Makers

Key West Literary Seminar 2024: three days of author talks, wild chicken encounters, cafes con leche, and an active discussion of the seminar theme, “Florida: The State We’re In”—double entendre...

Bend Film Festival 20th Anniversary Weekend & Virtual Film Fest I watch more movies during Bend Film Festival than I do the rest of the year. Why? Because BendFilm’s artful...

Irene Cooper and I share a love (perhaps an obsession) with two things: brown bears and creative writing. If you know her, you know her genius: She's a poet and...

I’m gonna lower the jazz hands and stop tap-dancing long enough to share that I am trying to get my personal essays published in traditional, literary magazines. And I'm also...

I was fortunate enough to live out daydream with Quilt Maker Carolyn Friedlander at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Carolyn Friedlander is a quilt pattern maker, quilt workshop leader, print...

I'm excited to be attending 2023 Aspen Words' Summer Words panel series in Snowmass Colorado. I'll be posting a daily summary of what's discussed and key takeaways for all the...

Oil Painter Blair Updike is a whip-smart Central Floridian, a conservation artist, Old Florida enthusiast, and small town mayor.

The Forge Writing program wrapped up last month with a public reading at the Downtown Bend Library. I had a swelling sense of pride for my classmates and the courageous...

How to Switch Writing Genres? Not long ago, I had a conversation with Pen and Ink Artist Anna Meshejian and she explained how you harvest wild pawpaws: You gently shake...

During The Forge Creative Writing Program, my writing improved but so did my scrappiness and ability to find time to write.

Let's talk about a common obstacle to creative writing: confidence. It’s one thing to write but believing in your writing is another skill altogether. I’ll tell you why it matters:...

I always wanted to do a creative writing intensive and when The Forge opened its application pool, I dove in. In this episode, I reveal what happened at The Forge...