Not So Frequently Asked Questions with Carla Fulgham!

Carla Fulgham
Liaison for Nursing and Allied Health

Carla Fulgham is our latest hire, taking over as Library Liaison for the Nursing and Allied Health Division. She splits her time between her office in the Health Science Center and in the library, so be on the lookout for her booking it around the pond. She has some great LibGuides for Nursing and Allied Health majors to help students get ahead, so be sure to check those out. Learn a little bit more about our newest librarian in her Not So Frequently Asked Questions interview.

1. What was the last book you read?
I reread Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ graphic novel series, Saga. The series is on hiatus and I’m anxious for the next issue to come out. It’s an epic fantasy space adventure that I strongly recommend!

I am currently reading the memoir Murder, Maggots, and Men by forensic entomologist Zakaria Erzinclioglu. It was published in 2000 so the author’s social attitudes, and maybe his methods, are a bit dated. But I didn’t find any newer books on forensic entomology and I’m a sucker for that kind of thing. Next on my list is Jonathon Safran Foer’s We are the Weather, an exploration of sustainable agriculture and people’s willingness to support it.

2. What do you like to do in your free time?
Binge read, binge watch, and spend time outside with my dogs. We hike at Greenway Farms and Rainbow Falls, or just wander the art district. We’re adventurers by day and couch potatoes by night. Whatever I’m doing, I prefer to do it with my dogs.

3. Early bird or night owl?
Night owl. Mornings are hard.

4. Favorite cartoon?
I watch Chi’s Sweet Home on Crunchyroll. It’s based on a beloved graphic novel by the same title. Very kawaii.

5. What was your favorite class in college?
If I had to choose, it would be the Virginia Woolf seminar I took at UTC under the instruction of Dr. Gregory O’Dea. We read many of her essays as well as every novel she published save one. I especially enjoyed the biographical aspect of the seminar. Woolf and her family led fascinating, and sometimes tragic, lives. But learning about the antics of the Bloomsbury Group brightened things a bit. Years after taking the seminar, I was fortunate to visit Bloomsbury, London to tour the group’s old stomping grounds.

6. What advice do you have for students?
Appreciate the journey. You’re facing major life decisions and a lot of stress, but remember to slow down as often as you can and enjoy where you are now.

7. What is the last picture you took with your phone?
My dog sleeping with his mouth open and his eyes rolled back. He looks like he’s warging, or maybe like he needs an exorcist.

8. What are your favorite podcasts?
My Favorite Murder, of course! I saw Karen and Georgia live at the Grand Ole Opry for my “thirty-thirder” last year. For more true crime and paranormal fun, I listen to And That’s Why We Drink. I also recommend the series Man in the Window and Root of Evil for the other true crime junkies out there.

9. Do have any pets?
I’m so glad you asked. There’s nothing I love more than talking about my dogs.
 

Sasha and Boo are both rescues with harrowing beginnings. Sasha, an Australian cattle dog, was a stray in my mother’s neighborhood. My mother became aware of her when someone threatened to shoot Sasha! (Of course, she didn’t have a name then.) I picked her up immediately and took her to an animal shelter. She was at the shelter several months and never received an adoption application so I made the excellent decision of bringing her into my life. She’s absolutely brilliant, obedient and quick to learn commands.

Boo, a walker hound, was also a stray. He was severely malnourished and terrified but I was able to lure him to my car with some food. He wouldn’t let me touch him for weeks. Then I woke up one morning and he was standing by my bed wagging his tail to remind me it was time for breakfast! Now he’s my special boy who loves to run, play games, and snuggle. I love how different his and Sasha’s personalities are. It still takes time for Boo to trust new people, but everyone Sasha meets is her new best friend.

10. If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?
I would be Janet from The Good Place. (TV shows count, right?) All data and no feelings, I would instantaneously calculate answers to the world’s most pressing questions. As my own personal 3D printer, I could also manifest solutions on the spot. Koala populations depleted in the bushfire? No problem, here’s some new koalas. Need affordable, sustainable housing? Stand back while I instantly create an infinite number of solar-powered homes. I would reshape the world using the power of data, all the while reminding people “I’m not a girl.”