4 january 2002
a violet by any other name....


photo by addy wygmans

                When I started my first zine, Nova, in 1997, I took on the nom de plume of Violet Nova. I didn’t use my “real” name because I didn’t want people looking me up in the phonebook or anything; and because, at the time, I didn’t want my parents to know about my deep, dark, subversive zine activities.
                Eventually, of course, my parents figured it out, but surprisingly, didn’t seem to mind. However, by that time, whatever tiny reputation I had established was under the name Violet Nova. so even though I changed the name of the zine to Remorsecodeblues, I kept my pen name. Then, for awhile after my friend Angel and I first started our queer youth zine Bent, I used the name of Shirley West, but i soon grew tired of it and “came out” as Violet Nova.
                Next, I published my first perzine, Queen of the Kangaroos, and, not having learned my lesson, I under the name of Sally Ann, an old family nickname. (“Sally Ann” is a slang term for the Salvation Army--when I was small, my family lived near a Salvation Army store, and since my middle name is also Anne, I acquired the nickname.) I used the name in QotK because it felt more intimate--and yet still more anonymous--than Violet.
                Eventually, though, having more than one name became very confusing, both for me and for the friends I made through zineage. So, now that I’m moving to school (where my legal name is required on all my mail), I’m just going to simplify things and do away with pen names entirely. Those of you who all ready know me as Violet or Sally may continue calling me such, but those names are just nicknames to me now. From now on, I will write under my original, given name.
                Hello. My name is Rebecca Anne Pierson. It’s nice to meet you ;-)

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