (Yes, this is the same post that won the general best post for the month, so CW for suicide. If you haven't read it yet, I don't want to spoil too much but the article title does contain the phrase "an emotional rescue" if that helps.) (by bondcliff)
If you see your name above, please send me mefimail to claim your prize - let me know your mailing address, and if it's okay to refer to your mefi username/post on the postcard. Outside US is fine. I will also send messages within the next few days to make sure folks know they won. Yay, everyone!
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 10:04 PM on February 18, 2019 [3 favorites]
Thanks for your patience! As a reminder, I asked for posts about not-so-famous women doing awesome things, with bonus consideration for diversity and under-represented people. The top winner, and most of the winning posts, fulfilled all those criteria. Although I requested that they be tagged "awesomewomen" and, optionally "representation" I also looked at other posts.
It was seriously difficult to pick from over 80 posts! (I'll post Honorable Mentions in a separate comment.)
The top winning post is about Dr. Mandë Holford and her research on how the venom from killer snails can help relieve pain and treat cancer. Yes, venom from killer snails. It is a real thing, and very captivating. Dr Holford also cofounded (with other women) the "Killer Snails" team, which promotes science games for kids. Not only did I learn there were killer snails, I also learned the word "envenomate." The post also introduced me to the show/podcast Nerdette (which had an interview with Dr. Holford) and more links about science, which in turn led me down a rabbit hole of more interviews with interesting women and the awesome things they do. Congrats to CMcG for making the post! I'll send you a MetaFilter sticker and a postcard.
And more winners! (I'll send one postcard to each poster). In no particular order, they are about:
- Alison Smith's beautiful personal essay on how she, a fish-out-of-water freshman at the University of Rochester in the late 1980s, managed to become Ursula K. Le Guin's "shepherd" during a week-long conference on campus. Aside from the conference events, Smith took Le Guin on a tour of her (Smith's) favorite spots; there are also unexpected interesting glimpses into Rochester history, e.g. local bookstores, and the gravesites of Susan B. Anthony and her sister Mary Stafford Anthony, who was unfamiliar to me and deserves her own post). (by ALeaflikeStructure)
- Historian Ruby Lal tells us about Nur Jahan, who ruled Mughal India as the only female emperor (17th century). From one of the linked articles, by Maria Thomas: "It would take over 300 years before another woman rose to the top in India, long after the Mughal empire was gone. Lal’s book captures that brief, incredible moment in history when the widowed daughter of a Persian noble boldly redefined the role of the royal wife." Yet another significant figure formerly overlooked by history. (by infini)
- Anoushé Husain, "British civil servant and paraclimber. She recently founded Paraclimbing London, and has received a Points of Light Award from Downing Street." And she speaks eight languages. I love her positive attitude. (btw there's a cool MeFite connection!) (by serathen)
- Graciela Iturbide's Photos of Mexico Make ‘Visible What, to Many, Is Invisible’ - mentioned already above. Iturbide, "76, has a photographic opus spanning several decades. Her pictures reveal a fresh perspective on Mexican indigenous personalities, communities and landscapes." Profile piece by Evelyn Nieves featuring some of Iturbide's stunning photography. Also check the additional info in the comments. (by Pfardentrott)
From poffin boffin:
- Andi Murphy and "The Wondrous Bread of the Pueblo Nations"- a piece describing her visits to four different bakeries in New Mexico that still create Pueblo breads (all headed by women/ by women with their spouses). Murphy is "creator and host of the Toasted Sister Podcast, a show about Indigenous foods. She’s also a photographer and producer for Native America Calling, a live radio show about Native American topics and issues." I have never had Pueblo bread but as a fan of bread in general, this was a neat tour.
- Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids, the first two Native American women to serve in Congress - an uplifting piece describing their historic first day in January 2019. (At the end of the article there's a reference to Pueblo cookies, which hadn't really struck me when I first read the article -- then I read it again after reading Murphy's Pueblo bread piece and I thought "Oh, I know what that means now!")
