Proust Questionnaire-Jo Chapman

Jo Chapman is a second-year English graduate student at WIU. She has taught in the public school system, is fluent in Spanish, and has many incredible stories and experiences to share with the world. 

Who are your favorite writers?     Flannery O’Connor, Kate Chopin, Erik Larson.

Who is your favorite hero/heroine of fiction?   Henry Drummond (the Clarence Darrow character), “Inherit the Wind.”

Who are your heroes in real life?    People who fight for the welfare of children, the elderly, the poor, the mentally ill, and the animals of the world.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?     All my family and friends are happy and healthy, I have enough money for comfort, a reliable internet connection, a house on the beach in Costa Rica, and a reliable internet connection.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?   Violet Jessop, survivor.

What is the trait you most loathe in yourself?   Procrastination.

What is the trait you most loathe in others?   Racism or victim mentality.

What do you enjoy most about WIU?     The whole student experience and hanging out with smart people.

Describe Macomb in one word?   I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that (quote from 2001: Space Odyssey).

What is your dream occupation?  Archaeologist digging in some Mayan or Incan ruins, on a never-diminishing grant and a huge supply of insect repellent.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?    Travel.  Places.  Spain, England, Australia, Peru.

Which talent would you most like to have?   Virtuoso guitar.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?   That I cared about my students, and they knew it.

What is your motto?    Whatever works!

What is your current state of mind?   I have no idea how to sum that up.  Excited. Worried. Nostalgic.  Terrified.  Exhausted.  Hopeful. 

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?   Cat.

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?     Red-tail hawk.

How would you like to die?     Heart failure in my sleep, surrounded by blush silk sheets, fluffy pillows, and lavender from Provence.