Currently, I’m the Managing Editor for Model Behaviors. I’m also a writer based in Austin, Texas.
The source of upheaval for most of my major life changes so far can be traced back to a book. Books haven’t just influenced me. They’ve changed me.
My best friend and I moved to Scotland because of our shared love of the Outlander series. When I read So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman, which details both the close-minded mentality of small-town life and the terrifyingly huge scale of violence against women, I became a volunteer at SafePlace, whose mission is to end sexual and domestic violence. My training and volunteer work is what led me to embrace the title of feminist. It’s also led me to further intersections of social justice.
But most importantly, out of this love for books, I became a writer. I studied English at the University of Texas with a vague hope of landing a dream job in publishing and living a writerly life in NYC. But after graduating and spending half a year in Scotland, my desire to write stalled for a while. It wasn’t until I moved back to Austin a couple years later that the writing bug came back in small doses. In June of 2014, I attended a Djerassi Artist Residency and Workshop with Nova Ren Suma in Woodside, California, and my creative nonfiction piece entitled “Cheer Up” was published in the Spring 2014 issue of Vagina. I write young adult novels with magic in them and fantastical short stories with monstrous women in them.
Apart from my creative interests, I love hiking along woodland trails, tent camping, cuddling with both dogs and cats, cooking meals and sharing them with friends, playing badminton during family get-togethers, consuming inordinate amounts of cheap wine, traveling to places both near and far, learning new things, going to bed early, and drinking lots and lots of coffee. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, and my favorite season is spring. I’ve found so much joy and passion through my work and writing at Model Behaviors, not to mention the wonderful friends I’ve made along the way. I can’t wait to see where we go next!
Courtney
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