My parents gave me a good, Gaelic first name (Casey) and a Biblical middle name (Leah). I come from a family of Adams and Conners and MacMillans and Motts. From coal miners, farmers, moonshiners, fundamentalist Christians, and anarcho-socialists. I was born and raised in West Virginia, and Appalachia will always be what I mean when I say "home."
I've been obsessed with language and writing since I could hold a book, One of my father's favorite stories to tell about me is the time when, at age three, I walked up to him with a Dr. Seuss book in my hands and informed him that I could read. He nodded, thought it was cute, and kept right on nodding when I opened the book and started reading it aloud. I spent all my schooling years studying every language I could find a class for, and finally settled on Spanish for my degree. When I graduate next year, I hope to teach in a public school.
We discussed the issue of bias frequently in the class, so I think that deserves a mention here. I have been a vegetarian and supporter of animal rights for over a decade. I spent three years on a self-sufficiency farm project. So I certainly had my own ideas about land and farming. I am also unapologetically an activist, and definitely not shy about revealing my personal politics.
my personal links: