Contact: asecretpurtek [at] gmail [dot] com.

People occasionally ask me what my handle means. The truth is, I’m not sure anymore. It’s one of the nicknames my Kashub/Polish-heritage parents used to call me when I was a little kid, specifically used at time when I was being mischievous or obnoxious in that childishly endearing way. I remember hearing at one point that it was the name of a Slavic sprite of some sort, which was why I ended up choosing it for the purpose of semi-anonymity, but I’ve never found that information confirmed and have now come to suspect I sort of made it up. If anyone finds evidence one way or another, I’d be grateful.

For those vaguely interested in the credentials or identity of Purtek as writer, I’m a no-longer-so-young Canadian PhD student with tangential interests in, it seems, practically everything. When I started this blog, I was feminist geek space, then it became more Christian feminism and anti-oppression space, and it has on occasion been personal spiritual and political reflection space. I don’t know what it will be tomorrow.