University Student Organizes Offline Group for Local Bloggers

A few months ago, I received an email inviting me to a local bloggers meet-up at Avid Bookshop. Blogging can be a bit lonely and it is always good to network with other bloggers. I wasn't sure if there were actually any bloggers in the area. Not only did about 20 bloggers show up, two people were book bloggers like me!

Beyond the Screens, as the group is called, meets monthly to blog and chat. In the future, short seminars, decisions, workshops, and the like may be offered. I thought it would be fun to interview some local bloggers. Today, I asked the founder of Beyond the Screens, Alex Laughlin, to answer a few questions.

Hi, Alex! Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for me. First, how long have you been in Athens?

Almost three years!

What brought you to Athens? 

I came to Athens to go to school (I’m a junior at UGA). 

What are some of your favorites about Athens?

 I like restaurants and stores that have a communal, Athens-y feel to them. My favorite stores to visit are Frontier, Avid Bookshop, and Community. Farm 255, Heirloom, and Five & Ten are awesome for date nights, while Clocked and Pauley's are my favorite for when I’m feeling calorically reckless. Oh, and I LOVE Always Baked.

How long have you been blogging and what will visitors find on your blog?

I started blogging way back in MySpace days, about seven years ago, but I started the blog I’m at now (Well Begun is Half Done) about three years ago when I was a senior in high school. I was going through an angsty period where all I wanted to do was be Ira Glass. I was really apprehensive about starting college and I was so scared of growing up. It’s funny because I read through the last three years in my blog and I can see just how much I’ve grown. My blog helped me define my aspirations in a more concrete way, it provided me an outlet through which I could hone my writing voice, and it has connected me to some great people!

These days, I write a lot less self-indulgent whining and more about blogging (so meta, I know) and the job search. I like to toss in a little politics, fashion, and music/books/movies as well! 

I'm sure between blogging and school you don't have much free time, but what else fills your time? 

When I’m not doing homework, I like to practice yoga, run, and spend way too much time on the Internet. This semester I’m interning with Amy Flurry at Recipe for Press and I’m also leading an Athens blogging group called Beyond the Screens!

Thanks, again, Alex, for taking the time to talk with me about your blogging. I encourage everyone to check out Alex's blog - Well Begun is Half Done.

If you are an area blogger and want to get involved with Beyond the Screens, you can check them out on Facebook . Also, bloggers will be meeting up this Sunday (January 20) at Hendershots Coffee Bar (1560 Olgethorpe Ave.) at 6:00 pm.