About Steff
\m/ Email Me \m/
I’m Steff, a freelance writer living in New Zealand with my cantankerous drummer husband and our medieval sword collection. By day I transcribes braille and produce large print and electronic books and resources. At night I tear up the mosh pit at the local heavy metal bar.
To me, life is about writing, music, travel and the eternal quest for the perfect sausage roll.
I have a rare genetic condition known as Achromotopsia. The retina of my eye has no cone cells. I’m completly colour blind, photophobic, and legally blind.
I created the Steff Metal blog in 2009 for several reasons. Mostly, I wanted a blog / website to ramble on about metal, books, music, fashion and life. I also wanted a place to live-blog some of my epic metal journey (a three month jaunt around Europe and the Middle East with my husband and two friends) so my friends at home in NZ could swoon in jealousy.
And, finally, I wanted to be a voice for metalheads. We cop a lot of criticism for being Satanists, neo-nazis, angry, misogynistic, facist, racist, dole-bludging, greasy, messy, pieces of proverbial feces. And at times, we foster our own stereotypes by the way we dress and act. I wanted to show people the positive side of metal – the side anyone can relate to, even if you liken Slayer to four burly oxen pumped full of ecstacy charging through an antique shop.
Super Snuggles and Shoggoth Kisses
Steff
Steff Metal in the Media:
Heavy Metal bands even super-intelligent non-metalheads will enjoy – The Secret Society of List Addicts.
That’s Metal, but it’s not music! – No Clean Singing
Black Metal Naval Gazing, part 2 – No Clean Singing
Recent Articles
Some of my recent publications in print and online. You can read more of my work on the publications page.
12 Tips for Surviving Your First European Metal Festival, Matador Nights, May 2009
Elven Lays and Powerchords: Chaos, Revelry and Community in Tolkine-themed Heavy Metal, Strange Horizons, 12 Jan 2009
City of the Beast: A Heavy Metal Tour of London, Go NOMAD, Nov 2008
Disclaimer
In December 2009, the FTC ruled that bloggers had to disclose compensational interests. While this law only applies to US blogs, as an active member of bloggiverse, I wanted to include a disclaimer about the income I earn through Steff Metal.
I earn income from links and advertisments in the sidebar. I use this money to keep Steff Metal up and running, and occasionally I buy another metal shirt.
… Okay, I often buy another metal shirt. A girl can never have too many metal shirts.
The Gilt Groupe and ModCloth links on my sidebar are affiliate links – I earn a small amount every time someone signs up to Gilt through my link and purchases something from either of these sites. I buy products from these sites regularly and find their service and products top-notch – I don’t recommend or affiliate with any business I don’t 100% support.
No links to outside sources in my posts give me any additional income. I do participate in selected affiliate programs – ModCloth and Gilt Groupe, I don’t use affiliate links in my content. I don’t endorse products unless I personally use them.
Sometimes, products mentioned on my blog might have been given to me as gifts. Companies know that giving me free products does not guarantee a mention on Steff Metal, unless I feel their product is suitably kreig. If this is the case, I will disclose this in the post.
All items in the Steff Metal shop contribute to my income. 10% of all profits from the shop go to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, to help educate people about alternative subcultures.
Commenting Policy
Steff Metal is a blog of positivity. I know that may seem at odds with the style of music we love (metal naturally leans towards anger) but it’s my blog and I make the rules.
Most metalheads I know are the happiest people on earth – and who wouldn’t be happy when you’re surrounded by beer, beef, boobs and blastbeats? Metal makes people happy, and I want my blog to make people happy, too.
You’re welcome to disagree with any of my opinions (as everything on this blog IS an opinion) and I really want you to do so. Share your experiences, correct my blatent factual errors and debate my choice of favourite sausage roll. Bring it on, I’m a big girl – I can handle it! I love to hear suggestions, new ideas, and be exposed to all you amazing people out there.
I want to read comments that treat others with the respect, love and dignity they deserve. If you can’t write something nice, please don’t write at all. Bad mouthing any band, artist, writer or guest on this blog will result in your comment being deleted. I don’t want to be a comment nazi but I will not tolerate negativity in my happy place, comprendez? We’re all friends here. We’re all crew on the same Viking boat.
Before you press the comment button, ask yourself:
- Am I kreig enough to comment on this blog? (an extremely important question, that)
- Am I adding something constructive to the discussion?
- Will my comment inform or help others?Are my words pleasant?
If the answer to any of those questions is no, please rephrase your post in lyrical form and share it with your black metal band. Don’t bring it here.
Keep it metal \m/
Steff
