In a series I am creatively calling, “Meet Team Tellwell”, I sit down with Tellwell’s brightest minds to chat about who they are, what makes them tick, and what gets them excited about coming to work every day.
In this article, I got to sit down with our Content Writer, Kjerstine (or KJ, as some folks call her). She joined our team to advance our writing capabilities and round out the Content Team, and has knocked our metaphorical socks off already. Let’s hear what she has to say!
You’re new to our Tellwell fam, KJ. Tell us about yourself!
I spent most of the 2010s in Grand Forks, ND, working on my degrees at UND. I’m a medievalist with an emphasis in art history and museum studies. In my free time, I like to game, cook, and embroider. I spend a bunch of time with my partner Tyler and my two cats Dinah and Sophie. Currently, I live in Moorhead, MN.
Let’s say a nice stranger walked up to you and politely said, “Hey, you! Describe yourself to me right now!” in a very welcoming and non-threatening way… what would you say??
I’d describe myself as sweet and a little frantic, like a Starbucks drink with four espresso shots too many.
You’re a baby Tellwellian, KJ. What are your goals for the beginning of your time here?
I am so excited to do some writing for film — it’s the only writing genre I haven’t dipped my toes in!
Let’s chat more about you outside of work. What are some things that make you happy?
I’m a big fan of travel. Every vacation is an adventure and I want to see as much of the place I’m visiting as possible. So far, my favorite vacation activity is (safely and ethically) interacting with wildlife, like kayaking with manatees or touring an avian rehabilitation facility.
We love our community here in Fargo, what are some things you do to get involved in the area?
My main community involvement is in the form of theater, though I haven’t been able to do a show in about a year or so. Fingers crossed that I’ll be able to soon, though!
I know it’s a hard choice, but if you had to pick one place in Fargo that is your all-time favorite, what would it be?
Downtown — taking in the winter lights at night when its snowing is like walking in a snow globe…and the food in that spot is SO GOOD
Food makes the world go ‘round. Or, it does in my mind at least. What’s your most memorable food experience?
My partner and I were in Miami last year. I’m not an espresso aficionado by any means, but when I say the BEST espresso is at Panther Coffee, I stand by it. For literally being espresso with milk over ice, it tasted like they’d put chocolate and stone fruit in the cup. I’m STILL obsessed and now have some of their espresso grounds in my desk drawer.
Do you have a weird thing you’re passionate about?
Human decay, human remains, and the display of them! I swear, I am not a serial killer. A large part of my graduate portfolio and thesis in grad school revolved around the relationships of the level of decay, ease of accessibility to the remains, and how “human” we perceive them.
Based on level of decay and ease of access to the public, most Western and Global North human remains can be graphed, creating different subsections of remains that are perceived by the viewer differently. Seriously, I could go on and on about this categorization method and what it means to be a viewer of human remains — I’m not kidding when I say years of research has gone into this.
Uh, wow. Not really what I expected but that’s killer. (ha ha get it?) Anyway, what are your top three albums of all time?
Rainbow by Kesha
A Hangover You Don’t Deserve by Bowling for Soup
American Beauty/American Psycho by Fall Out Boy
…yes I had an emo phase, why do you ask?
Do you have a favorite or memorable vacation or trip you’ve taken?
Falun, Sweden. There’s a bunch of medieval historic stuff in the area that made my little medievalist heart SO HAPPY.
