Introducing Majken

Born in Alaska, raised in Finland— a place as Narnia-like as a child could dream of without actually stepping through a magical wardrobe—Majken grew up with an affinity for the stark beauty of cold, dark places paired with endless midsummer nights. The name “Majken” was lovingly given to her by her Swedish-American grandfather. As a child, her mother told her the name was Swedish for “little maid”. 

Majken vowed instantly never to live up to such a distasteful appellation, for she knew quite well from the vast trove of literature and film that little maids seldom, if ever, became the heroines of their own adventures. Imagine her boundless relief and rejoicing once she learned she had misheard her mother and that, in fact, her name meant “little May” – that merriest of all months.

When she was little, her indomitable, flapper grandmother read her classic poetry which ignited an unquenchable thirst for the written word. She began writing rhymed poetry at an early age and completed several chapbooks. In her lyric poetry, Majken relishes depicting the spiritual journey of a falling leaf, the sail of a ghost ship as it struggles to reach shore, or the retelling of the Trojan War—from Helen’s point of view. All of her poems contain  characters as vivid and complex as those in her screenplays.

Coming out as a young gay woman, Majken continued to find a dearth of stories in literature and film
which reflected her experience, so she vowed to write her own. Keeping her promise, has kept her busy.
Currently, Majken is writing feature-length period screenplays which highlight women’s and LGBTQ stories
for broad, inclusive audiences. After all, a good story is universal because it cracks a window for us to see
the world through another’s eyes. The power of art lies in its ability to stretch our imaginations beyond the
myopic scope of our physical experiences.

A burgeoning filmmaker and member of the San Francisco based film cooperative Scarycow, Majken is
directing and producing a forthcoming animated short entitled “The Fishy’s Tale”. The childrens’ story
takes place in the Baltic Sea during the Iron Age and is based on one of Majken’s short scripts.

Majken has a B.A from Mills College in German Literature, and a Master’s in Classical Voice Performance
from San Francisco State University. When not writing, she can often be found traveling or singing and
dancing with her country western dance association. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her
partner Michelle and a sassy feline named Tatsu.