About Me!

KANDACE LYTLE

1) Where are you from?  How would you describe your hometown?

I am originally from Sugar Land, TX, but after spending 8 years in Austin, I now consider myself a Houstonian-Austinite. Growing up in (what is now called Old) Sugar Land in the 90's was an interesting existence. I grew up in a historic home, rode my bike everywhere, and was very fond of my neighbors and their pets. My family was very much your typical 'white middle-class cul-de-sac family'; interestingly though, Fort Bend County is the most multiculturally diverse county in America. I was exposed to lots of different cultures and learned lessons of difference and acceptance quickly through my interactions with people of other cultures/nationalities. I feel blessed to have been exposed to such an interesting collection of culture, food, music, religion, etc. at such a young age.

2) Describe yourself as a reader.

I'm an avid reader of many different types of literature. As an undergraduate, I explored my passion for American Literature and Poetry. Now,  I read Whitman at least once a week (if not once a day) and typically find myself gravitating toward The Beatniks, The Lost Generation, and American novels written in the last 10-20 years. I love classic Golden Age Children's Literature and more recent Young Adult Literature (particularly Science Fiction and Fantasy). I have recently re-established my love for Comic Books, and the now more popular form, Graphic Novels. I also read quite a bit of Science Fiction, the occasional fantasy novel, and anything that could possibly be considered Magical Realism. I'm the type of reader that wants to read the book before I see the movie, especially 'popular' fiction (for example, something like The Lovely Bones or The Help). I'm also addicted to cooking blogs and magazines, travel blogs, and blogs about everything geeky or film related (I love The Mary Sue, Screen Rant, Dark Horizons, etc). I also have subscriptions to a number of literary journals that pertain to my field and try to read them in my free time (PCA, ChLAQ, ChLA, IAFA, MLA). Finally, give me anything about music and I'll read it cover to cover. Some of my favorite books are by witty writers who love pop culture (Chuck Klosterman being my favorite) or music historians (Led Zeppelin is my favorite band, and of all of the books I've read about them Hammer of the Gods is my favorite) or by the artist's themselves (currently getting into Jay-Z's Decoded). Finally, I'll pretty much anything with talking animals; anthropomorphism is fun! (right?)

3) Describe yourself as a writer.

As an academic writer, I feel like I'm on a never ending quest for confidence. I do not think there is such a thing as a perfect paper, but I'd like to feel like I've accomplished the art of writing a polish paper. I also write creatively (poetry, children's literature, comedic screenplays, and stand-up comedy) in my spare time. 

4) What are your goals for this semester?

I want to learn as much as I can and practice the art of time management. I'd like to do well in my coursework (which doesn't necessarily mean 'get an A'), rather, I'd like to form good relationships with my professors and peers. Outside of the classroom, I'd like to get back in shape and explore Fort Worth as much as possible. 

5) Describe the worst class or the worst teacher you have ever had.

This is a very bizarre example, but the worst teacher I ever had was actually my high school dance teacher/dance team coach. She squandered my love of dance as an art form and wanted to teach it like mathematics (shudders, lots of 'worst class' examples from High School algebra courses as well). I think a good teacher excites his/her students. They should be invested in strengthening their student's love for the subject or at least encouraging their students to develop a relationship with the subject. The dance teacher I had did neither; instead, she made well-trained dancers feel inadequate and people who were not well-trained think that dance was a grueling sport, not an art. 

6) List three books that have deeply touched your life.

Walt Whitman - Leaves of Grass

Margaret Atwood - Oryx and Crake

Mikhail Bulgakov - The Master and Margarita

Richard Yates - Revolutionary Road (sorry, I cheated, but I couldn't eliminate one of them)

7) List three things that you know about the US during the years 1770-1830.

American Revolution

1819 Walt Whitman was born!

1780s-1820s (I think) was the big Maritime Fur Trade, which almost caused my favorite animal (Sea Otters) to go extinct :(

12) Tell me three things that I ought to know about you.

I went to Southwestern University in Georgetown for my Undergrad (BA in English, BA in Philosophy, Dance minor and Texas State for my graduate degrees (MA in Literature, MA in Applied Philosophy & Ethics).

I feel the most alive when I go to a really good concert (and I can't play a musical instrument).

I have a list of 30 things to do before I'm 30. Learning to play a musical instrument is on it.