Yasmine Galenorn
Yasmine Galenorn
The Evergreen State College, BA, 1983
Biography
I was born on January 17, 1961 and am a Capricorn with my Moon & Mercury in Aquarius, my Sun, Saturn & Jupiter in Capricorn, my Venus in Pisces and my Mars in Cancer, for those of you interested in astrology. I am three-quarters Irish and one-quarter Cherokee and more than a little bit on the fringe.
I graduated from The Evergreen State College with a B.A. in creative writing and theatrical management in 1983. 1 began college when I was 15, in 1976 (1 was skipped ahead from 9th grade into junior college) and received my Associates of Arts Degree in 1978. Then I hitch-hiked to California, and returned to Washington State, where I've been for most of the time since 1979.
I write novels, nonfiction and poetry, and am also a professional Tarot Reader. I love novels and find myself drawn to the works of Amy Tan, Toni Morrison, Michael Crichton, Philip K. Dick, Richard Adams, Ray Bradbury, J.R.R. Tolkien, Margaret Atwood, Pearl S. Buck. I have a very special place in my heart for Daphne Du Maurier and find the woman as rich and as fascinating as her novels. I occasionally sneak into a Victoria Holt or Laveryl Spencer novel for mind candy. My favorite book of all time is Watership Down,by Richard Adams — if I could write one book that has already been written, it would be this one. I still cry when I read the end of it, even now — years and many readings later.
I read all types of nonfiction — James Herriot being one of my favorite authors in this category. But I don't limit myself — I read everything from books on Hawai'i (the Big Island — a favorite place of mine) to books on gardening to sailing to scientific work to sociological studies ... I also admit to reading true crime stories, if they're written by Ann Rule. I read a lot of trade books — books about my vocation (writing) and of course, I peruse the metaphysical bookshelves on a regular basis. About the only nonfiction I'm not interested in involves political work and math books (I leave those to my husband).
As far as poets — Frost and Blake and, of course, Yeats. Tennyson! William Wordsworth — how about Gerard Manley Hopkins? Oh, we can't forget Erica Jong (her poetry but not necessarily her novels) and May Sarton.
I'd rather watch Shakespeare being performed than read his work and I admit to missing the thrill of working in the theatre, but I simply have no time for it, so I make do with going to plays when I can. I blend tradition with an eclectic view looking towards the fature. My mind is quick and active, and I aim towards achieving/maintaining a home that reflects a classic, romantic atmosphere along with clean, contemporary lines.
On a more personal note, 1 am shaped much like the Willendorf Goddess with long hair that varies from burgundy to copper to sienna brown depending on mood.
And yes, I'm a Witch and a Priestess of Mielikki and Tapio, Finnish Forest Deities. I also consider myself a devoted admirer of Pele, the Hawaiian Volcano Goddess. I've been in the Craft since 1980, and first entered the service of the Goddess through a mystical experience, described in my second book Embracing The Moon.I work primarily as a solitary, though I sometimes celebrate the Sabbats with others. Sam, my husband, is Pagan, but not a Witch.
My magical totems are the black panther, the green boa, and the peacock. I'm also an artist. I paint mystical paintings of Goddesses, Elementals, etc., and I do some landscape work (mainly of Hawai'i). I am attempting to put together an Oracle Deck.
Some of my favorite loves: Victoria Magazine; Opium, Casmir and Organza perfumes, powders, body creams, soaps (and anything else they make in those fragrances); tattoos (on myself as well as others), food—namely: chocolate, fried chicken, cranberries, chicken soup, TOMATOES in any shape or form, berry teas, peaches; shopping (as art form and therapy); and books and office supplies.
I also love media; (old sitcoms like "I Love Lucy"); Frasier, X-Files, Deep Space Nine, Hercules and Xena. As far as movies, among my favorites you will find: Rebecca, Babe, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Lost Weekend, Rear Window, Muriel's Wedding, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, The Mighty Quinn, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Secret Garden, Shirley Valentine, and all the 1950's and 60's B-Grade science fiction movies.
My favorite musical groups vary widely. I love classic rock like the Animals, the Doors, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, Cream, CCR ... my favorite group of all time is Jethro Tull. I also like technopop—Talking Heads, the Cars. I love classical music, soundtracks and have recently joined the 90's ... listening to more modem music like Radiohead, Live, NIN, Beck, Godsmack, Nirvana, Rammstein, Ween and several others I've recently discovered.
