Please note that when I was talking about traveling, I meant that I wanted to travel IN Europe. My sentence makes it sound like I think Europe is a country! Oops!
You always go above and beyond, Bri. I can already tell that working alongside you is going to be great, and definitely push me farther. You didn't leave much in your biography for me to question. Though I was curious, what inspired you to become a teacher? You mention teaching your stuffed animals as a child, and your inspiration in your teachers, but never really why you decided to go into education. Was it something that you always wanted to do, or something that you discovered later on in life?
tl;dr Basically, I've always known I wanted to get into education.
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Thank you, Savannah! I feel the same way about you and I'm so glad I've been able to have classes with you!
Honestly, teaching is something that I have just always felt was a natural fit for me. I am blessed in the sense that I have always known what I wanted to do growing up. Year after year, I kept having amazing teachers and so each year, I felt my passion awakening all over again. Before I started doing any kind of tutoring or teaching for a job, I used to help my classmates out with their papers from an early age. So, basically, my very fortunate string of teachers and my desire to help others with English at an early age were what really sealed the deal for me.
As far as why I ended up applying for this program in the first place, it's kind of a funny story. During my second semester of my senior year as undergraduate student, I started applying to MFA programs. The first plan was actually to get my MFA and teach Creative Writing at college. That was the same semester that I met Dr. Alby because I was enrolled in my second semester as a teacher for Early College, which was my capstone, and she was working with us. Well, one day, Dr. Alby and I were on the elevator and she asked me if I was a graduate student in the MFA program. I said no, but I was applying to the MFA program. Then, she suggested I apply to the MAT program as well because she thought I would be a good fit. So, later I went home and I looked at all of my options. That's when I realized that if I wanted to teach as soon as possible, the MAT program would actually be a better fit for now. Mostly because to be a Creative Writing professor, often they look at whether or not you have an active publication record--both in publishing creative work and in scholarly journals. I decided I didn't want to try to get my works published just for the sake of being published or merely to get a teaching job. I wanted to wait until I felt my works were truly ready as I still feel I have a lot to learn and I don't think I have reached anywhere near my writing prime. So, I thought about it and decided that I didn't want to put off teaching to accomplish those goals and that I just wanted to dedicate myself to learning everything I could about education. That way, I could teach, hopefully for a long time, while I'm trying to get things published not just for the sake of teaching, but because from an early age, I knew I wanted to be a published writer. I might still get my MFA later in life or even my PhD so I can teach college, but at this point, I'm just going with the flow. As long as I'm doing what I love, I'm happy. I might decide that middle and/or high school teaching is more for me than college teaching. I might not even need that MFA or PhD, but time will tell. Right now, I am just so excited to be here and gain as much experience as possible!
Hey, Bri! I really enjoyed coteaching with you this past year at Early College, as well as learning how to adapt in a shared classroom. You are one of the most passionate people I have ever met; you never go halfway in anything, and I really admire that about you. You are going to be an exceptional teacher! You mentioned a love for musicals. What other musicals, aside from your favorite, would you say that you enjoy? I find myself loving musicals from time to time as well.
Thank you, Hannah! I appreciate the compliments! I enjoyed working with you too and I admire your dedication to academics as well as your positive spirit!
Other musicals I love include The Producers, Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, Rent, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Sweeney Todd, and many others!
Bri, I enjoyed your bio, and thanks for reading mine. I hope you get to go back to Wyoming on a semi- regular basis. It's so beautiful. I'll keep it basic, since I have about 100 questions via that bio but I'll save them for later. So I’ll ask the all important question for now, what is your favorite Mel Brooks movie?
No problem and thanks! I actually did get to visit Wyoming a few years ago when I visited my Grandparents. It truly is beautiful.
No problem! My favorite Mel Brooks film is probably either Young Frankenstein or The Producers. I think Mel Brooks' directing and Gene Wilder's acting combined is truly a match made in Heaven.
Hi Bri! It was so great to be able to learn more about you! I really enjoyed your biography and look forward to getting to know you more in the next year. My question for you is since you such a talent and passion for singing and music, have you ever considered becoming a music teacher as well? Or perhaps give private voice lessons one day?
To answer your question: I've thought about it, but I don't feel I have the particular skill set required to teach music. In the process of both taking chorus and earning my music minor, I struggled a lot in sight reading and in music theory. I do want to get better at these things, but until I got significantly better, I don't really think I would feel comfortable teaching music. It's something to consider for the future, but for now I'm happy sticking to teaching English.
