karenarthur | introductory sticky post (Reply)

Ten things about me:

I am a thirtysomething living near St Louis with my partner, my cats, and my books. I like my city quite a bit, mostly because of this place. I do wish I had more local friends, though.
I write. Mostly fantasy with the occasional forray into science fiction and horror. I don't talk about it a lot; it feels like jinxing.
I am a leftwing bolshie populist and deeply interested in gender, race and class issues.
Slightly pertinent to the point above, I was born and raised on a small grain farm in southern Illinois. I stopped admitting this when I was in graduate school. I don't deal well with classist, regionalist snobbery.
I am also interested in mental health advocacy and neurodiversity. I've experienced episodes of major depression since I was a child and have been treated for fairly severe anxiety issues that stemmed from bullying and emotional abuse as a child and young adult. It took a lot of processing to realize I am not a weak or inferior person because of this, nor are mental health issues anything to be ashamed of.
My graduate work was in rhetoric and composition. Then I decided that I didn't want to teach. Whoops! Time to find a new life path. I am currently teaching myself how to code, which I am finding very satisfying. I think I might have the 'follow your bliss' thing worked out for now.
I am an old-school tabletop gamer. My fiance and I met at a local gaming convention, and we still play on a weekly basis.
I also enjoy the consumption of video games, anime, comic books and science fiction television. I used to dabble in fandom, and occasionally get an itch to do so now and again.
I am an atheist and identify as secular humanist. I believe that Vonnegut had it right when he said "There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind." That said, I am marrying a Catholic boy and am planning on converting at some point. My spirituality is complicated enough that I don't see a conflict there. I don't believe in a literal god or afterlife, but, being an afficionado of literature and poetry, I find a lot of value in religious ritual and symbolism, and the metaphors at the heart of the Christ story.
I've probably read too much Joseph Campbell.