Hey there! I’m Clarisse and I am the new intern for the SAFTAcast. I recently received my Bachelors of Arts in English: Creative Writing and Sociology and Anthropology from University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. I flip-flop between writing poetry, short fiction, long fiction, and staring at my computer/notebook with sheer terror.

In the interest of complete honesty, this feels a little like an icebreaker in high school or a 101 class. Y’know, the kind where your teacher has everyone go around the room and say their name and one interesting thing about themselves. Of course, you never remember anyone’s name because you are far too busy thinking of an interesting fact but have forgotten everything about yourself. So by the time it gets to you, not only do you not know anyone’s name but your interesting fact is “I like Legolas” and instantly you feel like an idiot because of course you like Legolas. Who doesn’t like Legolas? And to make it worse, the girl who went before you built homes for people in Argentina before being the first college student on Mars and the guy after you has seventeen black belts and right between these stellar examples of humanity is you, Legolas Girl.

So in the spirit of awkward icebreakers, here is a quick list of ten interesting/fun facts about me:

1. I am Legolas Girl.
2. As an April Fool’s prank the club that I was co-president of once spammed one of our academic buildings with tiny pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch after he photobombed U2 at the Academy Awards. We taped them so he looked like he was jumping out from behind posters.
3. I can flip a butterfly knife (also known as a balisong or fan knife).
4. As a graduation gift, my friends and I photoshopped our favorite professor’s face onto William Shakespeare and presented it to him in a pink frame. He loved it and has it on his desk.
5. I had a brief stint of notoriety in college when my friends and I purchased a David Tennant cardboard cutout and put him in our hall window. He scared many a passerby at night and during the day. Today, he remains at the school, surveying the University of Puget Sound campus.
6. I can solve a Rubik’s Cube.
7. My thesis in Sociology was about the lines drawn by gatekeepers, specifically the gender lines drawn by male gatekeepers, in the Marvel and 70s punk subcultures.
8. Over the past four years I have crocheted eighteen scarves, thirteen hats, three stuffed animals, two pairs of gloves, two tops, and two blankets.
9. One week before my high school graduation, I sprained my ankle at Disneyland.
10. My best friend and I have an ongoing debate about Boromir from Lord of the Rings. In fact, he is not allowed to be mentioned in our presence. Ever.

But truly, I am excited to be a part of the SAFTAcast and learn more about podcast creation and promotion. I think podcasts are such an interesting medium for storytellers and writers. To have the opportunity to work on this one is amazing.

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Clarisse Nakahama is a recent graduate from University of Puget Sound where she double majored in English: Creative Writing and Sociology and Anthropology. Some of her short fiction and poetry have been published in her college’s literary arts magazine, CrossCurrents. When she wasn’t busy researching Marvel comics and punk music for her senior thesis, Clarisse was acting as co-president to Nerdfighters Club and president to Writers’ Guild. Her yarn collection is slowly but surely morphing into a scarf collection, even though she has very little use for crocheted scarves now that she has returned to her native Southern California.