Five Star Friday's 198th Edition Is Brought to You By Flannery O'Connor

This week's Five Star Friday is brought to you by a great love for Woody Guthrie, bucking the norm, opening up the discussion about race and racism, clothing your way to self-love, bra education, and Flannery O'Connor:

At its best our age is an age of searchers and discoverers, and at its worst, an age that has domesticated despair and learned to live with it happily.
     — Flannery O'Connor

Happy Friday!

"Happy Birthday Woody" from Bound For Glory:

That’s what love is – giving of yourself because it might help someone else. Woody has given so many people the power to do just that – the power to express what makes us human without worrying about it being fancy enough, pretty enough, polished enough.

Just write those 3000 songs and get them out.

"Let's Talk About Race, Baby" from Chookooloonks:

When talking about race, be sure to come from a place of respect, closely followed by kindness. Get your head in this space before you open your mouth, and 99% of the time, you won't be perceived as a ra?cist, even if you say something that seems a bit naive.

"Be a Misfit" from Greg Hluska:

This is not high school. Be a rebel. Be a misfit. Be authentic. Be a square peg. Be a pirate. Do not conform. Be true to you. Remember, you are the only critic that should matter to you — if you can look yourself in the mirror, you win.

"Investments & Inspiration" from Princess Nebraska:

...there's a big difference between refusing to let the words come out of your mouth and refusing to let the words come out of your brain. Because I stopped talking about how fat I felt, but I didn't stop telling myself, silently, in my head, how fat I was, until I started to dress myself like I actually cared about me and how I looked and what I wore. And then, somehow, I started to like myself, fat thighs and big kiester and all.

"Bra-Humbug" from Lost In Suburbia:

Not only had I been felt up, I was pretty sure I had also been insulted. But I was still so stunned over the whole thing, I didn't respond in my usual snarky way. Instead, I just listened as she told me the bras I had selected were the wrong size, didn't have enough support, and were better suited to someone with more elasticity.

I had walked in bra-secure. And now I discovered I was a total bra train wreck. Who knew?

Please come back and share good writing with us over the coming week to be featured on the next Five Star Friday. If you have read a really good piece on someone else's weblog, submit it by Thursday at midnight CST to have it featured on Five Star Friday.

And because you are a fan of finding good new writing on the internet:

• Subscribe — Subscribe to this website to keep up with us every week.
• Show your pride — Take one of our badges for your website and spread the word.