Via Melissa Lyttle

There are a zillion photo blogs and about a zillion more blogs about photography. But Unphotographable takes the cake.

I love the concept only because I have been in situations where even with several cameras slung over my neck I have been unable to photograph a darn thing. Partly decreed by a sense of respect for the subject, part by fear, part by “the rules” or by sheer laziness.

But who among us has not seen images, untaken, uncaptured and unphotographed graze past us in a blur only for us to kick ourselves in the ass? We are only too quick to describe what we missed. Well, Michael Murphy, who runs Unphotographable has an interesting project in progress. You won't see any pictures there; but read the text, close your eyes and imagine. You won't miss a thing.

Blogging is usually a labor of love that most of us tackle when we find the time, find the motivation or the inner rumblings of a writer.

Jason Kottke wants to do it full time. That's right. Full time. And I applaud his efforts and his website. If you don't visit it everyday, you are missing out in a big way. Perhaps it's just me, but I find a variety of links there that just lead me to more interesting and useful information.

So a couple of days back, I ponied up $36 and sent it to him via PayPal. I am officially a ‘micropatron.' Figuring I visit his web site even once a month, at $3 a read it comes to a whopping $36 for the year.

I have never donated to a blogger before and I am not sure when I will do it again. I just wish sometimes I can have my blogging expenses paid off for the year. I am more than happy to pass the hat but any other ideas?

Caption: Sarita's husband M. Mahendra Reddy drank monocrotophos on May 24, 2004, leaving behind his pregnant wife,  and a two-year-old daughter. © Surya Sen

Down to Earth 1, 2 and 3.

Caption: Japa Bharati, 36, widow of 40-year-old Japa Narasimha Reddy. Their 15-old-son has became a labourer, earning Rs. 800 per month (approx. 18 dollars), after Reddy killed himself on January 1, 2004 in Algunur village, Karimnagar district, Andhra Pradesh. © Surya Sen

Manish beat me to it, but SAJA has a literary spectacle planned for March 12 that you should all attend. While I am not sure if tickets are still available, it might be worth your while to check it out.

The $35 entry fee for the event at the CUNY Graduate Center may seem steep but it goes towards a great cause – SAJA Reporting Fellowships Program.

“The world's major media outlets are all over the tsunami disaster and its immediate aftermath. Some of the best-known names in the business are on the ground, reporting the story and beaming back images for us all. But what happens after this? Soon, the media pack will move on to another disaster, another scene of violence, another ”trial of the century.“ And the tsunami, its victims and the rehabilitation will receive much less attention.

SAJA plans to do something that plays to its strength and could help the victims in a way almost as important as money: coverage of their stories as they rebuild from the devastation and tracking what happened to the billions that poured in.

The idea is to help a group of journalists (reporters, photojournalists, documentarians, etc) from the U.S. and Canada cover the affected areas SIX TO NINE MONTHS after the disaster and have their reporting available to a wide global audience. SAJA will develop detailed plans and logistics on the program with input and contributions from various partner institutions.”

Allow me to whet your appetite. Sure there will wine and samosa (what a combo!) there, but under one roof, from 2.30 p.m to about 6 the following authors and poets will read from their work:

Anita Desai Amitav Ghosh Jhumpa Lahiri Suketu Mehta Pankaj Mishra Kamila Shamsie Manil Suri Shashi Tharoor Marina Budhos Abha Dawesar Siddhartha Deb

Kiran Desai Jonathan Franzen Elizabeth Kadetsky S. Mitra Kalita Pooja Makhijani Meera Nair Maniza Naqvi Asra Q. Nomani Akhil Sharma Meena Alexander Vijay Seshadri

When Manish called it an literary orgy, he wasn't kiddin'.