As far as teaching voice is concerned, it is much easier for me to just sing the correct way by "muscle memory" from chorus than it would be to teach someone else to sing correctly. Also, I mostly just fly by the seat of my pants in music and just learn by ear. I can pick up songs by ear rather quickly. There's also the fact that I've never actually had private voice lessons (I've always wanted to rectify that), so what I know about singing mostly comes from chorus, my own solo petformances throughout the years, and from hanging around vocalists a lot in the music department. It might be worth it to get certified (or whatever the process) in the future after I've had years of private lessons, but until then, I will "just let [my] heart decide" like Aladdin tells me. :p
Hey Bri! It seems we have a lot in common. We grew up not too far away from each other; I am from Suwanee and went to North Gwinnett. I also LOVE musicals and Chicago and Rent are my favorites. My question for you is did you ever attend the writing camp for students that Mercer holds every summer? When I was younger, I really wanted to write and I went to the program and you worked on stories everyday and then at the end they published one of your stories in a collection.
Hey, Shamiah! Wow, what a small world! Happy to meet a fellow musical lover. You know what makes me jealous? Jordan actually went on Rent's farewell tour and got to meet both Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal! I'm so jealous of him!
I've never had the chance to go to the writing camp at Mercer, but it sounds like a great program! I am so happy you got to have that experience growing up!
Hello Bri! Wow, I think it's awesome that you have so many different passions! It's always great to meet someone that has tons of hobbies and interests. You covered a lot, so I'm having trouble thinking of a question! Haha...I guess here's one: What types of stories do you like to write when you write fiction? Your poetry seemed to cover some pretty intense topics, so I was curious what kinds of things you tackle when you go the prose route.
Hey, Kayleigh! Thanks! I won't lie, having all of those interests truly enriches my life.
For stories, just like in my poetry, they are varied. A lot of times, I do write about intense subjects and themes, but other times my works can be humorous or satirical in nature. Most of the time, the fiction that I write is either realistic or surreal in nature. It really just depends on what mood I'm in and what's currently influencing me.
Hey, Abbey! I actually have volunteered a lot for the cause.
For years, I volunteered at registration for Walk Now for Autism and participated in the Walk itself. However, although I used to support Autism Speaks a lot, now I'm not so sure I agree with the distribution of their funding or the way they treat the issue of autism itself.
I also volunteered at Camp Dream one summer where I was a camp counselor for those with special needs. It was a challenging and rewarding experience at the same time and I met a lot of great people!
So, yes, if the opportunity presented itself I might be interested in teaching special needs in the future. It is one of the things I might eventually get certified for.
Your imagination is awesome! The Mutant Vegetable story is extremely cool (nerd moment). And the pairing of your personal beliefs to your diet is inspiring as well. I was vegetarian for 5 years, and your bio helped make me realize why I chose this lifestyle in the first place, so I may be making some changes thanks to you. Do you think you want to teach special needs, or work with children who have special needs? It was interesting to see that at a young age you saw the importance of adapting to Ty’s needs.
Hey, Sheika! Thank you for the compliments! It's awesome that you were vegetarian for five years and it's great to hear that you might be making some changes! Also, I have a bunch of vegan cookbooks if you would like to borrow any of them and have tons of tips if you're ever interested.
As far as your question, either one would be great. At this point of my life, I'm just kind of seeing where my teachung career takes me. I figure that if I don't actually get to teach special needs, there are plenty of opportunities to continue my volunteer work in those areas. Either way, I am happy to use what I've learned from growing up with Ty to help adapt to the needs of all of my students, both those with special needs and those without.
Your imagination is awesome! The Mutant Vegetable story is extremely cool (nerd moment). And the pairing of your personal beliefs to your diet is inspiring as well. I was vegetarian for 5 years, and your bio helped make me realize why I chose this lifestyle in the first place, so I may be making some changes thanks to you. Do you think you want to teach special needs, or work with children who have special needs? It was interesting to see that at a young age you saw the importance of adapting to Ty’s needs.
Enjoyed reading your bio! First off, how on earth do you find time to sleep with so many interests!? Haha
But seriously, I think its so cool that you are so passionate about learning! What are some ways you are hoping to incorporate your passion for art into English? Because I feel like English and art are both so linked to passion and creativity, that I think students would really enjoy doing both to get their creative writing juices flowing!
Thank you, Kinsey! It’s interesting that you ask that as for much of my life, I didn't really budget my time well and as a result, my sleep habits weren't the best. For me, I have an unofficial rule for myself that especially on school nights, I must go to bed by 12 (there is, however, a one hour leeway I've given myself, so if it's 12 and I'm totally absorbed in something, I let myself extend the sleep deadline to 1, but no later.) On non-school nights I try to stick to the same time, but it's harder for me and a lot of the time I end up staying up really late. Case in point--after casually watching a V sauce video, I was up until five in the morning researching a psychological study that I found fascinating and couldn't stop reading about. If you're curious, it was the case with Genie who was abused and kept hidden and locked in a room until she was thirteen. It's a very sad story and I felt invested in it immediately and couldn't stop reading about it. Scientists did a lot of studies about her, especially pertaining to linguistics. I won't explain furthet as it will quickly become a tl;dr deal, but this is just to say (like the William Carlos Williams poem, haha), I tend to lose track of time when delving into my interests. So, self-monitoring, including making sure I get enough sleep and that I'm actually taking lunch and dinner breaks, is something I try to engrain in myself. On school nights I've gotten it to work about 90% of the time. In non-school nights about maybe 75%.
