“[In the] work that we do as librarians, there is no part of knowledge that we don’t connect to. Everything is our domain. And that just suited me.”

 Odin Halvorson, MLIS expected ‘24
Richmond, Virginia

Odin Halvorson has a host of passions that combine to guide his life choices, creativity and professional activities. These include creative and academic writing, librarianship, environmentalism, personal knowledge management systems, communications, film history and theory, AI, politics, anarchism and current events (to name just a few).

Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Creative Writing

Odin was born in Northern California. He grew up around parents with a passion for writing (his father was a published short story and poetry writer). From an early age, Odin adopted this same interest; he wrote his first story at age three (though it primarily consisted of him typing random keys on his dad’s old typewriter and explaining what the story was out loud). This would eventually lead Odin to pursue his Bachelor’s in Creative Writing from Goddard College in Vermont. There, he continued to follow his passion for speculative fiction, which he defines as a genre that, “roughly takes in everything from science fiction to fantasy.” One of his favorite writers is J.R.R. Tolkien, who built a unique universe, The Lord of the Rings, as a form of modern mythmaking. 

“It’s thinking about worlds other than our own, but that are intrinsically linked to our experiences. So, fantasy and science fiction are mirrors. We hold up these genres and reflect parts of ourselves and our society back at us. I find people who have never thought about reading a piece of philosophy, but they will watch Star Trek…That’s philosophy.”

In 2020, Odin pursued his Master’s in Fine Arts in creative writing from the Stonecoast program in Maine.  He met many incredible mentors there, including Theodora Gross, who helped him get the bulk of his first drafted novel done, and guided him through the long process of his first thesis-level project (a treatise on the use of realistic geographies within fictional worlds).

“I found that concept of geography and space to be pretty important. The places we live define us to a certain degree. When you’re reading a really good book, you’re getting immersed in whatever setting the author has provided…You fall in love with those locations.”

The Unenlightened Generalists

In addition to creative writing, Odin is a prolific academic writer.  His pieces cover topics as vast as found families, living under Capitalism, Icelandic myths, pop culture and current issues. You can check out some of his essays on his Website.

“I take in a lot of information. I try to always read and I listen to podcasts. Sometimes the information you take in can be a show or movie; it doesn’t have to be study-related.”

Odin also gravitates towards people with a similar passion for learning, which led to meeting his wife, Katie, in 2016.

“That’s a core part of my relationship with my wife; we just love learning things. There is never a point where learning and the rest of my life are separated. We are constantly striving to be better than we were the day before, and there’s no field of knowledge that doesn’t fit into that, it could be learning how to sew.”

Over the course of their relationship, Katie and Odin decided to start a YouTube channel, The Unenlightened Generalists, to share with the world everything they were discussing, thinking about and creating.

“That term – ‘unenlightened generalist’ – is key to everything I am and how I work. Rather than focusing on a single specialty, even writing, I find passion in exploring everything.”

Transition to Librarianship

After Odin got his MFA, he wanted a job that aligned with his values.

“I am an anarchist. I do not like working for a lot of systems and institutions. And I wanted to do something that allowed me to connect to those generalist tendencies that I have. And it just suddenly struck me. It [librarianship] has everything. [In the] work that we do as librarians, there is no part of knowledge that we don’t connect to. Everything is our domain. And that just suited me.”

At the beginning of 2023, Odin enrolled in the Master of Library and Information Science Program at SJSU.

SJSU and Artificial Intelligence

Odin graduates from SJSU this December. While his time in the program was brief, it has been incredibly fruitful. For instance, Odin became the editor-in-chief of the Student Research Journal, which he said has been “the single best part of this entire program.” 

He also became deeply immersed in his studies. Specifically, he focused on personal knowledge management systems, which he writes about here, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, he acknowledges both the danger of AI and its potential.

“These technologies are not dangerous because they are going to take over the world and cause a terminator-like extinction event. They are dangerous because they are going to continue to concentrate power in the hands of a few rich people. The fact that they take a massive environmental toll is also dangerous. Also, right now, the only entities in our world that can create AI are massive corporate entities, which means that [AI will contain] baked in biases no matter what [their creators] do…. That being said, I think these tools are here to stay and they do represent a potential to powerfully democratize human information sharing, human knowledge sharing, and human interactive ability.”

Odin also believes in the role librarians can play to help heal the digital divide. 

“As a librarian, my responsibility is to try to make sure people coming to me are able to utilize these tools to the best of their ability [and] to give them a leg up in a world that is inherently set against their success. In this society, people who are disenfranchised deserve every tool that we can give them [so that they can survive in] a system that is inherently violent…We have so much power as librarians if we just use it right.”

Current and Future Goals 

Odin currently lives in Virginia with his wife and they are expecting a baby! He is eager to become a father and return to creative writing. While he enjoys his current position as a writer for a higher education marketing company, he also could see himself teaching in the future, or working as a professional consultant.  

“I love building rapport with people and bringing them into a space where we can dialogue.”

In line with this, Odin runs an online writing group called Round Table Writers, where writers help one another create, market their works, and thrive. He says, “I can support what they love, which is one of my favorite things to do.”

Lastly, Odin can see himself working for an academic library or a nonprofit. He already has extensive experience in this area, having worked for non-profits in the past, including the Pacific Zen Institute, Socrates Cafe (where he serves as a board member), and EveryLibrary.

“I would love to work with a nonprofit that is tackling real-world issues…I want to use my passion for good and change the world.”

Advice For Students

“[The iSchool is] a remote program. Make friends and actually commit to connecting with those friends online on a regular basis. It could just be some texting, but I highly recommend setting up some regular video calls with your remote friends and holding that space. Next thing I would say is make sure you document everything for your Info 289 e-portfolio, I cannot recommend that enough, and it will save you so much pain later.”