Meet DeAni Blake-Britton

DeAni Blake-Britton is the Midwestern Region Associate Student Representative. She is a senior at Lincoln University of Missouri, where she is pursuing her BA in English (Creative Writing) with a minor in African American Studies. She is originally from San Diego, California, and loves mangos, cats, and all things green.

I chose to become an English (Creative Writing) Major because I grew up with a love of literature and found my voice in writing.
My favorite part of being an English Major is the amazing professors that encourage and guide me.
The last book I read was Still Life with Mother and Knife by Chelsea Rathburn.
My favorite book is The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls.
A book character I identify with is Jeanette Walls in The Glass Castle.
The last book I bought was a copy of the play Medea by Euripides which I have not read yet.
My favorite book to movie adaptation is The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.
I’m equally a writer and a reader.
My favorite style of writing is free-verse poetry.
My go-to children’s book is Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner.
My favorite childhood memory is my siblings and me being sent to our room to go to bed, and instead of sleeping, we played Concentration–a game in which we took turns naming things in a specific category in under 5 seconds.
Growing up, I was sure I would be an inventor, a professional soccer player, and a professional musician.
My first job was a cashier at a fast-food restaurant.
My dream job is to be a creative writing professor.
I like to spend my free time playing guitar and spending time with friends and family.
Trieste, Italy
The destination at the top of my travel bucket list is Germany.
The literary place I’d most like to visit is Trieste, Italy.
If I could move anywhere in the world, I’d live in Vienna, Austria (shout out to Billy Joel).
If I was stranded on a desert island, the three things I would bring with me are my guitar, a first-aid kit, and water.
The one song I could listen to on repeat is “Silk Chiffon” by MUNA and Phoebe Bridgers.
The best gift I ever received was a bouquet of sunflowers–my favorite!
The best gift I’ve ever given is a two-sided picture frame with an original Father’s Day poem on one side and a picture of my Dad BIG CHEESIN’ on the other.
If you find me in the kitchen, I’m typically whipping up chicken and veggie pasta.
If I could try any food from a book or series, it would be Bruce Bogtrotters’ Chocolate Cake from Matilda by Roald Dahl.
The author (dead or alive) I’d most like to spend a day with is Sally Rooney–and boy, would I quiz her!