As far as art is concerned, I enjoy experimenting with ways to incorporate art into my creative writing lessons. For example, there was this one time that I was teaching imagery and it's use in poetry and drawing was part of the lesson. It was great because I could tell it kind of broke up the monotony of the he day from the students and they were able to see how they could use the arts to work together and work towards a common goal.
I do the same not just with visual art, but with performance art and music. I like to write lessons where I feel that students are not only growing in their knowledge, but in their skills. For example having an ear for music can help you write poetry, both in the metrical aspects and rhyme, and in the sounds and the connotations of the words themselves since in poetry each word us often carefully chosen and of utmost importance. In using performance arts, students are able to gain an understanding in how writing, especially poetry and script writing, isn't confined to a page. It also helps with their public speaking and communication skills. Also, I believe that all of the arts are great ways to help students develop their critical thinking skills, which will help them in all of the areas of their life.
tl;dr I love poetry the most and my favorite poet is Sylvia Plath because her arresting imagery and entrancing way of conveying emotion.
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Thank you so much! I appreciate it!
I'm really in to a mix of everything, but my favorite genre to read is poetry, especially modern and contemporary poetry, both American and British. But I like a lot of other stuff too. So, I'll just list some favorites:
Favorite poet: Sylvia Plath. Her dark, yet arresting imagery and ability to convey such complex emotions just astound me.
Favorite living poet: Sharon Olds. If you have never read Stag's Leap, you should check it out. It is a collection of poetry chronicling her divorce and is based on her life. Her poetry has a distinctive rhythm to it that feels even metrically, yet expressive and free at the same time.
Favorite poem: "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" by Emily Dickinson. I can relate to the subject matter and I admire how much she can take such abstract ideas and turn them into concrete images and clever rhymes and slant rhymes.
Favorite short story writer: Edgar Allan Poe. His plots are gripping and the dark themes in his stories are compelling and rich.
Favorite short story: "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. The voice of the protagonist always draws me in and suspends my disbelief.
Favorite author: V.C. Andrews. Her writing style is compelling because she finds a way to be descriptive, but actively so and is a master at conveying different tones and tone shifts in her work.
Favorite book (Also favorite book series): Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. I really feel for the protagonist and the character dynamics of this series as well as the overall arc of the characters always keeps me coming back to re-read the books.
Favorite creative non-fiction Writer: Marya Hornbaucher. Her language is so precise and full of some of the most compelling imagery I've ever read. She's also a journalist, so her memoirs are always really detailed and give you a true sense of who she is.
Favorite creative non-fiction book: Wasted by Marya Hornbacher. It was fascinating to read about the inner workings of her mind as well as examine the conflicted relationship she has with food as a result of her eating disorders. Madness is also a compelling book by the same author and is about her struggle with Bipolar Disorder.
Favorite off-beat fiction book: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimme Bender. Her writing is so symbolic and abstract and I love how the element of magic realism in this book contributes to the protagonist's emotional journey.
Favorite books that are considered classic literature: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostovesky. I love how these books explore such dark themes and how flawed and interesting their protagonists are. I even wrote a song from the perspective of Frankenstein's monster.
Favorite playwright: Shakespeare, as unoriginal as that sounds. There's no one that even comes close in my opinion. I also love August Wilson and his dedication to portraying the African American experience throughout the decades.
Favorite play: Macbeth by Shakespeare. I cannot get enough of this play mostly because I am absolutely obsessed with Lady Macbeth's character. I have even written a song from the perspective of Lady Macbeth.
Other writers I enjoy (not an exhaustive list): William Blake. Robert Frost, Allen Ginsberg, Walt Whitman, Charles Bukowski, Gwendolyn Brooks, Jericho Brown, Langston Hughes, WIlliam Carlos Williams, etc. etc. etc.
Well, to make a long story short, I've struggled with mental illness pretty much my whole life, as have many of my friends throughout the years. I lost a friend from suicide a few years ago which inspired me to start the mental health organization.
I have gone through a lot of other struggles that I didn't mention in my autobiography. I chose to do this because I prefer people getting to know these parts of me more gradually; it is more meaningful to me for that information to come up in deep conversation rather than through blocks of text for a class assignment. It also would have just taken a long time to explain and for this particular paper, I wanted to include just the positive parts in my life, not to ignore the struggles, but because I don't feel that my struggles truly encompass who I am as much as my interests and passions do. I am in a good place right now and I wanted my autobiography to reflect that.
Bri I really enjoyed reading your bio. I adore your relationship with your brother & respect your position on research and advocating his condition & your other social issues. I read your reason on why you became a vegan. What was the final solution or ultimate reason you finally decided to become vegan? I understand from a health stand point but did you have a bad experience with meat one day and decided that was it?
