Writing Retreat | The Helen Riaboff Whiteley Center at Friday Harbor Labs

Last summer, my partner (Raymond Krohn) and I were lucky enough to spend time as visiting scholars at the Helen Riaboff Whiteley Center (HRWC) at the Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL) on San Juan Island. The center is administered by the University of Washington’s College of the Environment. Since its inception in 2000, it has hosted writers, artists, scientists, and other creatives from around the world.

For two weeks, we stayed in a picturesque cottage situated within the evergreen forests and rugged coastlines that are a hallmark of the San Juan Islands. Mornings were spent in quiet contemplation observing the small creatures in tidepools (tiny wonders!) or the occasional harbor seal and otter who sometimes swam close to shore.

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Residency | Cape Disappointment State Park (Long Beach Peninsula)

In May and early June, I spent time at Cape Disappointment State Park as an artist-in-residence in the Sou’wester Artist Residency Program. I spent a week hiking through coastal rainforests, headlands, beaches, and coves on Cape Disappointment and the Long Beach Peninsula.

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Residency | The Rice Place (Oregon)

In May, I spend a week at The Rice Place, an artist residency in Oregon. The Rice Place was named for novelist and memoirist Clyde Rice, who published his first book (the memoir A Heaven in the Eye) at eighty one.

portrait of clive rice
Clyde Rice at The Rice Place

The residency took place at Rice’s former home, a 1930s farm house situated within 10 acres of farmland along the Clackamas River, views of lush foliage from every window.

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Reading | Flipside Fest & Death Rattle Literary 9th Anniversary Showcase

I recently participated in two literary readings: Flipside Fest in September and the Death Rattle 9th Anniversary Showcase in November.

Flipside Fest is a music and art festival put on by the Duck Club in Garden City, Idaho as a way to harness the energy from the Treefort Music Festival that happens in Idaho every spring.

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Wildflowers of Mores Mountain | Boise National Forest

For a few years, I’ve been learning the native wildflowers on Mores Mountain in the Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area within the Boise National Forest. Mores Mountain is known for spectacular views and incredible wildflower displays, the best I’ve seen in the Treasure Valley. I thought I’d share some of the flowers I saw on the trails in May, June, and July.

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