I have a confession to make: I’m not a very neighborly neighbor. I’m rather shy about knocking on someone’s door, and the people who live around me are apparently shy about knocking on mine. I’m sure it would horrify people of my parent’s and grandparent’s generation, but I only know two of my immediate neighbors by name, and that’s only by first names. Perhaps it’s a city thing, or maybe the times have changed all over. Today we have so many ways of connecting with and extending our chosen communities, we aren’t as dependent upon those with whom we are thrown together by chance.

Photo credit: Whitney Loibner

Down the street, there’s an annual block party, organized by people who have been living in our subdivision for a long time. They’ve seen many of their original neighbors move on to nursing homes, and young families like ours move in. We sit in a circle of lawn chairs, and one by one, each family introduces themselves. It’s a lovely tradition, and I try not to miss it. Unless we have kids the same age, I rarely see those neighbors between block parties– but I like that moment of learning (or being reminded) who they are.

When I began a blog eight years ago, I was barely aware of any other women blogging from Arkansas. My peers were spread all over the country–even in other nations. We were pioneers settling a new media frontier, and where we came from mattered less than the communities were forming online. I was well established in blogging before I started getting to know women bloggers in my Arkansas neighborhood. I had no idea what I was missing.

Today, some of my dearest friends, and many fond acquaintances, are Arkansas women bloggers. I don’t have to wait long months and travel hundreds of miles to find someone who understands the personal and professional ups and downs of writing online. My RSS feed is peppered with local blogs that are the equal and better of those published anywhere. I maintain a wonderful network of blogging friends across the continent, but I also know where to look for insight, support, and kinship in my own backyard. Knowing Arkansas women bloggers enriches both my digital and physical communities.

Our daily lives may take us in different directions, but I still like learning who my neighbors are. I’m grateful to AWB for inviting us to pull up a chair and introduce ourselves.

I’m Kyran Pittman, and my online home is www.PlantingDandelions.com. Welcome, neighbors.