Haha! Your question made me laugh because I just imagined myself at a restaurant cutting a steak or something and then shouting, "This steak is too tough! That's it! I'm becoming vegan!" and then storming out of the restaurant. That's not quite what happened though.
The story goes like this. So, it was Christmas of 2007, I was 17, and one of the things I received was a diet book from my mother, which she gave me as a joke (I was very thin at the time, for reasons she wasn't aware of). The book is called Skinny Bitch and it is by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnoiun. Well, I flipped open the pages and the book was funny and sassy, so I started reading it. As it turns out, it is less of a "diet" book and more of a book about animal rights, particularly about the meat and dairy industries, and about the misconceptions about vegan nutrition (such as the myth that vegans can't get enough protein). I've always been an animal lover, so I was horrified at what I read about how animals are treated. So, I started fact checking and researching this information online. After I knew what was happening, I could no longer support it, and I honestly lost my appetite for animal products. I also researched vegan nutrition and made sure to make the switch healthfully and in the process, gained some information about environmental reasons to switch to a vegan diet as will. I have always been a bit of a health nut, so I was happy to find that a well-planned vegan diet could enhance my health. I try my best to live green as well (still need to do better with that), so the environmental reasons also appealed to me. After I felt like I had done enough research to make the change, I quit cold turkey (pun intended).
Hey Bri, your autobiography is incredibly inspiring! I have no doubt that you will find infinite ways to motivate and inspire your students. I noticed that, among many other things, you like Demetri Martin, so my question is of the utmost importance: have you seen the movie In A World? It's fantastic.
I have seen In A World and overall, I do like it, especially Demetri Martin's part in it. I thought he acted very well in it and was entertaining and delightfully goofy. The only thing I didn't like about the movie itself was that I felt that the ending didn't really do the rest of the movie justice. Other than that though, I thought the characters were compelling and that the plot, overall, was unique.
I am looking forward to meeting you, Bri! You seem like a very driven person who gives everything 100%, which is a very admirable quality. Although I have several questions that I hope will be answered in the course of getting to know you, I would like to know what Ms. Simmons and Ms. McKim did to encourage you to pursue writing?
Thank you so much for the kind words! I look forward to meeting you as well!
Ms. Simmons and Ms. McKim did so many things to encourage my writing. The first thing that I remember them doing is letting me absolutely absorb myself in my writing. They would read my stories as I wrote them and give me real feedback, such as how to improve my description and how to make the beginnings of my stories really pop. They didn't treat me like some kid who just liked to write and would probably "grow out of it." They took me seriously and encouraged me to have fun with writing and let it take me to new levels of thought. They also kept telling me that, yes, it did matter that I had a college reading and writing level and that if those were things I was passionate about, I should pursue them. They were the first people to truly tell me that I had a gift that I should look into honing, which is what Ms. Simmons actually wrote in my yearbook that year. They also supported not only my writing itself, but the way I wrote. For instance, one time, I was writing a murder mystery and Ms. Simmons was trying to help me in the process. In order to get an idea of where the story was going, she asked me, "So, who ends up being the murderer?" I said that I didn't know yet and then she told me that it was perfectly fine not to know and that some of the best writers don't even know their plots completely while they write. She said something to the effect of "Sometimes when you watch interviews with these writers, it seems like they didn't even write it because their writing process was so exploratory to the point where they would sound surprised at their own plot twists." Ms. McKim also would read my work and take an avid interest in my writing. She was so devoted to making me feel like she was truly listening. All of these reasons and more greatly contributed to why Ms. McKIm and Ms. Simmons were some of the best teachers I ever had; they completely changed my life and I hope I am lucky to change my students lives in a similar way. In fact, even if I only influence one student in a similar way, I will be very fortunate and consider my life well-spent.
Hey Bri! I really love Breaking Bad also, it is one of my favorite shows! I was wondering if you watched the show Better Call Saul? I have not watched it but I have heard mixed reviews from Breaking Bad fans and I was wondering what your take on it was.
Hey, Camille! It's nice to meet another Breaking Bad fan! It is seriously a work of art! Vince Gilligan is a genius at writing and directing and there is not one weak actor or actress in that entire series! We'll have to exchange fan theories sometime!
I have not seen Better Call Saul yet mostly because I am waiting for it to come on Netflix. Another reason I'm waiting is because I was to preserve the magic of the story for now, if that makes any sense. I, too, have heard mixed reviews, so I've been keeping an open mind.
Please note that when I was talking about traveling, I meant that I wanted to travel IN Europe. My sentence makes it sound like I think Europe is a country! Oops!
ReplyDeleteYou always go above and beyond, Bri. I can already tell that working alongside you is going to be great, and definitely push me farther. You didn't leave much in your biography for me to question.
ReplyDeleteThough I was curious, what inspired you to become a teacher? You mention teaching your stuffed animals as a child, and your inspiration in your teachers, but never really why you decided to go into education. Was it something that you always wanted to do, or something that you discovered later on in life?
tl;dr Basically, I've always known I wanted to get into education.
