Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Creative Gene's 4th Annual iGene Awards!

It's February again and that means it's time for the annual iGene Awards! This is the event of the year when all good genealogy bloggers will be showcasing their "best of the best" blog posts of 2010. I truly enjoy this opportunity to look back at what I posted on my blog last year and share with you the articles that I think are most worthy of recognition.

I know, I know, you're all a twitter with excitement! And who can blame you? Yes, it's hard to contain one's enthusiasm for "the best of the best" that appeared on Creative Gene. So I say to you now, do not feel the need to damper your enthusiasm! Go ahead and whoop and holler, chortle with glee, and give a round of applause for...

Best Comedy
The iGene Award for Best Comedy on the Creative Gene blog in 2010 goes to: Teddy, Oh Teddy! This post featured a photo of a guy in his Speedo-type swimsuit from the 1940s. I have no idea who Teddy was but he was quite the looker!

Best Biography
The iGene Award for Best Biography on the Creative Gene blog in 2010 goes to: The Life and Times of Karolina Furman. This 4-part series includes a timeline of my great grandmother Karolina's life events along with 3 articles looking at what her life was like in rural Poland. 

Best Documentary
The iGene Award for Best Documentary on the Creative Gene blog in 2010 goes to: Melancholy. This blog post features a collection of photographs taken in Detroit. It's a reality check, looking at the destruction wrought on a building that once belonged to my grandparents. It's a sad testimony to the sorry state of Detroit neighborhoods. 

Best Screen Play
The iGene Award for Best Screen Play on the Creative Gene blog in 2010 goes to: The Changing Roles of Women in the Lipa and Mizera Families. This blog post describes the lifestyles of the women of my family from the 13th century till present day. It's amazing how dramatically life changed in the last century! I would love to see a movie made that tells the story of the working women in my family. I would cast Kathy Bates as my great grandmother, Ludwika Knot Lipa (because of a slight physical resemblance); Meryl Streep as my grandmother Sophie Mizera Lisowska (because Meryl did such a fabulous job of portraying a Polish immigrant in Sophie's Choice); Lucille Ball as my mom (not because my mom was funny, just because my mom always loved to watch the I Love Lucy show ;-) ; and Kate Winslet as myself (because we look enough alike to be twins!). OK, maybe Kate and I don't look exactly alike but we could be cousins or something... ;-) HA!

Best Picture
The iGene Award for Best Picture on the Creative Gene blog in 2010 goes to: Melancholy Too. This blog post features composite photos, then and now, of my grandparent's homes, schools, and church. I created these photos to contrast how the neighborhood once looked compared to how it looks now. So many people asked how I created the pictures that I also wrote a follow-up series describing the process. Fun with photography!

These blog posts are, in this author's opinion, the best that appeared on the Creative Gene blog in 2010. Looking back, I have to say I'm rather impressed with the lot. Can't wait to see what I come up with in 2011!