No, I said, ” ‘ello,” but close enough.

Hello, hello; is anyone out there? It’s another guest blogger for you to meet!  My name is Steph, and I’m writing to you in the midst of a heatwave in otherwise beautiful Portland, Oregon. I suppose I’ll begin with the definitions, though beyond the basics, I’ve never been very good at them. I’m a 22-year-old cis-gendered woman. I am white, heterosexual, agnostic and Jewish. I’m non-neurotypical, to borrow a useful term that’s been floating around. I am a writer (well, I’m a writer in training—but then, does a writer ever leave her apprenticeship?) thinker, and blogger. When I’m not doing those things (or looking for more work,) I’m dancing, making delicious vegetarian dinners with my flatmate, or exploring more of Portland. I have (un)healthy obsessions with Virginia Woolf, Film Noir, and mystery novels. I dream of creating and promoting media ethically, but that’s in the future. Beyond that: I’m as confused as you are.

Really, though, at the moment, the best way I can describe myself is as very, very pleased to meet you all. I was completely and utterly shocked and honored by Jill’s invitation, and I hope I can live up to the fantastic guest-bloggers who have come before me. I don’t always comment because, well, frankly, I’m shy, but I have been reading, and all of you rock.

I’m relatively new to the blogging scene. After graduating from college about a year ago, I created “From the Cracked Mirror,”  which is my space to talk about art, media, and gender. The name comes both from named both after the mirror of Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott,” and a passage from the Zohar (a Jewish Kabbalistic text) which talks about the need to repair the world. At the beginning, I talked a lot about sexist subtext in advertising, but lately I’m more interested in questions surrounding creativity. I’m asking questions about why genre is gendered, the future of publishing, why people roll their eyes at “Lilith Fair music,” and the whiteness of the Western Canon. I’m examining how the fictional characters of the popular imagination enforce, and sometimes challenge, the way American culture believes people should behave. I’m trying to notice the people who get silenced along the way. I take stuff, run it through my subtext juicer, and see what comes out.

As for comment moderation, I think my rules are pretty standard. There’s just one thing I’d like to specify: I really don’t want to get into a “why are we talking about art and media when there are real-world issues out there?” debate. I believe media is important because it at once enforces and stretches what we deem to be acceptable behavior in our culture. The day I claim that it’s the only important issue is the day you get to argue with me. For now, I’ll just say that I think media and stories are important to discuss, and I look forward to discussing them with you.

So virtual tea and digital cupcakes to all (I make a mean vegan cupcake, for those of you who need ‘em.,) and I’m super-excited for the upcoming week! Also, I hope it’s cooler wherever you are; ugh–I can’t stand this heatwave!