ReplyDelete---
Thank you, Savannah! I feel the same way about you and I'm so glad I've been able to have classes with you!
Honestly, teaching is something that I have just always felt was a natural fit for me. I am blessed in the sense that I have always known what I wanted to do growing up. Year after year, I kept having amazing teachers and so each year, I felt my passion awakening all over again. Before I started doing any kind of tutoring or teaching for a job, I used to help my classmates out with their papers from an early age. So, basically, my very fortunate string of teachers and my desire to help others with English at an early age were what really sealed the deal for me.
As far as why I ended up applying for this program in the first place, it's kind of a funny story. During my second semester of my senior year as undergraduate student, I started applying to MFA programs. The first plan was actually to get my MFA and teach Creative Writing at college. That was the same semester that I met Dr. Alby because I was enrolled in my second semester as a teacher for Early College, which was my capstone, and she was working with us. Well, one day, Dr. Alby and I were on the elevator and she asked me if I was a graduate student in the MFA program. I said no, but I was applying to the MFA program. Then, she suggested I apply to the MAT program as well because she thought I would be a good fit. So, later I went home and I looked at all of my options. That's when I realized that if I wanted to teach as soon as possible, the MAT program would actually be a better fit for now. Mostly because to be a Creative Writing professor, often they look at whether or not you have an active publication record--both in publishing creative work and in scholarly journals. I decided I didn't want to try to get my works published just for the sake of being published or merely to get a teaching job. I wanted to wait until I felt my works were truly ready as I still feel I have a lot to learn and I don't think I have reached anywhere near my writing prime. So, I thought about it and decided that I didn't want to put off teaching to accomplish those goals and that I just wanted to dedicate myself to learning everything I could about education. That way, I could teach, hopefully for a long time, while I'm trying to get things published not just for the sake of teaching, but because from an early age, I knew I wanted to be a published writer. I might still get my MFA later in life or even my PhD so I can teach college, but at this point, I'm just going with the flow. As long as I'm doing what I love, I'm happy. I might decide that middle and/or high school teaching is more for me than college teaching. I might not even need that MFA or PhD, but time will tell. Right now, I am just so excited to be here and gain as much experience as possible!
Hey, Bri! I really enjoyed coteaching with you this past year at Early College, as well as learning how to adapt in a shared classroom. You are one of the most passionate people I have ever met; you never go halfway in anything, and I really admire that about you. You are going to be an exceptional teacher! You mentioned a love for musicals. What other musicals, aside from your favorite, would you say that you enjoy? I find myself loving musicals from time to time as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hannah! I appreciate the compliments! I enjoyed working with you too and I admire your dedication to academics as well as your positive spirit!
DeleteOther musicals I love include The Producers, Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, Rent, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Sweeney Todd, and many others!
Bri, I enjoyed your bio, and thanks for reading mine. I hope you get to go back to Wyoming on a semi- regular basis. It's so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep it basic, since I have about 100 questions via that bio but I'll save them for later. So I’ll ask the all important question for now, what is your favorite Mel Brooks movie?
No problem and thanks! I actually did get to visit Wyoming a few years ago when I visited my Grandparents. It truly is beautiful.
DeleteNo problem! My favorite Mel Brooks film is probably either Young Frankenstein or The Producers. I think Mel Brooks' directing and Gene Wilder's acting combined is truly a match made in Heaven.
Great question Joseph
DeleteHi Bri! It was so great to be able to learn more about you! I really enjoyed your biography and look forward to getting to know you more in the next year. My question for you is since you such a talent and passion for singing and music, have you ever considered becoming a music teacher as well? Or perhaps give private voice lessons one day?
ReplyDeleteHey, Allison! You as well!
DeleteTo answer your question: I've thought about it, but I don't feel I have the particular skill set required to teach music. In the process of both taking chorus and earning my music minor, I struggled a lot in sight reading and in music theory. I do want to get better at these things, but until I got significantly better, I don't really think I would feel comfortable teaching music. It's something to consider for the future, but for now I'm happy sticking to teaching English.
As far as teaching voice is concerned, it is much easier for me to just sing the correct way by "muscle memory" from chorus than it would be to teach someone else to sing correctly. Also, I mostly just fly by the seat of my pants in music and just learn by ear. I can pick up songs by ear rather quickly. There's also the fact that I've never actually had private voice lessons (I've always wanted to rectify that), so what I know about singing mostly comes from chorus, my own solo petformances throughout the years, and from hanging around vocalists a lot in the music department. It might be worth it to get certified (or whatever the process) in the future after I've had years of private lessons, but until then, I will "just let [my] heart decide" like Aladdin tells me. :p
Hey Bri! It seems we have a lot in common. We grew up not too far away from each other; I am from Suwanee and went to North Gwinnett. I also LOVE musicals and Chicago and Rent are my favorites. My question for you is did you ever attend the writing camp for students that Mercer holds every summer? When I was younger, I really wanted to write and I went to the program and you worked on stories everyday and then at the end they published one of your stories in a collection.
