Many thanks to Jenni Prokopy at ChronicBabe for giving A Chronic Dose its second Thinking Blogger Award, and congratulations on her own much-deserved recognition.

UPDATE: Before you delve into the blogs listed below, I wanted to update you with news regarding my friend Jenni at ChronicBabe, whose home was destroyed last week during the heavy storms that struck Chicago. To read more and see how you can help, visit ChronicBabe.

Now it’s my turn to select five blogs that make me think, make me question, and otherwise enlighten or inspire me. There’s a lot of great writing out there, so this isn’t an easy task. With no further ado…

Susan Palwick at Rickety Contrivances of Doing Good is an acclaimed sci-fi writer, an English professor, and a volunteer ER chaplain— a dynamic mix indeed. She’s a thoughtful, engaging writer with a perspective well worth reading.

Tiffany at Sick Girl Speaks has quite the long medical history under her belt, but her mission is much simpler: to be a patient advocate to the healthy world. No one’s seen more of the medical institution than Tiffany, and her insights are both spot-on and unflinchingly frank.

After the MFA starts by posing the question that makes all MFAs cringe a bit: So, now, all of a sudden you’re a writer? For anyone thinking about getting an MFA, working towards one, or anyone has one and has no clue what to do with it, check out this site. It’s informative, witty, and doesn’t sugarcoat.

Tracey at More Than a Minivan Mom has lots to say on all sorts of topics, and her opinions are as interesting as they are honest. Plus, she’s about to embark on a career that’s especially close to my heart: working with pediatric patients (specifically, kids with cancer).

Michelle Richmond at Sans Serif is a best-selling author and her thoughts on writing, reading, and “bookly ephemera” are compelling.

Here are the rules for winners. If you choose to participate, please make sure to pass the rules on to the next Thinking Blogs you tag!:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to five blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Optional: Proudly display the “Thinking Blogger Award” with a link to the post that you wrote.

* This award was started by Ilker Yoldas at The Thinking Blog