Weblog Sin Pies

By Charley Daniels

Decades before analysts cited the blogosphere as the next big thing, Myrtle Shoupe was logging her own stream-of-consciousness column called the Hima News, named after the small Eastern Kentucky mining town where Myrtle lived. She wrote the column for 52 years, publishing such gems as this:

“We stop at the Long John Silver last night and bought a nice box of fish and chicken I always love fish they sure have got some good fish we talk to the manager of the Long John Silver her name was Birtha Hayes she was nice to talk to and she talk about have God help her and bought a set of my pillow slip I am selling for Christmas.”

I think Myrtle meant that Birtha — not God — bought a pillow slip. But the important thing to note here is that her columns ran without the pesky oversight of an editor, which is what made me think of the current atmosphere of prolific self-publishing. Instead of grammar and spelling revisions, editors opted to publish Myrtle’s writing with a simple disclaimer, “Printed as Written.” I’m not going to go so far as to say that Myrtle invented the idea of publishing less-than-stellar writing about her own life and experiences, or that she invented the idea of calling that type of writing “news.” But she had to be right up near the top of the list, and had the WWW been invented a half-century earlier, she almost certainly would have been the original blogger.

I mean, how many 90-year-olds have a homepage? Check out Myrtle Shoupe’s Web site for more good reading, including a classics page that, along with spilling the beans that someone realized the humor of Myrtle’s missives, also features more spectacular old-fashioned blogging:

“You men over around London, Ky. who are looking for a lovely wife come to Hima and pick you out one, there are just plenty of women here wanting a good husband.”

and:

“Miss L— W— is engaged to be married soon. Her wedding dress cost her $75.00. It sure must be a nice dress.”

and:

“Mr. Reid Gross and Robinson boys say they are going to Florida for a Vacation and it is nobodys business.”

Myrtle, at age 96, published her last column earlier this month. The Lexington Herald-Ledger wrote:

The headline on Myrtle Shoupe’s column in the Manchester Enterprise last week read, ‘Myrtle says this column could be her last.’

The community icon, who had one of the longest-running and quirkiest newspaper columns in the country, noted her declining health and thanked a long list of friends. She added: ‘… I will be 97 years old if I live to see my Birthday and everyone is welcome to my last birthday.’

Two days later, she died.