ReplyDeleteHey, Shamiah! Wow, what a small world! Happy to meet a fellow musical lover. You know what makes me jealous? Jordan actually went on Rent's farewell tour and got to meet both Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal! I'm so jealous of him!
DeleteI've never had the chance to go to the writing camp at Mercer, but it sounds like a great program! I am so happy you got to have that experience growing up!
Hello Bri! Wow, I think it's awesome that you have so many different passions! It's always great to meet someone that has tons of hobbies and interests. You covered a lot, so I'm having trouble thinking of a question! Haha...I guess here's one: What types of stories do you like to write when you write fiction? Your poetry seemed to cover some pretty intense topics, so I was curious what kinds of things you tackle when you go the prose route.
ReplyDeleteHey, Kayleigh! Thanks! I won't lie, having all of those interests truly enriches my life.
DeleteFor stories, just like in my poetry, they are varied. A lot of times, I do write about intense subjects and themes, but other times my works can be humorous or satirical in nature. Most of the time, the fiction that I write is either realistic or surreal in nature. It really just depends on what mood I'm in and what's currently influencing me.
Hey Bri! I was wondering if you were ever interested in teaching special needs, or if volunteer frequently for programs helping autistic people.
ReplyDeleteHey, Abbey! I actually have volunteered a lot for the cause.
ReplyDeleteFor years, I volunteered at registration for Walk Now for Autism and participated in the Walk itself. However, although I used to support Autism Speaks a lot, now I'm not so sure I agree with the distribution of their funding or the way they treat the issue of autism itself.
I also volunteered at Camp Dream one summer where I was a camp counselor for those with special needs. It was a challenging and rewarding experience at the same time and I met a lot of great people!
So, yes, if the opportunity presented itself I might be interested in teaching special needs in the future. It is one of the things I might eventually get certified for.
Your imagination is awesome! The Mutant Vegetable story is extremely cool (nerd moment). And the pairing of your personal beliefs to your diet is inspiring as well. I was vegetarian for 5 years, and your bio helped make me realize why I chose this lifestyle in the first place, so I may be making some changes thanks to you.
ReplyDeleteDo you think you want to teach special needs, or work with children who have special needs? It was interesting to see that at a young age you saw the importance of adapting to Ty’s needs.
Hey, Sheika! Thank you for the compliments! It's awesome that you were vegetarian for five years and it's great to hear that you might be making some changes! Also, I have a bunch of vegan cookbooks if you would like to borrow any of them and have tons of tips if you're ever interested.
DeleteAs far as your question, either one would be great. At this point of my life, I'm just kind of seeing where my teachung career takes me. I figure that if I don't actually get to teach special needs, there are plenty of opportunities to continue my volunteer work in those areas. Either way, I am happy to use what I've learned from growing up with Ty to help adapt to the needs of all of my students, both those with special needs and those without.
teaching*
DeleteYour imagination is awesome! The Mutant Vegetable story is extremely cool (nerd moment). And the pairing of your personal beliefs to your diet is inspiring as well. I was vegetarian for 5 years, and your bio helped make me realize why I chose this lifestyle in the first place, so I may be making some changes thanks to you.
ReplyDeleteDo you think you want to teach special needs, or work with children who have special needs? It was interesting to see that at a young age you saw the importance of adapting to Ty’s needs.
Enjoyed reading your bio! First off, how on earth do you find time to sleep with so many interests!? Haha
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, I think its so cool that you are so passionate about learning! What are some ways you are hoping to incorporate your passion for art into English? Because I feel like English and art are both so linked to passion and creativity, that I think students would really enjoy doing both to get their creative writing juices flowing!
Thank you, Kinsey! It’s interesting that you ask that as for much of my life, I didn't really budget my time well and as a result, my sleep habits weren't the best. For me, I have an unofficial rule for myself that especially on school nights, I must go to bed by 12 (there is, however, a one hour leeway I've given myself, so if it's 12 and I'm totally absorbed in something, I let myself extend the sleep deadline to 1, but no later.) On non-school nights I try to stick to the same time, but it's harder for me and a lot of the time I end up staying up really late. Case in point--after casually watching a V sauce video, I was up until five in the morning researching a psychological study that I found fascinating and couldn't stop reading about. If you're curious, it was the case with Genie who was abused and kept hidden and locked in a room until she was thirteen. It's a very sad story and I felt invested in it immediately and couldn't stop reading about it. Scientists did a lot of studies about her, especially pertaining to linguistics. I won't explain furthet as it will quickly become a tl;dr deal, but this is just to say (like the William Carlos Williams poem, haha), I tend to lose track of time when delving into my interests. So, self-monitoring, including making sure I get enough sleep and that I'm actually taking lunch and dinner breaks, is something I try to engrain in myself. On school nights I've gotten it to work about 90% of the time. In non-school nights about maybe 75%.
