My pal Pam Spaulding of Pam’s House Blend was profiled in last week’s Raleigh News & Observer:
Spaulding, a Durham native, is a bit of a local celebrity these days, recognized in supermarkets and airports by her dirty-blond dreadlocks. And it’s all because of her blog, Pam’s House Blend (pamshouseblend.com), which turns four years old this month. The progressive, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issue-centered blog is also one of the first to acquire press credentials to this year’s Democratic National Convention, which is granting access to bloggers for the first time.
It’s a responsibility Spaulding takes seriously — even if some politicians and mainstream media don’t think a blogger deserves to have it.
“Sometimes, yes, it’s profane, sometimes it’s rude, sometimes it’s not grammatically correct, but the medium is different. It’s fast and loose,” she says. “But that does not mean that the ideas are bankrupt, that the criticism isn’t legitimate.”
Pam’s House Blend has won a number of awards, including the Distinguished Achievement Award from The Monette-Horwitz Trust, for making strides toward the eradication of homophobia; Best LGBT Blog in the 2005 and 2006 Weblog Awards; and accolades from the likes of gay activist Mandy Carter and former Democratic Senate candidate Jim Neal.
And, here in Birmingham, the current issue of Black & White has a feature on André Natta and The Terminal.
It’s not often in this city that you meet a 30-something, single male with an interest in civics and architecture, including economic development, local politics, and old buildings no one has given a second glance in years. There’s at least one man in town who fits this description, someone so dedicated to promoting the positive aspects of life in Birmingham that he quit his day job to run a web site to share his message. That man is André Natta, a forward-thinking individual who some might say Birmingham is lucky to call a resident.
Natta, 32, launched The Terminal (bhamterminal.com) three years ago. It’s a spinoff from his original site, Dré’s Ramblings (dresramblings.com), which he started as a forum for his opinions about local news. Why Natta came to this city and whether he’ll stay is a tale that in many ways reflects Birmingham’s situation—poised for a revitalization but at times barely getting the support it needs to develop any momentum toward that goal. Natta moved here with high hopes for the city and his time here, but the lack of income that comes with hosting a hyper-local blog could turn him into an ex-Birmingham resident.
I certainly hope André doesn’t turn into an ex-resident. We attend the same church, and we were just talking blogging last week.
Congratulations to Pam and André!