Indy Perro
Obviously, I use a pen name that is obviously a pen name.
I’m trying to balance the desire to connect with the desire for privacy. In the hope that you will respect this decision, I’d like to unpack it for you.
I use a pen name for several reasons:
- I don’t want to take up more space than I deserve. I’m a writer who writes about writing and who writes entertaining fiction driven, I’d like to think, by well-developed characters and philosophical ideas. That’s all that I am, and it’s enough.
- I’m not trying to be mysterious to be more attractive or simply for the sake of mystery. I’m trying to focus attention on the ideas in my work, the possibility my work creates.
- I seek the artistry in what I do. I want to push boundaries and pose questions. I want to cross lines. When I transgress, I do so respectfully, but I know it may not always feel that way. I need the freedom to do what I do, and I ask that you respect that freedom, even when I’m wrong or go too far.
- I feel maybe we should maintain a little more mystery in our lives, especially when it comes to public figures. We don’t actually know public figures. The feeling that we do because we’ve seen pictures of them at the dentist or in their underpants is misleading (at best).
I’m not that interesting. I hope my work is. Our work, no matter our endeavor, creates possibility.
My writing is my passion, and it’s my way to be Indy.
Indy, of course, is short for independent. At this point in my life, I’m not willing to rationalize what moves me for the consideration of corporate profit or the satisfaction of a pedant. I’m not willing to make something marketable simply to make more money. I’ll only do what feels authentic, what speaks to me, and what jives with my best values. I’m here to contribute, and I’m independent.
I’m a stray dog, un perro callajero.
Biography:
I’m a novelist, an independent thinker, and a recovering academic. I have a degree in history, graduate degrees in religious studies, comparative literature, and education, and I’ve spent more than a decade teaching philosophy, religious studies, writing, and literature. I speak and read English, Spanish, and French, and my German improves most days.