DeleteAs far as art is concerned, I enjoy experimenting with ways to incorporate art into my creative writing lessons. For example, there was this one time that I was teaching imagery and it's use in poetry and drawing was part of the lesson. It was great because I could tell it kind of broke up the monotony of the he day from the students and they were able to see how they could use the arts to work together and work towards a common goal.
I do the same not just with visual art, but with performance art and music. I like to write lessons where I feel that students are not only growing in their knowledge, but in their skills. For example having an ear for music can help you write poetry, both in the metrical aspects and rhyme, and in the sounds and the connotations of the words themselves since in poetry each word us often carefully chosen and of utmost importance. In using performance arts, students are able to gain an understanding in how writing, especially poetry and script writing, isn't confined to a page. It also helps with their public speaking and communication skills. Also, I believe that all of the arts are great ways to help students develop their critical thinking skills, which will help them in all of the areas of their life.
I love your enthusiasm and love for the arts! Do you have a favorite genre of literature? Who is your favorite author/poet and why?
ReplyDeletetl;dr I love poetry the most and my favorite poet is Sylvia Plath because her arresting imagery and entrancing way of conveying emotion.
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Thank you so much! I appreciate it!
I'm really in to a mix of everything, but my favorite genre to read is poetry, especially modern and contemporary poetry, both American and British. But I like a lot of other stuff too. So, I'll just list some favorites:
Favorite poet: Sylvia Plath. Her dark, yet arresting imagery and ability to convey such complex emotions just astound me.
Favorite living poet: Sharon Olds. If you have never read Stag's Leap, you should check it out. It is a collection of poetry chronicling her divorce and is based on her life. Her poetry has a distinctive rhythm to it that feels even metrically, yet expressive and free at the same time.
Favorite poem: "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" by Emily Dickinson. I can relate to the subject matter and I admire how much she can take such abstract ideas and turn them into concrete images and clever rhymes and slant rhymes.
Favorite short story writer: Edgar Allan Poe. His plots are gripping and the dark themes in his stories are compelling and rich.
Favorite short story: "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. The voice of the protagonist always draws me in and suspends my disbelief.
Favorite author: V.C. Andrews. Her writing style is compelling because she finds a way to be descriptive, but actively so and is a master at conveying different tones and tone shifts in her work.
Favorite book (Also favorite book series): Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. I really feel for the protagonist and the character dynamics of this series as well as the overall arc of the characters always keeps me coming back to re-read the books.
Favorite creative non-fiction Writer: Marya Hornbaucher. Her language is so precise and full of some of the most compelling imagery I've ever read. She's also a journalist, so her memoirs are always really detailed and give you a true sense of who she is.
Favorite creative non-fiction book: Wasted by Marya Hornbacher. It was fascinating to read about the inner workings of her mind as well as examine the conflicted relationship she has with food as a result of her eating disorders. Madness is also a compelling book by the same author and is about her struggle with Bipolar Disorder.
Favorite off-beat fiction book: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimme Bender. Her writing is so symbolic and abstract and I love how the element of magic realism in this book contributes to the protagonist's emotional journey.
Favorite books that are considered classic literature: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostovesky. I love how these books explore such dark themes and how flawed and interesting their protagonists are. I even wrote a song from the perspective of Frankenstein's monster.
Favorite playwright: Shakespeare, as unoriginal as that sounds. There's no one that even comes close in my opinion. I also love August Wilson and his dedication to portraying the African American experience throughout the decades.
Favorite play: Macbeth by Shakespeare. I cannot get enough of this play mostly because I am absolutely obsessed with Lady Macbeth's character. I have even written a song from the perspective of Lady Macbeth.
Other writers I enjoy (not an exhaustive list): William Blake. Robert Frost, Allen Ginsberg, Walt Whitman, Charles Bukowski, Gwendolyn Brooks, Jericho Brown, Langston Hughes, WIlliam Carlos Williams, etc. etc. etc.
Hey, Bri! I think it's great that you have so many interests. What sparked your passion for mental illness?
ReplyDeleteHey, Katherine! Thank you!
DeleteWell, to make a long story short, I've struggled with mental illness pretty much my whole life, as have many of my friends throughout the years. I lost a friend from suicide a few years ago which inspired me to start the mental health organization.
I have gone through a lot of other struggles that I didn't mention in my autobiography. I chose to do this because I prefer people getting to know these parts of me more gradually; it is more meaningful to me for that information to come up in deep conversation rather than through blocks of text for a class assignment. It also would have just taken a long time to explain and for this particular paper, I wanted to include just the positive parts in my life, not to ignore the struggles, but because I don't feel that my struggles truly encompass who I am as much as my interests and passions do. I am in a good place right now and I wanted my autobiography to reflect that.
