User:PostGender

I'm an author, writer and activist living outside of Boston, in Central Massachusetts. I was a journalist -- chained to a computer -- as a reporter, photographer and editor back when small towns still had a skeleton staff. Working with other wordsmiths daily gave me the writing practice to be succinct, engaging and accurate. It was superior to any master's degree in journalism or English. I do have a master's degree in English, and one of the most valuable courses I took was a short non-credit course in grammar. The degree taught me to think and analyze, not to write.

I'm interested in non-binary language, experimental pronouns and futuristic books like The Giver, 1984 by George Orwell, Handmaid's Tale and Octavia Butler' s visionary novels.

I've been an environmental activist as manager of a non-profit to encourage people to AVOID solo-car commuting; to protect clean water in my town; and statewide reform of our judicial, corrections and incarceration systems with other Unitarian Universalist s like me. l use my bikes for transportation, pleasure and fitness. I love to read well-written books of any genre, ski fast downhill and x-country, cook, play tennis and bridge [very old school], canoe, laugh with friends, and stay connected to my communities.

As Jan E. Pat (my gender-ninja pen name), I wrote Riddles Island, in 2021, a post-gender novel with non-binary characters and language. I believe that everyone should use the same set of pronouns to simplify language and relationships, and remove the focus from gender-identity. For example, in Riddles Island, e is used for he and she, and mer is used him and her.