Kristen's Keyboard
Kristen is a staff writer at the Greene County Daily World.
She lives in Linton with her husband, Kegan, too many cats and a cat-sized dog.
Kristen moved to Jasonville from Brazil with her family in 2008 and graduated from Shakamak Jr/Sr High School in 2013. She studied Journalism at Indiana State University and graduated in 2017, beginning her job as Staff Writer at the Greene County Daily World in June 2017.
She can be reached at kristengcdw@gmail.com.
-
The worlds of before and after
Posted Friday, April 10, 2020, at 12:00 AMAs of this column, more than 6,351 positive tests in the state of Indiana and 245 deaths. For the United States, it’s more than 453,750 cases and 16,000 deaths. I’m rounding up because the numbers are changing so quickly... -
This introvert’s guide to self-isolation
Posted Friday, April 3, 2020, at 12:00 AMI avoided people before it was directed by the governor. Now suddenly, everyone wants a taste of this lifestyle. Here are a few tips on being alone together, but mostly just alone. Tip One: Find Social Interactions Draining... -
On Begindings
Posted Monday, March 30, 2020, at 9:10 AMNo, “begindings” is not a word. It’s a lifestyle brand I’m trying to launch. (Just kidding.) If I remember correctly, my first-ever column as a young shadowy-eyed skeptic part-time reporter at the Greene County Daily World was titled, “On Beginnings and Endings.” That was in June 2017, a month after graduating from Indiana State University with my bachelor’s in journalism and two months after getting married to my husband, Kegan, on my birthday... -
On Beginnings and Endings
Posted Friday, October 26, 2018, at 12:00 AM2“The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of because words diminish your feelings--words shrink things that seem timeless when they are in your head to no more than living size when they are brought out.” - Stephen King... -
A moment of silence
Posted Friday, July 6, 2018, at 12:00 AM2As a newspaper, we serve as a de-facto public forum. We encourage civil debate and a healthy skepticism. This also holds true for our opinions and editorials. While not presented as fact, it is an expression of free speech, and we have to allow others to express themselves similarly... -
Patti, I’m freaking freezing in here
Posted Thursday, June 7, 2018, at 6:05 PMThis column is in response to Patti Danner's column, "Kristen, it’s hotter than Hades in here!" Here I am typing this column, wrapped in a fleece blanket at my desk and drinking hot beverages. The office central cooling is set at a meager 73 degrees. The average human temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, so my body is struggling to generate that extra 25 degrees. My organs are shutting down from the severe cold... -
You deserve to be here
Posted Friday, May 25, 2018, at 1:59 PMWhen I think about advice I can give to graduating seniors, the only phrase the comes to my mind is “be your own advocate”. I was definitely a “high maintenance student” in high school and college--more so in college. I was the person who also had a crisis, was always in the counselor’s office and always needed encouragement. Surely, the mere mention of the name “Kristen Kilker” sends a chill down the back of many teachers and professors... -
On bearing witness
Posted Sunday, April 8, 2018, at 1:57 PM“Journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you’re at it.” Horace Greeley They don’t say that about accounting. The quote from American editor Horace Greeley is one of my favorites about journalism because it encapsulates the extent to which reporters dedicate themselves to their job, battle internal and external criticism and stick with it because it is worth it... -
Gestures of care
Posted Sunday, March 25, 2018, at 5:14 PMAlmost every morning, first thing, I get out of bed, walk downstairs, and straight to the cabinet where I keep my coffee mugs. Some mugs are normal-sized, and some are bowls with handles, depending on the anticipated difficulty of the day ahead. I fill my chosen mug with filtered water from the fridge, and then I pour the water from my mug into my stovetop tea kettle and turn the burner on to the lowest setting... -
I opened a portal to Hell in my kitchen
Posted Thursday, March 15, 2018, at 9:37 PMOn the whole, I am an okay cook. Some things turn out awesome, and there are just some things I absolutely struggle with. Sometimes, I wonder if a witch cursed me upon my birth so that my pizza dough would never rise or cook through... -
On falling down and getting back up, again and again...