Bri I really enjoyed reading your bio. I adore your relationship with your brother & respect your position on research and advocating his condition & your other social issues. I read your reason on why you became a vegan. What was the final solution or ultimate reason you finally decided to become vegan? I understand from a health stand point but did you have a bad experience with meat one day and decided that was it?
ReplyDeleteHey, Kourtney! Thank you for the compliments!
DeleteHaha! Your question made me laugh because I just imagined myself at a restaurant cutting a steak or something and then shouting, "This steak is too tough! That's it! I'm becoming vegan!" and then storming out of the restaurant. That's not quite what happened though.
The story goes like this. So, it was Christmas of 2007, I was 17, and one of the things I received was a diet book from my mother, which she gave me as a joke (I was very thin at the time, for reasons she wasn't aware of). The book is called Skinny Bitch and it is by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnoiun. Well, I flipped open the pages and the book was funny and sassy, so I started reading it. As it turns out, it is less of a "diet" book and more of a book about animal rights, particularly about the meat and dairy industries, and about the misconceptions about vegan nutrition (such as the myth that vegans can't get enough protein). I've always been an animal lover, so I was horrified at what I read about how animals are treated. So, I started fact checking and researching this information online. After I knew what was happening, I could no longer support it, and I honestly lost my appetite for animal products. I also researched vegan nutrition and made sure to make the switch healthfully and in the process, gained some information about environmental reasons to switch to a vegan diet as will. I have always been a bit of a health nut, so I was happy to find that a well-planned vegan diet could enhance my health. I try my best to live green as well (still need to do better with that), so the environmental reasons also appealed to me. After I felt like I had done enough research to make the change, I quit cold turkey (pun intended).
Hey Bri, your autobiography is incredibly inspiring! I have no doubt that you will find infinite ways to motivate and inspire your students. I noticed that, among many other things, you like Demetri Martin, so my question is of the utmost importance: have you seen the movie In A World? It's fantastic.
ReplyDeleteHey, Casey! Than you so much! I appreciate it!
DeleteI have seen In A World and overall, I do like it, especially Demetri Martin's part in it. I thought he acted very well in it and was entertaining and delightfully goofy. The only thing I didn't like about the movie itself was that I felt that the ending didn't really do the rest of the movie justice. Other than that though, I thought the characters were compelling and that the plot, overall, was unique.
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DeleteI am looking forward to meeting you, Bri! You seem like a very driven person who gives everything 100%, which is a very admirable quality. Although I have several questions that I hope will be answered in the course of getting to know you, I would like to know what Ms. Simmons and Ms. McKim did to encourage you to pursue writing?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the kind words! I look forward to meeting you as well!
DeleteMs. Simmons and Ms. McKim did so many things to encourage my writing. The first thing that I remember them doing is letting me absolutely absorb myself in my writing. They would read my stories as I wrote them and give me real feedback, such as how to improve my description and how to make the beginnings of my stories really pop. They didn't treat me like some kid who just liked to write and would probably "grow out of it." They took me seriously and encouraged me to have fun with writing and let it take me to new levels of thought. They also kept telling me that, yes, it did matter that I had a college reading and writing level and that if those were things I was passionate about, I should pursue them. They were the first people to truly tell me that I had a gift that I should look into honing, which is what Ms. Simmons actually wrote in my yearbook that year. They also supported not only my writing itself, but the way I wrote. For instance, one time, I was writing a murder mystery and Ms. Simmons was trying to help me in the process. In order to get an idea of where the story was going, she asked me, "So, who ends up being the murderer?" I said that I didn't know yet and then she told me that it was perfectly fine not to know and that some of the best writers don't even know their plots completely while they write. She said something to the effect of "Sometimes when you watch interviews with these writers, it seems like they didn't even write it because their writing process was so exploratory to the point where they would sound surprised at their own plot twists." Ms. McKim also would read my work and take an avid interest in my writing. She was so devoted to making me feel like she was truly listening. All of these reasons and more greatly contributed to why Ms. McKIm and Ms. Simmons were some of the best teachers I ever had; they completely changed my life and I hope I am lucky to change my students lives in a similar way. In fact, even if I only influence one student in a similar way, I will be very fortunate and consider my life well-spent.
Hey Bri! I really love Breaking Bad also, it is one of my favorite shows! I was wondering if you watched the show Better Call Saul? I have not watched it but I have heard mixed reviews from Breaking Bad fans and I was wondering what your take on it was.
ReplyDeleteHey, Camille! It's nice to meet another Breaking Bad fan! It is seriously a work of art! Vince Gilligan is a genius at writing and directing and there is not one weak actor or actress in that entire series! We'll have to exchange fan theories sometime!
DeleteI have not seen Better Call Saul yet mostly because I am waiting for it to come on Netflix. Another reason I'm waiting is because I was to preserve the magic of the story for now, if that makes any sense. I, too, have heard mixed reviews, so I've been keeping an open mind.
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