New to yeah write this week? Welcome!

There are a few new faces around here, and so let’s give a hearty welcome to all of the creative folks who braved the grid for the first time. We hope you stick around to find out why this place is so special.

Let’s get right to this week’s writing and community spirit awards!

Crowd favorite

The votes are in, and this week’s crowd favorite badge goes to newcomer Lisa (Priscilla Queen of the Dessert) at Whittling Harmony for her touching, bittersweet story about a life fully lived and a friend never forgotten, Love Never Dies. Aside from giving us an emotional punch in the gut, Lisa shows a knack for clever, yet uncontrived turns of phrase and impeccable timing. She hits us right where it hurts and then raises our spirits, covering “all of lifes ups and downs” in 400 words. Great job, Lisa, and welcome to yeah write. We can’t wait to read more of your work. Our own Erica M at free fringes and Tracy Ewens at From the Laundry Room complete this week’s top row. Congrats, everyone! Go grab your winners’ badges from the sidebar.

The kiwi of the week

Look at Kevin the kiwi. He is so earnest, with his stylish scarf and hipster hat. We think he’s just about the coolest bird around the ‘net, and we want to share him with one of you! Erica M chose this week’s kiwi, and we’re pleased to award it to Christie Tate, also known as Outlaw Mama, for her witty and very funny perspective on the slow cooker — scratch that, the crock pot. Her post, You Say “Slow Cooker,” I say Pot O’ Crock, was as amusing as it was accurate, at least in this editor’s experience. Anyone who wants tips for making dinner the quick and easy way ought to read this. You won’t walk away with recipes, but you’ll definitely walk away with a pocketful of giggles.

Comment Bob is waving those pom-poms

Now look at Bob! He’s got a cheerful disposition and a smile that just won’t quit. This week he’s cheering especially for Christine Organ. Christine has been a loyal fan for a long time, and we were so happy to see her not only on the grid, but also in the comments of all of your posts. Bob is shaking those pom-poms with extra fervor just for you, Christine!! Pick up your badge in the sidebar, and thanks for supporting your fellow bloggers.

In case you missed it

The 2014 BlogHer Voices of the Year were announced this week. We were thrilled — and not at all surprised — to see a large contingent of our yeah write editors, regular participants, and e-mail subscribers among the winners.Here they are all in one place:

In the Heart category:

• Jennifer P. Williams from Jennifer P. Williams for What Can I Do?

In the Humor category:

• Bill Dameron from The Authentic Life for The Queen and Me: Excuse Me, But You’re Standing on My Platform
• Marcia Kester Doyle from Menopausal Mother for 10 Reasons Why I Love Menopause
• * Linda Roy from Elleroy Was Here for While the Iron’s Hot
• Aussa Lorens from Hacker.Ninja.Hooker.Spy receives the People’s Choice Award for Humor for 7 Ways Your Life Is Like High School

In the Exploration category:

• * Natalie DeYoung from The Cat Lady Sings for The Art of Holding Back
• Kylie from The Life of Kylie for When You Were My Age
• Grayson Queen from Posting Tuesdays for Portrait of a Diabetic
• Rara Queen from Rarasaur for I Was Small

In the OpEd category:

• * Cynthia Kazaroff from That Cynking Feeling for Please Don’t Cheer for My Son
• Estelle Sobel Erasmus from Musings on Motherhood & Midlife for Make Little Girls’ Voices Carry
• Kristin Ireland from Mondays with Mac for Talking to Children About Rape
• Tracy Morrison from Scary Mommy for Was It My Fault?
• * Cindy Reed from The Reedster Speaks for No Caillou, Bald Is Not the New Black
• Lois Alter Mark from Midlife at the Oasis receives the People’s Choice Award for OpEd for Miley Wasn’t Alone on That Stage

* These posts were written specifically for the yeah write challenge grid!

You all continue to amaze and inspire us. Congratulations to each and every one of you.

Weekend moonshine grid opens today at 6 p.m. eastern time

It’s the weekend, and Natalie D will shortly be setting up the moonshine grid and bathtub gin just for you. The moonshine grid is the flip side of our weekly challenges: a no-stress link-up where we accept anything except commercial or sponsored posts. You can even bring your families along; just keep an eye on those little ones. “Family-free” does not apply here. You can catch up with Natalie starting at 6 p.m. eastern time today. Closing time is midnight on Monday.

Win-win

The thumbnails are now sorted in the grid from most votes to the least. In the case of a tie, the thumbnails are additionally sorted by page views.

Do not be discouraged if your blog has landed near the bottom of the grid; especially if it was a tight race. The fun lies in getting better exposure for your blog and, in the spirit of competition, an incentive to improve your writing and blogging skills. It’s a win-win for everybody involved.

Thanks again, everybody, for submitting, for reading, and for accepting the weekly writing challenge. And for making yeah write the most welcoming spot on the Interwebs for writers who blog and bloggers who write.

Before you go

Remember to congratulate this week’s winners in the comments. Give your favorite posts a little love in the comments and let them know you rooted for their post. We are a community here, and we support one another like good communities do.

Yeah write #161 is the last of our family-free weeks! It opens with the kickoff post on Sunday, the gargleblaster on Monday, and the challenge grid and speakeasy fiction jam on Tuesday. Be sure you’ve subscribed to our email list to get notice when prompts are posted, grids open, and voting begins. It’s easy to do! Just sign up right here. And then come back and bring your best writing to the best writing community around!

See you next week.