Who Am I?

[lenora_rose]

ETA: Since I link to this from my user info, I feel compelled to say it's out of date. I've gone from engaged to married for several years now -- I no longer share my brother's last name, though neither do I share the surname of my in-laws. I'm doing considerably more pottery, I'm not working, as I'm expecting a child -- but in the years between writing this and now, I changed jobs, went back to school, , etc, etc.. I haven't written for Green Man for YEARS. My brother doesn't live with us, though his cat has stayed. But the essential me hasn't changed.

I know that I've left some notes in my user profile, but I feel the need to say a bit more here, more of a "Why the heck should I listen to anything you say?"

So here are some elaborations:

I live in Winnipeg, the flattest city in the country I think, kinda medium sized and sprawling (well, hey, if the land is flat, wouldn't you?) and with a nicely busy arts community. I'm living with my fiancé, colin_p. My brother jeffheikkinen is staying with us while he's working on his thesis. Note that all three of us are using all or part of our real names as lj handles. Mine is my first and middle name, which is how I've pretty much always been known on the internet.

I'm a fantasy writer. I'm not much published, though I've had some close calls. Mostly, I believe this is because I've been working on novel length projects. I have little interest in writing short fiction. It sometimes happens anyway. I recently described myself as right on the border of publishable - and pushing to get across consistently, rather than sporadically.

I'm obsessed with story. When I sing at music circles, I mostly end up singing ballads, modern and traditional both. Songs that either tell or imply a series of events, not just a mood or a feeling.

I'm also fascinated by fantasy, by stories that adopt unreal possibilities -- both those that do so in a quasi-scientific, rational examination of how "the world would be different if..." and in the fluid way of stories that seem to emulate dream logic or poetic logic, and in the metaphor made real way where a teen who desperately wishes he could get out of his skin and his life does, in fact, turn into a bright bird and fly away (For a while at least). Someone once said that they write fantasy because there was a part inside them pushing them to write, and "That part isn't shaped like a cowboy." That image is simple, but accurate.

I'm also a bit of a writing-theory maven. I love discussing theory, and how techniques can and do work - or can't and don't. Most writers are to some extent, but I suspect I'm on the stronger end. I also like knowing how the business end works, at least enough to know the scams, the pitfalls, and the jobs I can't do -- and that this is a nightmare of a path to take, not a road to riches.

Although, before you ask, the slightly formal tone is just me: I talk like that sometimes, too. (I've been accused of "Swearing like a schoolteacher", meaning looking prim and speaking in a polite little tone while saying "I'm fucking pissed off right now.")

I'm a writer for Green Man Review. I do reviews on books, CDs, and movies. I don't turn them in often enough, which means lately I haven't been asking for a lot of stuff to review. It's fun, and I don't get paid but I do get free stuff. Some of it (Like Jo Walton's the King's Peace) very much worth it.

I'm engaged and working on a wedding. This is not a thing that makes me burst into excited jumping up and down. Rather: yes, I love Colin. Yes, I want to marry him, and no I'm not going into this frivolously, or callously. It's the wedding I'm talking about. I haven't been spending my life trying to snag a guy, or hoping and planning for that "one big day". I hope to God it's not the only big day I have.

On the other hand, the dress is sooo pretty.

I'm a recently returned Christian. I loathe the words "born again", not for its original intended meaning, but because of the baggage of vapid-eyed evangelicals and pushy annoying "I'm converted, and now you have to be too" types. Although it's one reason I borrowed "renaissance" as part of both my website and journal title -- although not the first or only one.

My actual conversion story is boring. Not going into it. BUt I will forewarn you I may actually discuss points of theory or commentary from the sermons on occasion.

I've been going to church at one of the most Liberal churches of one of the most liberal denominations - the United Church of Canada. Our minister is a wonderful woman, a folk-music fan, and a happily married lesbian. That should give you an idea -- but maybe a slightly wrong one. For all their impassioned interest in First Nations rights, and the rights of homosexuals, for all their acceptance of other religions as possibly viable paths to the ultimate Truth, their first and biggest emphasis has been very obviously on feeding the poor, succouring those in need, visiting the sick... and if they're trying to convert people, it seems to be mainly by being a good example, not by screaming about hell.

I know some people would consider such a church non-Christian, or insufficiently Christian, or accuse it of bending doctrine to fit what they want. They also doubt the faith found therein because it's not as rigid. I can't help their opinions.

I've been trying to figure out if and how I can help out more there. (They roped me into the choir within a month but that's not help per se. That's just kinda fun and very useful for someone who wants more practice with taking a harmony part.)

I'm a Canadian -- this means I tend to apologize a lot, and that I believe that having health care everyone can access and afford is essential to a civilized society. Oh, and that I sometimes spell things a bit oddly, which i do not apologize for. My politics are left even for this country, except for our left-wing party's total inability to understand that balancing a budget also matters, and, in fact, can make it easier to provide social services for long term rather than short term.

I'm in the SCA, the biggest medieval recreation society in the world. It's not really a proper historical society - the A that stands for Anachronism is très apt. Different branches mean different things to different people: Up here in the Kingdom of Northshield, and especially in its northern end (Fargo, Grand Forks, Winnipeg, etc.) there's more emphasis on actually studying some bits of the history, on looking right (But not on "speaking forsoothly" -- ie, using quasi-Elizabethan) and a strong discouragement for mixing the history with fantasy. Makes for lots of fun, anyhow. The local branch is the Barony of Castel Rouge, currently led by Baron Hreodbeorht and Baroness Faerisa. My main contribution to the activities is much archery, but I dance, and I do make my own dresses, and I like singing around the fire.

I'm a folkie. Let's see - SCA, left wing politics, Fantasy fan... what other kind of music would I listen to? Folk and world beat, with a decided preference for British traditional ballads, though not necessarily traditionally performed (A la Maddy Prior, Kate Rusby, and Jim Moray), and weird Nordic music like Garmarna, Varttina, and Ulla Pirttijarvi.

And then there's Peter Gabriel and Dire Straits, and a few others in rock and prog rock.

Other things I might bring up over time.

I do other arts: I've now mentioned singing several times, and dancing once, but my favourites are visual arts - for one thing, I am a Fine Arts Graduate. I mostly do pottery, these days -- which would be a surprise to anyone who remembers that I darn near failed the class in University (Persistence is its own reward). However, I've had a doozy of an oil painting hovering in the back of my mind for a bit now, and I have two medieval illumination projects on the go (Watercolour and/or gouache and ink).

I work in an office for a bakery. I probably won't comment on that much, though my co-workers can say some funny stuff.

I have cats. Well, one mine, one my brother's. But they live with us and they like each other, too.