If there’s one thing that central Arkansas does not lack, it’s a lively, informed and prolific blogosphere. Whether you’re a political junkie, a mom looking for advice, a wannabe environmentalist or a food lover, you can bet there are at least a few people writing thoughtfully about that very subject right here in our little corner of cyberspace.
Now, that’s not to say that every person in Central Arkansas with a Word Press account is worth reading. They’re not. Bloggers here are just like bloggers everywhere else. Some are self-indulgent and solipsistic while others border on sublime.
If you’re interested in Arkansas politics, just put a few of these addresses in your RSS feed reader and sit back and relax. You will never be uninformed again. For up to the minute news, there’s no place better, in this writer’s humble opinion, than our very own Arkansas Blog. For a more conservative perspective, check out The Tolbert Report, a local news site started by accountant-by-day Jason Tolbert. The man is tireless, catching legislative committee meetings on his lunch break and always with a Flip camera in tow.
If it’s a little levity you’re looking for, you can’t do much better than The Angry Czeck. Readers are greeted at the top of the page by the site’s tagline: “If you’re not angry, then you’re not caring hard enough.” The blog was started by Jeremy Harper, a senior writer at Stone Ward in Little Rock. Harper rants and raves through his alter-ego, bringing his own special brand of humor and faux-rage to a host of topics from not-so-good movies like “Titanic” to family vacations with Mrs. Angry.
Harper says he started the blog to have a forum that would allow him to use curse words anonymously and complain ad nauseum.
“The beauty of blogging is that the format is a palette that allows you to reinvent and present yourself in any manner you want,” Harper says. “I’m not an angry person, but AC is. So he tends to post from a position of aggravation and rancor. A topic isn’t very funny if it isn’t at least a little irritating.”
For those of you out there who might like to live a little bit more of a green lifestyle, check out GreenAR by the Day for daily tips on everything from weatherizing your house to freezing vegetables for the winter. Live Green Arkansas is another good bet for Greenies.
Here now, a list of a few others you might want to check out. (Note to all the bloggers out there: This is only a partial list. I couldn’t have possibly listed them all).
Entertainment
Rock Candy, the Arkansas entertainment blog from the Arkansas Times — www.arktimes.com/blogs/RockCandy
Hipster Alert, news and notes from the local arts scene — www.thehipsteralert.com
Blood, Dirt and Angels by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist Philip Martin — http://blood.syncweekly.com
For fun
The Angry Czeck by Jeremy Harper — http://angryczeck.com
Forbidden Hillcrest — http://forbiddenhillcrest.com
Theologically inclined
Aaron Reddin — http://aaronreddin.com
Ryan Byrd — http://beingryanbyrd.com
Environmental
Live Green Arkansas — www.livegreenarkansas.com
GreenAR by the Day — http://greenarbytheday.com
Political
The Tolbert Report — http://tolbertreport.com
Citizens’ Daily Lobby — www.citizensdailylobby.com
Lance Turner — http://lanceturner.wordpress.com
Politics in Arkansas — http://politicsinarkansas.com
Under the Dome — www.underthedome.com
Lynch at Large — http://lynchatlarge.wordpress.com
John Brummett — http://arkansasnews.com/category/blogs/brummett_blog
Roby Brock’s Political Buzz — http://arkansasnews.com/category/blogs/political-buzz
Mommy
Moms at Work by Sync Weekly — http://moms.syncweekly.com
The Bee Dot by Amy Bradley-Hole — www.thebeedot.com
Planting Dandelions by Kyran Pittman — http://plantingdandelions.com
Kerri Jackson — http://damnyoulittlerock.com
Food
Eat Arkansas — www.arktimes.com/blogs/EatArkansas
Tie Dye Travels — www.tiedyetravels.com/
Arkansas Foodies — http://arkansasfoodies.com
Fort Smith Eats — http://fortsmitheats.wordpress.com
State of Arkansas, Great Culinary Escapes — www.arkansas.com/dining/blog
Knife Fight Food Blog — http://knifefightfoodblog.blogspot.com
Southern Fried — www.rexnelsonsouthernfried.com
Real Food in Little Rock — http://realfoodlittlerock.blogspot.com
Tech
Keith Crawford (or Tsudo) — www.knowthenetwork.com
Cotton Rohrscheib — www.cottonrohrscheib.com/blog
Sports
The Den at Arkstate.com, the unofficial website devoted to ASU athletics — www.arkst.com
Arkansas Ex-pats, calling the Hogs from points way yonder — www.arkansasexpats.com
Arkansas Sports Blog, with Jim Harris and Chris Bahn — www.arkansassports360.com