After a year long hiatus, Wisconsin diarist John Kusch of the Jon-Jon Diaries has returned this week with a new incarnation of his journal site. In addition, the full archives of his original site  comprising over 500 entries written between February 2000 and September 2002  have also been made available.

Although his journal took a break, Kusch has been busy with his weblog, Letters From a Strip of Dirt. He recently recounted his experience giving testimony to the Wisconsin State Legislature on gay marriage.

Kusch was a finalist for Best New Journal in the 2000 Quarter One Diarist Awards, and for Best Journal Overall a year later.

With the fourth annual JournalCon conference, "Web Writers Weekend," just over a month away, a Monday deadline to register has been set because of dwindling space.

With about 100 diarists, journalers, and bloggers already expected to covene in Austin, rooms at the official conference hotel have already sold out, and arrangements at an overflow hotel have been made. The deadline to register for accommodations there is September 17.

Conference organizers have also just announced a special registration plan for spouses and partners of JournalCon attendees.

This year's JournalCon will be held the weekend of October 17-19, 2003. In addition to an array of timely sessions featuring a number of notable panelists, there will also be a unique writer's workshop.

For the latest information, visit the JournalCon news page.

Open voting has commenced in the latest round of the Diarist Awards. Web diarists and bloggers are invited to review the finalists in the entry and site categories and cast their ballots for their favorites.

Because of a delay in this quarter's work, the Finalist Selection Panel announced that the calendar has been adjusted to allow voting through September 17. The winners will be announced within a week thereafter.

This quarter, there are two finalists for the Legacy Award: veteran diarist Lucy Huntzinger and Connecticut diarist Rob Rummel-Hudson.