The quick stuff

FYI: I go by my married name, Thompson, professionally. When you have as long (and as old-Norwegian) a name as mine, keeping it short and more easily pronounceable is usually best. You can also find me under my legal and maiden name: Kjerstine Trooien.

How I got here

I didn’t really know what I wanted to be when I grew up. My dad, when I’d beg him for guidance, always resorted to “I think you should write.” It didn’t matter if I was asking the question as a middle schooler or a college graduate, he always answered the same way.

“I think you should write.”

I had so many reasons to push back: some were childish, like being worried that writing would bore me eventually, and some were responsible, like noting that writing jobs were few and far between.

And yet, I found myself earning my MA in English. I dragged my heels on using it to write, telling myself I’d teach for a living or do museum work. Never mind that I didn’t much care for grading and that museum jobs are harder to find than writing jobs.

Then, the pandemic hit. After working the COVID Unit phone lines for the area hospital (I started with them as a way to make ends meet during my degrees), I realized something was missing. The work I was doing was meaningful and important, yes, but it wasn’t MY work. In fact, every odd job I’d held thus far had not been MY work. They’d been ways to keep myself housed, fed, and–most importantly–writing in my free time.

Now, I spend my day-to-day writing stories. While some of the stories are short, none of them are small. Each has the chance to change the world, either by influencing a change in daily life or creating options and opportunities where there once were none. I get to meet people of incredibly diverse backgrounds–each with a story that is important to tell.

Being able to tell stories for a living is a gift I don’t take lightly. Every day, I am excited to see what new story will come across my desk (or email, or keyboard, or phone screen).

I’ve learned that my own story is important to my work. By drawing on my diverse experience, I can more easily communicate with clients and interview subjects. I’m able to write a report for a legislative initiative in the morning and then talk about lines in architecture in the afternoon. I’m also hoping to expand my knowledge of content, content strategy, and the ways that using storytelling can change our perspectives, the community, and the world.