Posted Thursday, March 1, 2018, at 8:08 PMThere are few times when I appreciate looking young. It comes in my favor when, as someone who never learned to roller skate as a kid, my also-young-looking husband holds my hand as we skate around in circles at the roller rink. We can pass for two cute teenagers, instead of a frustrated husband teaching his almost 24-year-old wife how to skate while small children pass me multiple times skating backward, impervious to danger. ... -
Frequent thoughts: How did I end up here?
Posted Friday, January 19, 2018, at 10:44 AMMy husband and I are adrenaline junkies... or aspiring adrenaline junkies. We enjoy the thrill of danger without the actual presence of danger. We started a search for the tallest, fastest roller coaster in the U.S. (current champion: Millennium Force at Cedar Point). We’re always looking for the longest zip-line and the fastest “bobsled” stateside... -
Axl Rose is (hopefully) getting evicted
Posted Monday, November 27, 2017, at 11:22 PMUPDATE: Axl was adopted shortly after being listed on PetFinder Saturday morning, by a family in Linton. Thank you to everyone who supported baby Axl Rose's (and my) wonderful and unglamorous, magical journey. The last time I wrote about our foster kitten, Axl Rose--or as we call him at home, “KITTEN!”--he had just gotten sure on this feet. ... -
Please, be a burden
Posted Friday, October 13, 2017, at 10:36 PMOne remark that is commonly heard from people thinking about taking their life is that they are a burden to others, and the world would be better off without them. This week, we wrote a story about suicide prevention in honor of October 10, World Mental Health Day. ... -
Axl Rose pooped on me: a kitten tale
Posted Monday, September 25, 2017, at 2:45 PMFor the past several years, I’ve had vague plans in my mind of starting my own animal shelter but life (and sanity) always got in the way. I thought I would start a sanctuary for senior cats, in memory of a beloved cat who passed away earlier this year. ... -
Animal Heroes, Part II
Posted Friday, August 11, 2017, at 4:45 PM1In Part 1, we met a partially-paralyzed cat named Gracie who saved her owner Lindsey Harrison in return for saving her as a kitten. In this installment, we will gain perspective on shelter and rescue workers on why they choose to help animals, the responsibilities of owning a pet and the things they wished other humans knew about pet ownership... -
Animal Heroes, Part 1
Posted Friday, August 4, 2017, at 5:59 PMIn this series, we will highlight Greene County citizens who sacrifice their time to help animals. We will start with the animals people are closest to--our indoor pets. We will also discuss the mental and physical health benefits of caring for a pet and addressing the myths that discourage people... -
Everything is fine
Posted Friday, July 21, 2017, at 9:34 PMNegativity is easy. It’s easy to let your problems swallow you whole; to so thoroughly manipulate the way you see the world that you can’t see anything else. But taking a closer look at what you have, and remembering to not take things for granted, is hard... -
The new town square
Posted Monday, July 3, 2017, at 4:44 PMGone are the days when people gathered in the town square. As technology advances, we are more connected than ever--but also more disconnected. Sometimes, we can feel as if we know more about what’s happening in New York or Washington, D.C. than on Main Street and we can be Facebook friends with someone from the other side of the country and not even know our next-door neighbor... -
Endings and Beginnings
Posted Monday, June 19, 2017, at 10:26 PMI tried to write an introductory column my first day at the Daily World, but by 11 p.m., all I had written was “I am struck with writer’s block” and nothing else. I am now four days into my career, and there are times when I feel unnerved by how quickly I’ve acclimated to my new normal--covering meetings, writing the story within the next couple hours, and chatting with my new co-workers as if I hadn’t been deep in identity crisis only a week before after graduating from the journalism program at Indiana State University.. ...