I struggled at first in declaring a major at SUNY Geneseo. I was drawn to English lit., especially plays, but I had no idea what I was going to do with an English major. My love of Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde won out, and I graduated with a degree in English in 2002. Part of what I loved about Geneseo was that in taking all of the general education classes outside the English major, I learned that there was plenty I could do with an English degree in a variety of fields. I went on to study playwriting at Western Michigan University and graduated with an MFA in 2005. I specialize in short form playwriting — 10 to 45 minutes. I went off to the Czech Republic twice through WMU's Prague Summer Program and had my first short play produced at the Ypsilon Theatre in Prague. I also have a short play published in The Art of the One Act, (as Carey Daniels) a teching text edited by Arnold Johnston and Deborah Percy. I've produced a number of plays locally in Illinois and am currently working on a longer work focusing on LGBT themes called King/Queen.
As for what I do from day to day, I taught intro to composition and literature at Carl Sandburg College before switching fields and moving to the non-profit sector. I spent a number of years as the box office manager for the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, where I used my skills to assist in grant writing. Two years ago, I left my position with the orchestra to pursue a career as a librarian. I never stopped reading, and my first love has always been literature. I currently work as a reference assistant and young adult programmer at the Fondulac District Library. I get to play with books and talk books all day. I honestly can't think of a better job. And this whole trajectory started in the SUNY Geneseo English department.
I live in Central IL with my husband and three cats. I never thought I'd end up in the Midwest, but I like it out here quite a bit.
My advice to current majors: 1. Don't be afraid of a humanities degree. The world still needs us! 2. Eat as much Mia's pizza as you can. You'll miss it after you've left.