This is the 11th year we've been giving out awards for the Best Listserv Posts of the Year in many categories. The first year was 2012 -- a few years before we thought to call the awards "The Listies." The genius idea to come up with a name for the award comparable to an Emmy, or a Tony, or a Webby was born in December 2015 -- see Message #108618 . And we kept on handing out our Listies -- not real objects, just as a concept existing in cyberspace -- every December, until last year (2022 in case you've forgotten already), when we coughed up some spare change to acquire a physical trophy: these nifty little golden statuettes made of 100% plastic (see photo below).
New this year! In a move to promote inclusion and give broad representation to the People of Cleveland Park and Beyond, we have assembled a panel of judges from both inside and outside the Cleveland Park community -- heavily weighted with members of the moderator's family, plus a number of friends and neighbors. On top of that, we invited anyone who wants a vote to send in their picks in each of the categories. That added a dozen or so voices to the mix. (Thank you, voters!)
One thing it did NOT do was to produce a consensus winner in each category. Before this year, I (your moderator) was the sole Decider. And this year....? The votes are all over the map! In not a single one of the seven categories did a clear favorite emerge. In some categories the votes were distributed equally among all the nominated posts. In a few others, one nominee had a vote or two more than the others. And there was a two-way tie in one and a three-way tie in another. Shoulda gone with ranked-choice voting!
There had to be some way forward....and so, as in all past years, it's come down to me. I have turned my own vote into the weightiest one, and the result its.....FIAT LISTY! Which segues straight into the award for the first Listy of 2023:
BEST GIVEAWAY
Next, in the category of BEST ANIMAL STORY, we have a winner by a hare, oops, I mean, winner by a BEAR -- that is, The Bear With His Own Zip Code -- posted by Amanda H., message #201981 on June 10.
(In the two categories above, all 10 nominations can be reviewed at this link: https://alllifeislocal.blogspot.com/2023/12/still-life-with-robin-its-2023.html)
In the category of BEST ISO, the Listy goes to Kathy R., seeking the wisdom of the Listserv on how to publish a small circulation book of her late uncle's World War II Letters - see original query, Message #208247 on what would have been her uncle's 100th birthday, December 7) and the follow-up thank-you post, Message #208310
In the category of BEST ADVICE we had a three-way tie with equal numbers of votes to Tips for a Hospital Stay, Rehome That Swarm of Bees, and Best Sources of Local News -- and then I put my thumb on the scale and tipped it toward Best Sources of Local News, in recognition of the effort that went into creating a compilation of 43 news sources complete with working links. Our winner, Meghan K., is a librarian, one of the most under-appreciated jobs in the city, and I am pleased to award her a Cleveland Park Listy for her valuable work! (Message #206898 on October 26)
In the category of BEST LONG DISCUSSION THREAD, the three top vote-getters, I ❤️ Rodman's, Refillable Laundry Jugs, and Razing of American City Diner, were separated by just one or two votes. The Listy is going to I ❤️ Rodman's mainly because, well, who doesn't love Rodman's? I'm guessing that's the choice of the vast, non-voting public. So the Listy goes to Marie S. for Message #202966 on July 7.
(For the three categories above, all of the nominations can be reviewed at this link: https://alllifeislocal.blogspot.com/2023/12/still-life-with-robin-its-2023.html)
And now for our final two categories, the most anticipated Listies of all -- PHOTO OF THE YEAR and POST OF THE YEAR -- drumroll, please!
The PHOTO OF THE YEAR goes to Tom H. of Rodman Street for Pileated Woodpecker on Rodman St. This photo was initially posted on the site we all knew as Twitter and you can view full resolution photo here -- or see it in a much smaller frame when it was reposted on the Listserv on Feb 5, Message #197671 .
Now we come to the grand finale, and friends, I tell you, this one came right down to the wire, a neck-and-neck finish between Tribute to Judy Heumann (DC resident and champion of the rights of disabled people, who passed away on March 4) and Praise for Cleveland Park P.O. Clerk Tammy. For POST OF THE YEAR, not only did I put my thumb on the scale but I threw my full weight behind Dale K.'s accolade to Tammy. After 24 years of running the Listserv -- that is, 24 years of sending out a steady stream of complaints about the workings of USPS for the many mistakes and examples of poor service, both in the post office and by mail carriers, it was such a pleasure to recognize the poster, Dale K. and the posted-about clerk, Tammy, for both their good will and their good work. They will each have a Listy to show for it!
Love to end the year on a positive note!
(Nominations in the two categories above can be reviewed at https://alllifeislocal.blogspot.com/2023/12/still-life-with-robin-cleveland-park_23.html )
Congratulations to all our winners and nominees! If you're one of our winners, look for an email from me (peggyrobin @ gmail dot com) within the next day or two, with your options for receiving your statuette. Sorry, there's no fancy banquet at which you can deliver your tearful acceptance speech!
Now looking at the year ahead of us -- mark your calendars for our 25th anniversary on November 30, 2024 -- you might want to start collecting your favorite listserv posts as they come in, so you can nominate your favorites for the CP Listies next December.
Wishing you all the best in 2024!
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Still Life with Robin is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and All Life Is Local on Saturdays.
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