“Meet me in St. Louis,” she said archly.

Hello, and welcome to my blog. I’m painfully aware that in the past year or so blogging has become mainstream and no longer the least bit edgy. I’m not up for learning about podcasting, though, so here I am.

My name is Tess Thompson and I’m a writer, editor, and former teacher. I have recently been transplanted from Philadelphia to a suburb of St. Louis. I have one son, one husband, and two cats. I think of myself as a pragmatic liberal. I would like to be a Christian, but I’m not sure if I am. I’ve considered myself a writer since I was 11, and I’ve published essays, articles, poetry, and short stories. I’ve written two novels, but they both are as yet unpublished. A friend and I are trying to sell a children’s picture book we worked on together. I belly dance and do ballet, but not particularly well.

I would have started a blog sooner, but I couldn’t think of a good title. Branding oneself is a serious consideration. Does one choose something funny? allusive? alliterative? I knew that failure to choose something concise and witty would kill my book deal chances forever. Here are some titles I didn’t choose:

Natural Cheese Popcorn

Ranch House on the Prairie

Red State Blues

Flyover State of Mind

Farouche Suburbia

I’ve settled on Arch Words for lack of anything better, but I reserve the right to change my mind. Join me, Dear Reader, as I expound upon owning trees, living in the Midwest, analyzing literature, loving chain stores, raising a son, finding God, and shopping in the Natural Cheese Popcorn aisle of Wholefoods.

Photograph from www.gatewayarch.com.