(Yes, yes, I know, Robert Frost, you said “road” in your work. Sigh.)

I’ve long striven to make both my “professional” self complementary with my author persona (or vice versa) in terms of certain areas–my dedication to environmental and nonhuman animal advocacy causes, namely.

I was really excited to have my short stories included in anthologies such as the Shark Week-themed anthology, the climate change-themed anthology, and the “urban Celtic fantasy” one.

A few years back, I decided to leave my position as vice publisher/acquisitions director/senior editor at a L.A.-based book publishing company and get back to my nonprofit/advocacy roots. I enrolled in a MPS (master’s in professional science) program in environmental branding & marketing at Unity Environmental University. Sadly, that program wasn’t offered due to low enrollment so I ended up in wildlife conservation and advocacy. (I’ve also been accepted into a doctorate program in business management.)

(It’s with a sinking feeling as I watch the political situation unfold as most of the employment opportunities I may have both with this degree and my former one–public history/museums–are directly or indirectly reliant on federal funding.)

I will graduate this winter with my degree, and I am just trying to keep my spirits up. Still, it’s devastating especially when I encountered a customer wearing an “I Hate Trump” t-shirt, and learned their partner had received a “Fork in the Road” letter.

(It probably goes without saying that I did not vote for that corrupt oligarch-hopeful Trump. I despise Trump and everything he stands–or doesn’t stand–for. The bitter silver lining is that those who did vote for him are getting their wake-up call–at great cost, sadly.)

Anyway, I won’t get into politics–or my outrage–more in-depth here, because that will detract from the point of this blog post.

As part of my networking plan, and building up my professional status for my new possible career, I’ve created a new blog.

I toyed with the idea of posting up articles via my LinkedIn page, and put up a few over there, but decided I wanted to keep ownership of my content and not publish it on an external site.

Also, thank goodness for my colleague/fellow author Courtney Mroch, both for her posts and for our long-time professional connection. She’s been a Virgo-practical guiding light through my own confusing mid-life transition(s), for sure. I have been floating around, completely untethered, the past few years, and she’s helped me keep my perspective with her sound advice and support. (I’m not at all surprised she’s been a regular contributor to the Chicken Soup books.)

Anyway, while I figure out what new social media platforms to join, and which to jettison (Facebook, I’m looking at you, next!), and here’s some other post from a fellow blogger about social media platforms they’re on just because.

Anyway, redux, I started a new blog for my “other” self, and it’s brand new, and I know I have continued to fall behind in blog reading (i.e. nonexistent blog reading) but I was struggling with my course this past term for the first time ever, and received a *gasp* C- in a field of As, and one B+ and I wanted to perfectionist-drop out of the entire program, and I am working full time and am moving come May/June because slumlords and I have been so worried about losing food stamps and Medicaid and even my financial aid for another break-out-of-minimum-wage plateau attempt that I am just flat-out exhausted.

Here’s the link to my blog, and my first post! https://kirstenleebarger.com/

Hope you enjoy the essays and such over there!