Tell us about yourself:
I was born in Marshall and my family moved to Jackson when I was a baby; I have been raised and lived in Jackson for most of my life. I am a fiber artist, I spin and knit my own handspun yarns, and I'm a fiddler, I play with a string band (Railcar Graffiti) and a rock band (Sir Richard and the Royals). My husband, another Jackson local, is also a musician, and together we enjoy making music as well as camping and hiking. I have two cats (Sherlock and Scratch) and a dog (Daisy), my car's name is Margot, and I love to travel. When I'm not wrapped up in a good book, you'll often find me where there is live music or art.
What is your favorite book/album/movie/essay and why?
This is such a challenge! How do you choose one favorite when there are different reasons you love a piece of media, not to mention the place and time you read/heard them? One of my favorites, then, is the epic fantasy series "The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson). I love this story because I grew up with it – I started reading it when I was 12, and the series wasn't completed until my mid-twenties. The characters are like friends that I grew up with. As a child I was an avid fantasy reader, and this series turns common fantasy tropes on their heads, and explores the classic trope of the "chosen one" with the caveat – what if he knows he's the chosen one, but he hates it? The settings and world-building are immaculate, and as a reader you feel like you could step right into this world Jordan has built. The details are given just as much attention as the greater scope of the classic good vs evil themes, and each character adds so much to the tapestry of the story. There are characters you love to hate and characters you hate to love. There is action, romance, and philosophy all found in this series. There are other books I love just as much, if not more, than this series, but this series has been with me for my whole reading life, and has had such an impact on me, not just in my reading, but in how I think about situations and 'tropes.' I have many other 'favorites,' though, depending on genre, topic, and intent, and many favorite movies and don't even get me started on music. I'm always ready to sit down and chat about media.