Everyone has their reasons to blog. Some want to inform. Some entertain. For some, blogs are an editorial platform to promote their political views while others use it to review the arts. Some are free and others are monetised, but either way, we're only interested in the ones that offer us value in return for our time and money. So to answer the question of why I blog, I think I should first answer why you should read.

By way of answering that question, I would ask another question. What makes a great dinner guest? In the late 1700s, when science was challenging religion and monarchies were being replaced by republics, Joseph Johnson hosted dinners in the living quarters above his publishing business at 72 St Paul’s Churchyard Lane. His guests included the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Erasmus Darwin, William Wordsworth and Mary Wollstonecraft. The food was not great but the ideas were enough to keep everyone talking late into the night. A century later, In 1889 an Americam magazine editor arranged a dinner in London. One of his guests was Oscar Wilde. The other was Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle referred to that dinner as the Golden Evening saying that he found Wilde to be charming and engaging. As a result of that meeting, readers of the Lippencott Monthly were treated to Doyle’s The Sign of the Four, later reprinted as A Study in Scarlet. From Wilde came the story of Dorian Gray. Neither were overnight successes but like the meal that led to their creation, it was the catalyst. A Study In Scarlet introduced the character of Sherlock Holmes and A Picture Of Dorian Grey became Wilde’s only novel. Fast forward another century (more or less). In 1966, Truman Capote hosted a party called the Black and White Ball. There were 400 guests that included socialites, politicians and artists. Hearst, the media mogul, had held masked balls that included celebrities so why was the Black and White Ball significant? It was the way it was covered by the media. They were active participants they way we have come to expect in today’s red carpet events. The public was invited to share vicariously, if not in person.

Now, I can’t throw a lavish party for my readers. Nor can I offer the wit of an Oscar Wilde. I probably can’t expect the leading thinkers of today to join in but I can invite you to sit around my virtual table and join in on discussions about literature, art, and current events. You are welcome to sit back and listen or express your own opinions. You don’t have to be agreeable or even politically correct but as George Bernard Shaw said, a good dinner guest is someone who is “interesting without being obtrusive”.

So in answer to the question of why I blog, the answer is so that I can get to know you better. Please take a seat and join us at The Dinner Table.