Meet Laura.

I am a freshman, soon to be 19, at Baylor University. Beginning this semester, I'm studying through a program that gives me free rein with course selections and thus a slightly more sophisticated answer in place of "undecided." For now I'm learning the classical languages and figuring out the basics of reading, writing, and thinking scholarly-ly, if you will. I plan to get to the formal study of theology somewhere, somehow, and relatively soon, but it will not be at Baylor.

As far as professional writing credentials, I can't think of any cards to flash except little flimsy business cards with an inflated description of my job and a blog URL (I don't really have any of those). I've kept my own blog for about 2 1/2 years now, and I was one of the original members of Intellectuelle (unfortunately for just a short time). I started out on the journalism track, my interest having been piqued by state writing (and, I have to confess, spelling/vocabulary) competitions, and ended up the editor of the high school newspaper. Now I'm an editorial apprentice at the university's academic press, which is about the most perfect job I've ever had or could have at this point.

Some of my favorite literary-minded folks would include Flannery O'Connor, George Herbert, John Calvin (did you know his first published work was a commentary on Seneca's De Clementia?!), G. K. Chesterton, and many Puritans or Puritan-types whose works and lives are, in my ever-so-enlightened opinion, especially worthy of imitation.

Lastly, I share with my classics professor a rebelliously-motivated disregard for the arbitrary MS Word spell/grammar check, and nothing gives me more of a power rush than to right click, "Add to Dictionary," and wipe that idiotic red line off the screen, enriching the English vocabulary in a matter of seconds. (I like hyperbolic sarcasm only when it touches ideas or inanimate objects.)

Gracious thanks to Ed for inviting me on board, and I look forward to seeing the results of this very varied community we have.