From duffell:
- Composer Florence Price, the first African-American woman to have her music performed by a major orchestra (in 1933). Fortunately, 30 boxes of her manuscripts, scores, and papers were found in an abandoned house in Illinois in 2009. It's great to be able to hear newer recordings/performances of her work.
- Katelyn Ohashi, gymnast at UCLA: "After enduring excruciating physical injuries and a toxic culture of body-shaming in elite gymnastics, Katelyn Ohashi eventually found her way to collegiate gymnastics, where she came to rediscover the joy of the sport--along with a passion for writing and activism." You might have seen her in a competition video on social media - this is a nice LA Times profile of her.
From filthy light thief:
- Discovery of pious Medieval women who quietly painted and wrote books - about anthropologist Christina Warinner, Aniti Radini and their colleagues' super interesting findings: how checking fossilized dental plaque of a medieval woman ended up releasing lazurite crystals from lapis lazuli. "women were scribing and painting manuscripts in medieval Europe, even if history had forgotten them. Until the 1400s CE, most scribes and painters didn’t sign their work, as a mark of humility, and that has largely erased women from the record, leaving historians to assume all the scribes were men." (Be sure to check out the photos in the linked articles to see the blue crystals.)
- Christiana Herringham: artist, campaigner, collector, whose influence and history has largely been forgotten. Among her efforts in the early 20th century, she visited and reproduced the Ajanta Cave frescoes in India. She is possibly the real-life inspiration for the character Mrs Moore in E.M. Forster's A Passage to India, which is notable to me personally as a Forster fan.
- (And while this post wasn't about a person unknown to me, I had no idea that Katharine Hepburn was also a talented painter, so check out her art if you missed it.)
From mandolin conspiracy:
- Alexis Hillyard and her "unique YouTube cooking show called 'Stump Kitchen' which showcases her love of food, alongside adaptive kitchen techniques for cooking with one hand." The episodes with kids are my favorites of the ones I've seen so far. I also liked that it's recorded with an iphone, and an elbow for a makeshift tripod.
- Veronica Lewis: "As someone with low vision and a blindness cane user, it worries me to see many unsafe and inaccurate videos about doing tasks with no vision. Here is a thread on safe and positive alternatives to the viral challenge." I appreciated the comments in the thread as well - there are some really great links/references.
- (And this was a few days before the contest started, but I also wanted to link to his post about CCGS Captain Molly Kool, named after "the first woman in North America to become a deep sea Captain, and only the second woman in the world to obtain that title" in 1939.)
- Sharon McConnell-Sidorick covering feminist hosiery union workers who pushed for equal treatment, equal pay, childcare, housing, social security, and labor rights in the 1920s and 1930s. Reading about the workers' efforts then unfortunately is still very relevant today, and I kept learning more as I kept reading, which is the best. Excellent first post, too! (by sepviva)
- Suzette Haden Elgin, linguist and sci-fi novelist who invented the language Láadan: "Can a language be designed specifically to express the thoughts and feelings of women? In 1984, the linguist Suzette Haden Elgin wrote a science fiction novel to test this question. The result was Native Tongue, a dystopian tale of a future America that has been widely compared to The Handmaid's Tale." Looking forward to picking up the book. (by kliuless)
- Soleil Ho and Blue Delliquanti and their comic on The Surprising History of the Fortune Cookie, featuring Jennifer 8. Lee (writer of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles). I didn't think that fortune cookies were Chinese in origin, but I had no idea of the actual history. Now I'm interested in picking up the book to learn more. (by Etrigan)
- Suzana Herculano-Houzel, neuroscientist - "Until very recently — until Herculano-Houzel published an important discovery in 2009 — we did not even know how many cells the human brain contained. We only thought we did." Really great comments in the thread, too. (by sciatrix)
- Sophie Scott, neuroscientist and sometimes-stand-up comedian whose research includes the science of laughter, and how people and animals use sounds to communicate. I really liked her Hidden Brain interview and am looking forward to learning more. (And of course I think it's super cool that she's the sister of a MeFite!) (by Bella Donna)
- Pam Bales, an experienced hiker with search and rescue training, who unexpectedly encountered footprints leading into dangerous territory during bad weather on Mount Washington, New Hampshire. Riveting. (Yes, this is the same post that won the general best post for the month, so CW for suicide. If you haven't read it yet, I don't want to spoil too much but the article title does contain the phrase "an emotional rescue" if that helps.) (by bondcliff)
If you see your name above, please send me mefimail to claim your prize - let me know your mailing address, and if it's okay to refer to your mefi username/post on the postcard. Outside US is fine. I will also send messages within the next few days to make sure folks know they won. Yay, everyone!
