What is this about?

Life May Not Be The Party I Expected….But As Long As I’m Here, I Might As Well Dance!  (Quote By Anonymous)

What is this about? The Abridged, No-Frills Version:

Recently and nearly simultaneously both accepted to a doctoral program and diagnosed with cancer, this mid-thirties medievalist, full-time teacher, and  holder of an MA in Literature, living in the American South in a big old house with five cats, two kids, a husband and a couple thousand books, writes, paints, draws, sings, dances, acts, and holds forth on whatever floats her boat (mostly food, books, the strangeness of human behavior, life in general and, of course, All Things Medieval).

What is this about? The Extended, More Interesting Version

I received my A.B. in French from the College of William and Mary, completed master level work in French, English, History and Art History in an interdisciplinary medieval studies program at American and Catholic Universities in Washington, D.C. in 1999-2000, finally earned an M.A. in English focusing on Medieval Literature from Longwood University in May, 2009, and am currently a full-time literature and AP Art History instructor at a private boarding school in Virginia.

My research interests include Arthuriana, Old and Middle English texts, Old Irish/Celtic literature and culture, Old and Middle French texts and culture, Old Norse literature and culture, women’s agency/ women’s studies, the supernatural/magic in medieval literature, and violence in medieval texts. I am also interested in all aspects of manuscript studies and textual transmission and the questions of memory, identity (particularly race/ethnicity and gender) and nationalism in literature. You would be hard-pressed, however, to find any aspect of the Middle Ages that doesn’t interest me. I also teach and write on the Renaissance (particularly Spenser & Sidney), the British Romantics, and Shakespeare, as well as Art History, in which my areas of interest lie primarily in Classical Greek, medieval and Renaissance, neo-Classical, and Romantic. In addition to academic publication, I write fiction, creative nonfiction/memoir (duh!), poetry, song lyrics, and drama, as well as the occasional feature story or article for local papers.

After working towards it for a decade (life got in the way a few times, I got in my own way a few times – but hey, I got there!) I finally gained admission this past March into a doctoral program in English with a full ride. On April 1, I found a tiny lump under my left breast. Unfortunately, this was no April Fool’s joke…a week later, I was officially diagnosed with an aggressive form of Stage 1 Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma – yup, the Big C: Breast Cancer. Needless to say, I shot straight through denial and went immediately to pissed off beyond all comprehension. Just when all of the dreams I had worked my ass off to reach were finally coming true, the Universe handed me the biggest curve ball imaginable, and I’m at risk of losing it all.

Well, I’m sorry, but fuck that – I’m GETTING my PhD. I’m WRITING my book. I’m WATCHING my daughters grow up. I’m LIVING my life. If all the Universe has up its sleeve to chuck at me is a little cancer, clearly it has underestimated badly. It may slow me down – but hell, I’m used to Life’s being an obstacle course, so it’s not like anything much has changed (except our bank account, which is probably going to be negative very soon now). Oh – and of course, I’m going to lose The Hair. OK – so a lot has changed and will change. But I’m still fundamentally me, and that, will not. This blog will attest to it.

My blog is entitled “Cerridwen’s Cauldron” because in Celtic/Welsh mythology, Cerridwen was an enchantress whose cauldron possessed the power to bestow wisdom and poetic inspiration upon s/he who drank the potion brewed within it. Because as an individual I am in search of wisdom, and as a teacher, writer, and artist constantly in search of inspiration, it seemed apropos that my blog – a record of my musings on such topics among others – be recast as her cauldron, in which my potion (aka the jumbled and tangled mess of thought I am trying to get out) bubbles away towards its final form (Oh! Oh! Look at the alchemical imagery! Woot!). Hopefully, you will be able to extract from it some little bit of wisdom, inspiration, or both!  Also, in modern Neo-Pagan and Wiccan traditions, Cerridwen has been recast as a goddess of rebirth, transformation and inspiration – which seems fitting, given the nature of my life and the many cycles of change I have undergone and continue to undergo!

There are many pages to explore here – my professional activity, my writing and publications, and my artwork, as well as my regularly updated blog, are all kept here – mostly, so I can keep track of it all, but also for your entertainment, inspiration, criticism, and suggestions. Also, for those who like to be frightened by people who overdo it, there’s always Cerridwen’s Calendar, which is an updated online planner featuring my scheduled activities over the course of the year. want to have lunch with me or hear me blather away about my passions? Why not book an appearance for your school, club, organization or blog?

Enjoy your visit to my corner of the “Interweb” – and hey, if you’re moved to comment on something, comment on it; if you see something you like, hit the “like” button at the bottom of the post and let me know…and if you see a lot you like, feel free to subscribe to my blog!