Why Calamity Greenleaf?
Calamity Greenleaf is nothing other than a nickname my husband coined based on my propensity to be surrounded by chaos, regardless of my own volition (my given name is Hannah). A “tempest in a teapot,” if you will. I’ve been described as everything from “a woman at war with her times” by some, to “impassioned” or even “incendiary” by those who’d prefer the unstirred pot. Despite the many monikers, I believe Calamity is most fitting for my interest in engaging issues that matter. Anyone can appreciate vanilla. I’ll take habanero! It certainly is an acquired taste, and for some, never preferred.
Greenleaf is a nod to my forebear, John Greenleaf Whittier, and his literary contributions to emancipation and the world at large. He used his writing as a medium to convey his thoughts on what he believed to be right, leaving an impression that has endured for over 200 years.
The result is now a spirited author who writes for her posterity, and like my ancestor, I’d like to be remembered as the one in the arena, the one erring and coming up short again and again, rather than the “cold and timid souls who never knew victory or defeat” as sidelined spectators. Virtue exists in action, not in the pointing out of how the doer of deeds could have done it better. Yes, others can—and certainly have—done it better, but not one of them stand in the privileged position to influence my progeny in such a unique way.