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 10:04 PM on February 18, 2019 [3 favorites]
awesomewomen category Honorable Mentions!
(should be in chrono order) Thank you for the posts about these women:
Thanks to everyone for making (and continuing to make) terrific posts about women!
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 10:24 PM on February 18, 2019 [7 favorites]
(should be in chrono order) Thank you for the posts about these women:
- Donna Ladd's essay about her mother Miss Katie, who learned to read at 63. (by The Pink Superhero)
- Blair Braverman introduces the world to her next Iditarod team. (by k8t)
- Carolita Johnson's essay "Drawn from My Life as a Woman" and her efforts to maintain her appearance from about 1970 to 2018. (by MonkeyToes)
- Jada Yuan: 1 Woman, 12 Months, 52 Places - she recaps a globe-hopping year on the road for the New York Times. (by RedOrGreen)
- Dale DeBakcsy's compilation The Ultimate Women in Science Reading List: 150 Essential Titles - from the creator of of the column "Illustrated Women of Science." (by storybored)
- Hilma af Klint, "the first abstract artist, predating Kandinsky by 5 years." (by lubujackson)
- Elizabeth Anderson, The Philosopher Redefining Equality - profile of her life/work in The New Yorker by Nathan Heller. "Andersonism holds that we don’t have to give up on market society if we can recognize and correct for its limitations." (by TinyChicken)
- Mikaela Shiffrin - great roundup post of the world champion/Olympic ski racer, and a nice primer of the alpine skiing events. (by DevilsAdvocate)
- Pauline Chorna, Annie Hrynchak, Anna Baran and Nellie Handiak, a.k.a. the subjects of Jennifer Yang's intriguing article "Who are the Golden Girls of Prospect Cemetery and why did they decide to spend eternity together?" - "a story about the Carpatho-Russians, immigration, the Depression, Communism, the card game hola, and the friendship of four women." (by thecjm)
- Chesleigh Fields "scientist with a master's degree in forensic DNA and serology, had an idea: Why not use DNA to figure out which dogs (and dog owners) left pet poop unscooped? She could use her background in forensics to bring awareness to a problem recognized globally as a health hazard." The post also covers additional aspects of using poop to get answers to other questions (e.g. it was nice to see an article linking to paleontologist Karen Chin, who was also the subject of a prior Awesome Women Best Post Contest winner from ChuraChura in July 2017). (by Bella Donna)
- Mary Norris, Comma Queen - her New Yorker piece "Greek to Me" on the pleasures of learning a different alphabet. Hooked me from the first paragraph: "A few years ago, in the Frankfurt airport on the way home from Greece, I bought a copy of Virginia Woolf’s “The Common Reader,” which includes her essay “On Not Knowing Greek.” I already had the book at home, but I was impressed that anything by Woolf was considered airport reading." (by Kattullus)
- Irene Posch and Ebru Kurbak and their project The Embroidered Computer: "an exploration into using historic gold embroidery materials and knowledge to craft a programmable 8 bit computer." Words don't do it justice - check out the photos if possible. (by gauche)
- Tonia Sina, Alicia Rodis, Claire Warden, and Jessica Steinrock are four of the people profiled in Ashley Lee's LA Times article, "How do you make a sex scene sexy? (And keep the actors safe?) Five intimacy coordinators explain their craft." (by jessamyn)
- Many women who participated in #bestnine2018 on instagram for piemakers & Pâtisseriers. (by growabrain)
- Molly Tuttle, bluegrass guitarist - one of the musicians featured in the post "Young Pickers of Note, 2019 Edition" which also references "The First Ladies of Bluegrass" where she played with Sierra Hull (mandolin), Missy Raines (bass), Alison Brown (banjo), and Becky Buller (fiddle). (by Pickman's Next Top Model)
- Representation Roundup: A short visual representation of the women of the 116th United States Congress (by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat)
