Here is one of my new favorite photos of myself.
I am a second-year graduate student in the Master of Arts in Professional Writing Program at Kennesaw State University. At KSU, I work as a graduate teaching assistant, where I teach freshman composition. I moved to Georgia from Ohio, where I lived for the first twenty-two years of my life! I earned a B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and minors in Marketing and Business Administration from the University of Findlay. My research interests involve LGBTQ+ topics, such as internalized homophobia, gender stereotypes, the evolution of language and terminology used within the community—particularly queer— and the the overall experience of a person coming to terms with their sexuality and gender identity. I aspire to combine these interests with creative writing, as well as teach in higher education. As an instructor, I strive to create a welcoming classroom where students feel they are challenged, can express themselves freely, know that their voice is heard.
Although I am passionate about all writing, I have a special place in my heart for poetry and creative nonfiction. As mentioned above, I love researching and writing about topics that involve LGBTQ+ topics, and my capstone project for my thesis will reflect this. It will be a hybrid portfolio containing poetry, creative nonfiction, and analytical writing that explore some of the topics mentioned above. These interests started as an undergraduate students. My undergraduate capstone project was a chapbook of poetry titled Lost But Found, which depicts the fluidity of identity. As an undergraduate student, I also completed a research project while studying abroad in London. The project was titled From the Great Lakes to Across the Pond: A Comparative Study of LGBTQ+ Cultures in Ohio (US) and London, England. A place that I discovered while completing this project is an all LGBTQ+ bookstore, Gay’s the Word. This bookstore was friendly, assisted me in finding volunteers for my study, and hosts creative and inclusive events and meetings. This bookstore proves that LGBTQ+ literature is important and people are interested in it. I want to add to this literature. I am in the process of writing about my time abroad and my research findings.
Memoirs have become my “go-to” when I am looking for a new book to read. A few of my favorite memoirs are When We Rise: My Life in the Movement by Cleve Jones and Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story by Jacob Tobia. Memoirs are a way to either learn about a perspective that is different than your own or find people who have similar experiences. I think it’s really important to show that creative writing can be a way of informing other people and learning something new. My favorite poet is Andrea Gibson, and my favorite book of theirs is Lord of the Butterflies. You can read my book review for Lord of the Butterflies here.
If anyone has any book suggests or would just like to chat, I would love to chat! You can contact me by email (peytonlane.sibert@gmail.com) or on LinkedIn.
Please take a look around this website. I am excited to continuing learning, growing, and writing.
