Announcing: Runner-Up!

Well, I’ve been putting this off for some time now, but I figured it’s finally time to let the cat out of the bag.

Back in April, I began a new weblog. It’s called Runner-Up. As you’ll notice, it’s a collection of stories, mostly sports-related, about “non-winners”. I’ve often found that the most interesting stories never get heard in our “winner-take-all” culture. I was particularly inspired by the Olympics, that now oft-maligned celebration of sport and idealism that comes around every few years.

But it’s not only in sport that we find these interesting people and experiences. They’re all around us. From the start, I envisioned Runner-Up as a group blog, with contributions from the worlds of sports, the arts, politics, wherever. I’ve held off publicizing it until now mostly because I’m too lazy and/or unskilled to design the sort of attractive templates that I feel the site needs. So, I’m making an appeal, for two kinds of help:

1. Most urgently, if you’re a web designer comfortable with Movable Type, I’d love to see some gorgeous standards-compliant web templates that would fit the overall theme and spirit of the site. The tagline (“Where 2nds Count”) will probably stay.
2. I’m also looking for more long-term help, with contributing writers for the site. You need not contribute often, but if you think you can contribute a story that is in the spirit of the site, please get in touch. I’d especially like some non-sports-related stories that would fit the themes of the site.