Download a PDF of my Writing Resume
Phone: 425-663-0776 | E-mail: dereksikkema@comcast.net
Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA) | Santa Clara University | Projected Completion: June 2019
Double Major – English and Theater Arts | Honors | Dean’s List | Provost Scholar
Phi Beta Kappa (admitted Junior year) | Sigma Tau Delta (English) | Alpha Psi Omega (Theatre)
Published Stories
Nicholas Markez and the Water Walkers | Published on LingoBites App | August 2018
- First of three short stories in this fantasy, adventure trilogy written to aid students in practicing Spanish. Designed to increase user vocabulary.
Self-Published Novels
Ruined America: The Cathedral of Bones | Published 2019
Ruined America: The Rise of the Hybrid Army | Published 2017
Ruined America: The Dead of Night | Published 2015
Ruined America: The Exodus of Richard Braxton | Published 2012
Stage Plays
Chairs | Stage Reading Santa Clara University Black Box | June 5, 2018
- A man or woman wakes to find that his or her society thinks that chairs are staging a revolution. Written as part of “The New Playwrights’ Festival” produced by Professor Brian Thorstenson.
Godless | Stage Reading Santa Clara University Black Box | June 2, 2019
- A traumatized and broken mother must find a way to love again when her daughter starts dating a Neo-Nazi. Written as part of “The New Playwrights’ Festival” produced by Professor Brian Thorstenson.
A Life Without Air | Zoom Reading on Youtube| June 9, 2020
- In the distant future, a prison warden on a Martian colony comes upon a mysterious stranger without a helmet or protective suit. Upon interrogation, he slowly realizes why she has come.
Other Short Stories and Play Scripts
Short Stories: Strays | The Rhetorician | Man at the Alter | Average Joe
Play Scripts: Two Men Dying in the Desert After the Nuclear Apocalypse
The Woman Without Air
The Cloudwatcher, given an honorable mention by the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future award. Contact for publication rights.
The River of Blood, given an honorable mention by the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future award. Contact for publication rights.
Work Related Experience
Research Aid, English | Professor Aparajita Nanda | February 2016 – Present
- Gather articles and books regarding various topics particularly black science fiction: Octavia, Butler, Hinduism, and their crossovers.
- Make preliminary readings of the material to decide what is most relevant for Professor Nanda.
- Perform brief readings of Professor Nanda’s essays and other work, translating her source citation into MLA and Chicago format.
- Create a list of questions for interviews and combed books in detail for any material relevant to her research.
Fellowships
Provost Research Fellowship Recipient | Summer 2018
- Funding for writing and initial edits of 4th Ruined America Novel
About Me
- Actor – Internship with Silicon Valley Shakespeare Company, Summer 2018
- Intercollegiate National Ethics Bowl – Placed 4th, March 2016
- Backpacked Europe | Rafted Grand Canyon | Scuba Dove Great Barrier Reef
- Six Years Game / Dungeon Master | Fourteen Years World of Warcraft Player