My days are devoted to writing and painting, and I tend to be rather solitary, though I do enjoy my time with friends.
I am married to Samwise, we were married on Beltane in 1993, and we have four wonderful felines (at this time-the number could grow, given the right circumstances and a bigger house).
The Evergreen Experience
When I first arrived at Evergreen in September 1979, 1 was a junior in college, eighteen years old and coming in from the other side of the mountains — Eastern Washington. I remember my first thoughts, when viewing the campus, were "It's so beautiful, but how am I ever going to live with three other people in the same place?" (the Mods). Well, by the time I graduated in 1983, 1 had been through a lot of roommates, met a lot of wonderful people, and had some incredible experiences in the woods surrounding the campus.
I think I learned more outside of my classes at Evergreen than I did in the programs, except for my last quarter. Most of the academics seemed a little lacking, however I finally managed to snag a program I'd been hoping to get into since I first arrived there. It was called Poets Write Poetry, and David Powell was the professor. He taught me how to dissect language and put it back together again-he taught me how to refuse to accept the mediocre, how to write on demand. I will never forget David and the PWP program — I think every student in there broke down in tears at one time or another as we learned how to accept criticism of our work, and how to give accurate critiques. That one quarter prepared me for years of rejection as I sought to find my way in the world of publishing.
The atmosphere at Evergreen taught me something far more valuable than any academic program could ever impart: a sense of tolerance. There was a lot of prejudice where I grew up, towards anyone who was gay or lived an alternative lifestyle. There was racism, both overt and hidden.
Within three weeks of my arrival at Evergreen, I felt as if I'd journeyed forward into the present, instead of being locked within the attitudes of the past. The freedom I felt to develop my own spirituality, to begin facing the possibility that I was bisexual, to interact with men and women on the basis of who they were rather than what color or sexual preference they had, was heady. I felt freed from a cage and still value the sense of relief that I discovered when I found that there were others who saw racism and sexism as something to be frowned on rather than just accepting it without question.
However, I began to notice a disturbing trend at Evergreen — that of rigid, uncompromising PC'ism. I began to feel out of place, primarily because I questioned those who were complaining about "the Establishment" while living off their parents' money, and those who would sit and drink their Colombian coffee while complaining about the exploitation of the third world. Given time, any counterculture will develop its own establishment, and I found it disturbing that a few of the students I met were as uncompromising as the people I'd left behind me.
My favorite activities while there were wandering through the woods — I'm so glad to see that they've kept a large share of the campus forest intact-and hanging out at the library. Evergreen's library is one of the nicer ones I've ever been in. While I always wanted to see a bigger selection of books, the atmosphere was so comfortable that I would spend day after day there, writing, working. Long after I graduated I continued to use the library as a source of information and respite.
All in all, my life while at Evergreen was pretty good. There were some hard times, but it was an experience of awakening into the me that would evolve from the roots I put down there.
Publications
Galenorn En/Visions Web Site - http://www.galenorn.com
For workshops, lectures and booksignings contact Lisa Regul at Ten Speed Press (1-510-559-1600) or at lisa@tenspeed.com
or
Lisa Braun at Llewellyn Publications (1-800-THE-MOON) or at lisab@llewellyn.com
or
View Yasmine's guidelines regarding book signings, etc, on this part of her Web Site
Books
Upcoming:
- Chintz 'n China Mystery Series (Berkley Prime Crime, an imprint of Penguin Putnam)
- Legend of the Jade Dragon (tentative title): May 2004
- Ghost of a Chance (first in the series): August 2003
- Totem Magic: Ten Speed/Crossing Press, Berkeley CA; Spring 2004
- Magical Meditations: Ten Speed/Crossing Press, Berkeley CA; August 2003
- Sexual Ecstasy and the Divine; Ten Speed/Crossing Press, Berkeley CA; 2003
- Crafting the Body Divine; Crossing Press. Santa Cruz CA 2001.
- Embracing the Moon; Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul MN 2000.
- Dancing With the Sun; Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul MN 1999.
- Tarot Journeys; Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul MN 1999.