- Claudia Weber, who knit a scarf tracking train delays, and auctioned it off for charity with her daughter's help. (by hurdy gurdy girl)
- Sonia Vallabh, who "lost her mother to a rare disease, she and her husband, Eric Minikel, set out to find a cure." She and her husband both quit their jobs (she left a law career) to become science researchers and are currently both PhD candidates at Harvard. (by VeritableSaintOfBrevity)
- Claudia Rankine, writer, poet, playwright; the post features an interview with her and On Being host Krista Tippett about "race and her 2014 book Citizen: An American Lyric, among other things. They also talk briefly about Eula Biss's questions about whiteness and white debt." (by platitudipus)
- Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus: singer-songwriters in their own right who also perform as the band boygenius. (by octothorpe)
- Cloughmills Crochet Club in County Antrim, Northern Ireland - where a local group literally knit together a version of their village out of yarn. "We wanted to establish a project which would bring people from different cultural backgrounds together, in a bid to address the issues of social interaction and rural isolation while promoting good relations in the area." (by cynical pinnacle)
- In this nice roundup thread about light music with Alex Ball (by mubba), there's a very interesting run of comments between mubba and Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The about Angela Morley, composer and transgender pioneer (originally known as Wally Stott).
- Dr Leah Broad's take on composers as biscuits, and her other writings about music, theater and culture. (by RhysPenbras)
- Niviaq Korneliussen - "Her book, Crimson, is a novel about love, identity, queerness and colonialism as experienced by Greenlanders. The original text was written and published in the Greenlandic language, and was a best-seller in Greenland but also in Denmark." (by motdiem2)
- Doreen Fletcher "began painting the East End of London in 1983 (her first painting was a doomed building behind a bus stop in Mile End), capturing a city that was fast being demolished and replaced, and giving colour, beauty and a quite dignity to an area often considered grey and run down." As mentioned in the thread - go for the paintings, and also stay for her commentary/stories behind them. (by Grangousier)
- Stephanie Pritchard and Ronnie Eder, who in 2018 were the first women to play for the Los Angeles Aviators, a professional ultimate frisbee team. (by Etrigan)
- Amy Turk performs her transcription of J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor -- for harp. (by jim in austin).
- Geraldine Norman, mathematician/statistician - "Exposing art bidding deceptions: how Geraldine Norman (née Keen) built up the idea of art as an investment commodity and then fell out of favor with the auction system she'd abetted for trying to keep them honest." At the age of 27, she helped create The Times-Sotheby Index of Fine Art Pieces. It was published regularly in the London Times from 1967-1971. From the end of the article: "John Herbert's conclusion was firm. 'No one journalist had such an impact on the art market from 1967, whether on auction houses, museums, or members of the fine art trade as Geraldine.'" (by cortex)
- Sarah Scullin's series "By a Woman With Small Children and a PhD in Classics" - with features such as "Recreations of Famous Paintings of Myths Using Only My Children’s Toys" (which also inspired one of my favorite post titles on mefi, "Aeneas Fleeing from Troy (c. 1750) / He-Man Fleeing from Troi (2019)). Really nice pick-me-up if you need a laugh. (also by Kattullus)
- Kate Jenkins's very intricately crocheted seafood that must be seen to be believed. (by moonmilk)
Thanks to everyone for making (and continuing to make) terrific posts about women!
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 10:24 PM on February 18, 2019 [7 favorites]
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Congrats, Bondcliff, that was a truly amazing and profoundly moving post.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:16 PM on February 4, 2019 [5 favorites]