coffee & questions - gray areas

​Each month, The Stone House Center for Public Humanities interviews a humanities scholar or community member and asks them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching. We hope that our blog series, Coffee & Questions, will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our guest this month is Anna Potter, our new student worker.  A true small-town girl, Anna grew up in Grove City, and transferred to Slippery Rock last fall.  She is studying Creative Writing and is a passionate story-teller and community-seeker.  Before starting at Slippery Rock, she lived and worked in Amsterdam for a year, attended Grove City College for a semester, and worked as a barista at Grove City’s beloved Beans on Broad. 
 
What inspires you in your current position/role?
 I am a passionate person and I love working with passionate people, which is why this is such a wonderful job.  I especially appreciate CPH’s vision to bridge the gap between the university and the local community.  The humanities are abundant and life-giving, and I love that CPH provides opportunities for all to enjoy, learn, and start important conversations surrounding the humanities.  I look forward to both learning from and encouraging others.
 
Why do you believe that the humanities are important to everyone, and not just people in academia?
I think the humanities are a place of gray areas because they explore parts of life and existence that are not so easily categorized or explained.  They encourage us to grapple with the “big questions” and not be satisfied with easy answers.  They open our eyes to beauty. They challenge our black and white ideas.  They do not attempt to solve or solidify, but rather inspire awe for the mysteries of life.  Humanities are fundamental simply in that they are so very human – there is no one alive who can be sustained without some love or curiosity for the humanities.
 
What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you (hobby, skill, interesting story)?
If I wasn’t so bad at science and math, I would probably be in the medical field.  I love medical things.  Gross, bizarre, puzzling medical stories?  I’d love to hear them.  Had I been gifted with better left-brain skills, I think I’d be a diagnostician.  But being a writer is pretty cool, too.
 
What shows are you currently binge-watching?
I am a serial re-watcher.  I could quote Parks & Recreation forward and backward.  Any episode.  Anytime.  Close seconds include: The Office, 30 Rock, New Girl, and Parenthood.
 
What's a book you've always wanted to read but haven't gotten around to?
 Anything by John Steinbeck. 
 
What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
I was driving in Cleveland with some friends and I stopped at a stop sign thinking it was a red light.  I don’t know how long I would have waited for the non-existent light to turn green, but thankfully the car behind me was quick to alert me of my absent-mindedness.