Kirsten Ogden Sitting in her office as striped shades soften the intruding afternoon sun beating on the Westward-facing windows, Kirsten Ogden is one part neo-beatnik one part writer and artist and one part just plain cool chick. Her warm, conversational speech parallels her personality. "Sorry, I have a bunch of junk everywhere," she says, calmly clearing her mildly messy desk. Given the chaos that describes many faculty offices, Ogden's is relatively tame. A lover of adventure and travel, Ogden grew up everywhere. Born in Orange County, she spent her early years in Honolulu, Hawaii as one of two "Haoles" in her school--the other was her sister. High School and College in San Francisco, some grade school and college in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and San Diego, summers selling jewelry in San Antonio and Lahaina, and trips to Washington D.C., and Fairbanks, Alaska, Ogden has also traveled to Germany, Russia (when it was still the Soviet Union), Finland, and most recently, the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. A lover of writing, art and self-expression, Ogden is Professor of Composition and Creative Writing at ULV. She says she's always looking for the opportunity to create. Most recently she discovered the field of Altered Books and Altered Arts at a writing retreat in Ohio. "Altered books involves taking existing work and transforming it--but hopefully preserving some of the integrity of the original text," says Ogden, showing a book she made of out tea bags that had been sewn together to make a poem, in addition to a book made out of maps with stories or images from various stopping points on the map. "Altered Arts takes writing and combines it with other disciplines," she says. "I thought that was so cool--the ability to explore the discourse of varied disciplines from multiple perspectives." Ogden possesses a particular interest in the outlet of expression created by both writing and performance. She loves the communication of self that writing and performance can provide. "Ninety-nine percent of what we choose to share is based in reality," she says. "There's a fine line between reality and fiction. It's interesting to me how we construct ourselves for other people to view. I like to challenge my students to explore themselves this way--whether it's a composition essay, a creative text, or a body-based performance." Also a violinist--professedly bad--Ogden entertains herself visiting Open Mics and poetry slams, and teaching writing workshops for students in K-12 classrooms through the California Poets in the Schools, for which she serves as Area Coordinator for the San Gabriel Valley. "I think I'm a goofy teacher, " she says. "I used to be worried about being "teacherly" and "professional," she continues, making quote marks in the air with her fingers. "But in my early days of teaching in South Central Los Angeles I had a lot of crazy moments. I loved those kids, but regularly embarrassed myself in front of them. The thing was they never let it slide---they'd point out every mismatched sock. I had a lot of laughs in that classroom, but we always returned to teaching and learning. I realized that was the most important thing to me. I just needed to accept the personality I had and use it to my advantage so that I could reach my students on those days when they haven't gotten enough sleep or are zoning out. That's what I try to do now." Like many ULV professors, Ogden likes students to get comfortable with ambiguity in an unsure world. "Nothing ticks me off more than a student who wants me to tell her the answer to a question," she says, "because we're in an age where there is no right or wrong answer anymore. History has been called into question, disciplines are blending in to one another, and it's more difficult to tell the good guys from the bad guys. It's a complex world out there. I want my students not to be afraid to ask the questions they need to ask, but they should know how to get their own answers." Leaving Ogden's presence, students might feel like it's the end of a meeting with a good friend. She radiates comfort and acceptance to those she comes in contact with--and an invitation to return for a chat any time. RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:kogden@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1
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