Gail Hapke

Gail Hapke is a blogger, writer, editor, wife, mom, and college-level writing teacher who is fascinated by the offbeat, eccentric narratives that for her best reflect the surreal side of life on Earth. She is 55 years old (going on 70)and interested in virtually everything, but especially the vagaries of language and literature, art, medicine, nature, music, history, and all imaginable levels of human culture -- with an emphasis on "vagaries." Some might call her eclectic, others might call her easily distracted by shiny objects. She has been married for nearly thirty years (going on 45) and has two children (26 and 15, going on 40 and 29)).

Actually, this is a "biography" of Scribal Terror. Mine is too boring, and this needs to be said:

Scribal Terror began as a small oasis for a small group of people who were for the most part painfully disenchanted with the level of discourse available on most internet discussion forums. We disliked the hackneyed arguments, the eternal volley of slogan for slogan, and the flat-out mean, ignorant, unsubtle, boring, boorish, immature, mudslinging, demeaning, and dehumanizing political stewpot. Scribal Terror became a place for thoughtful, well-read, creative people to discuss matters of common interest in a friendly, stimulating, humorous, and intellectually rigorous, but personally caring environment. It became an intimate gathering place for people who share a commitment to dealing with one another as uniquely intelligent and gifted individuals and who have the right to be addressed on the merits of their own stated views and demonstrated sentiments, not as dehumanized and stereotyped representatives of any political, social, or cultural group. This is why the people who comment here feel free not only to voice their opinions on a variety of issues, from foreign policy to quantum mechanics to the relative size of bat penises, but also to share their poetry, their artwork, and their personal narratives without fear of ridicule, personal attack, facile oversimplification, misrepresentation, or hostility. We joke and chat and argue and meditate and pray and party and make poetry together. That is why Scribal Terror is a moderated forum -- to nurture and maintain the delicately balanced friendships that make it worth my while to work on it every day without the slightest compensation and worth the time of the readers and commenters who choose to come here for something they can't get elsewhere. An intimate gathering place, indeed.

COPYRIGHT NOTIFICATION

All original material on Scribal Terror: An Intimate Gathering Place, including all portions of the title of the website, in whole or in part, is the intellectual property of Gail Hapke unless otherwise noted and may not be appropriated without the author's express permission. Mrs. Hapke acknowledges and appreciates the right to quote from her postings if her work is credited -- a simple linkback will do, and no prior permission need be sought. However, she expressly forbids the appropriation of any portion of the title of her website or her personal statements of mission in the About Page either in whole or in part without her written consent. Her original artwork is also protected and must be credited to her in order to be used. It is not to be used for commercial purposes in any event. Intellectual property on the internet is covered by current copyright law and need not be registered for protection to be in force.