Kelita Zupancic

I grew up with three younger brothers, so it was always 'compete against your brothers.' I've always had to stand up for myself. I love that. I love proving myself, that women can be just as good as men.

During practice, I train with both women and men. I think it's good to have a mixture of strengths because both have different fighting styles. Every person offers something different, and the more body types you get used to, the better fighter you will become.

Many say that no real avant-garde - which I'll define as a combative group of free-thinking artists - can exist anymore. The media's reach is too vast. New artists and movements get snatched up too quickly.

Smart authors, faced with storms, chose to create umbrellas. That's why a diverse group of authors banded together to create The Fiction Writer's Co-op, which will work to find innovative ways to promote each other's work and cheer each other on in a very competitive field.