The Living Out Loud Project was started in January 2009 by blogger Genie Alisa, who, in her own words, noticed over the years that some of her favorite writings online were the ones where she’d shared something about herself that may be considered personal. “Having attended many sessions at BlogHer or read online horror stories of people baring their souls and having the Internet collectively spit on them, I wanted to foster something positive from sharing a bit of ourselves.”

Each month, Genie Alisa chooses a theme for the project, elaborates on any requirements for the assignment and encourages everyone to write. Entries are due at 5pm eastern time on the first Sunday of the following month. She then posts a recap of everyone’s entries and chooses a winner to receive a small prize for their efforts. There are no fancy corporate sponsors, no complex rules or guidelines and no one voting you off the blogging island. In the end, really it’s just you and whatever you choose to share.

The Living Out Loud Project is an ongoing blog event, open to anyone willing to take on the challenge of living out loud and living to tell the tale. Below is a list of the themes for each month with a link to Genie Alisa’s description of the project as well as a link to my entries here in the orange chair. You can read all entries related to Living Out Loud and browse a growing list of participants on the Living Out Loud page of Genie Alisa’s blog, . . . in a bottle.