About
What is SilverPen Publishing?
Matthew and April Stublefield in their typical arm's length photo pose.
SilverPen is my blog, publishing outlet, and marketplace. I post all my work online for free, partly because I believe strongly in writing for the joy of it rather than to make money (and therefore license all my work under the Creative Commons) and partly because I see no point in pursuing a traditional publisher.
Alright, so who are you?
Ah, right, my name is Matthew Stublefield (in case you missed that on the front page). As you can see in the photographic representation on this page, I’m married to a beautiful woman named April and I have a beard made of awesome. I’m not a professional writer; rather, I’m a professional computer user support specialist who really enjoys writing and is always working on half a dozen different writing projects. My job involves a lot of research and writing on different topics and I specialize in finding open source solutions, but mostly I just handle whatever comes my way. I’m the solutions guy: bring me a problem and I’ll find a way to take care of it.
In addition to my work at Missouri State University, I am also completing a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (with a projected graduation of who-knows-when). Between that, my job, and married life, I’m a pretty busy fellow.
What do you write?
I began writing with journaling, and so a lot of my writing is still in the form of blog posts. Those blog posts might be theological in nature or they might be about a web/tech thing I’ve been working on, but I do most everything through blogging. Even if I write something outside of the blog, like a poem or a story, I’ll usually post it here as an entry.
Fantasy and scifi are my first loves, so I’m still trying to learn how to write that, but the majority of my attention over the years has been on poetry, theology, and technical articles. I don’t write much of the first anymore, and I took several years off from the second, only recently picking theological writing back up again. Conversely, I avoided writing about technology for a very long time, but due to my job it just sort of happened. Until recently, it seemed like that was the only topic I could talk about.
I am currently writing a short story (fiction), a longer story (fantasy fiction), a book about college ministry, and a somewhat philosophical book for tech support in higher education. I also post the occasional poem, but it’s rare.
You might also check out my podcast and 60 second book reviews.
Who gives you the authority to write about theology?
Though my major is in Religious Studies, that’s not why I write about theology, though it certainly contributes. Rather, as a Christian I feel like God wants us to know him. God provides us the tools of intellect, reason, the Bible, nature, and the fellowship of believers so we might learn more about his kingdom, and I subsequently think we have an obligation to do so. Not learning more about God or, as some do, refusing to learn more about God strikes me as akin to heresy.
I suppose my answer is, “No one.” I’m not a priest or a rabbi, and I’m not ordained by a mainstream Christian order. I do find truth in the priesthood of all believers, however, and therefore must fulfill my obligation and passion. I love to learn about God, and I want to share that with others, so I write about it. Let me assure you, though, I don’t claim that I am always right in regards to my interpretation of the Bible or knowledge of God. I’ve been studying theology for quite some time and am confident in myself, but there are most assuredly wiser souls than me. Please don’t hesitate to comment or call me out on something if you feel the need.
Are you for hire?
I guess that depends on what you want. I’m happy to write technical documentation, or partner with people to help compose content for projects they might be working on. I don’t go out and seek freelance writing opportunities because I don’t really need the money right now and my free time is precious to me. But if you want to pitch me something, let me know and I’ll take a look.
If instead you are interesting in publishing, I might be able to help. More than likely I’d guide you in the direction of self-publishing online like I do, but if you just desperately want to go through SilverPen, we might be able to arrange something.
Can I use your writing in something else?
All work on SilverPen Publishing is copyrighted under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 license. This means that you can use my work for free, but only under the following circumstances:
- You have to give me credit for the work, citing my name and preferably the location of the work as well.
- You cannot be making money off my work.
- You cannot change my work (though excerpts or quotations from a larger piece is fine; you don’t have to use an entire article, just don’t change my wording).
Do you have anything formally published?
Not yet, though I hope to in late 2010. Rest assured that I’ll blog about it when I do! When I do publish something, it will be self-published through Lulu.com, yet will remain available for free on this site under the CC license. The books, however, may have added content such as art, commentary, appendices, etc. that would not be in the web version.
