Sherbygirl

My name is Lee.  I’m in my early 30′s, I have a husband and two kids.  I have a PhD in comparative literature from the University of Alberta (Canada).  My BA and MA are from the Université de Sherbrooke (Canada).  I grew up in Montreal speaking both French and English (but predominently English).  I went away to university in French, but to study Professional Writing in English, with the goal of being a journalist.  I ended falling in love with the study of literature instead.  I also figured that if I wanted to be a writer, I should study great writing.  Somewhere along the way, I forgot to practice writing myself.  My MA was on magical dystopias, my PhD looked at the English translations of a French Canadian poet (Anne Hébert).  I’ve taught various levels of English and literature for almost 10 years.

My other passion is swimming.  I swam competively for 15 years.  I was, at best, mediocre, but I loved the sport too much to give it up.  I also coached at various level.  When I moved to California with my husband so he could do his PhD, I was an assistant coach for a DIII swim team.  Now we’ve moved again, and I’m trying to find time to swim again.  But with two kids under the age of three, it’s really been a challenge.  I love just about any of the “classic” professional sports: hockey, football, baseball.  Yes, I left out basketball.

I wanted to take this course because I’ve been beset by a terrible case of stage fright.  I have tons and tons of ideas in my head, waiting to be written, but after reading so many bad writers over the years, and so many great writers, I have become too fearful of being in the former and never coming anywhere close to the latter.  I want to be able to write again.  This course will force me to do so.

And sorry for all of the confusion with my posts.  Although I would think my students would have a million better things to do than google me, I don’t want to take the chance.