1.

Some might call me an Xennial, but I put myself solidly in Gen X territory.

2.

Some things I love:

cedar trees, birch, lakes, swimming in the sea, gnarled branches, hammocks, fuzzy socks, moss, lichen, chipmunks, softness, warmth, fiddleheads, silence, bird song, ink, charcoal, cuddles, small power tools, ratcheting screwdrivers, wind patterns in the sand, mountain ranges, silliness, healers, laughter, meandering conversation, prisms.

3.

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and now live in a small town an hour outside of Boston in Central Massachusetts.

I have also called home: Washington state, California, New York, Virginia (DC Metro Area), Italy.

I love home, but my most electric and creative self comes alive during travel. Some places I’ve savored: Benin, Egypt, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain.

4.

I am very indecisive. I am also very intuitive. The combination of being afraid of commitment (indecisiveness) and following my gut (intuition) can lead down some interesting paths.

6.

My full name roughly translates to a poem:
child
of the tree
of the sea
of the rock

I discovered this by accident in my early 40s, and I love how closely it aligns with where my artistic interests lie.

7.

I believe reforestation is the answer.

I believe landback is the answer.

I believe making is the answer.

I believe movement is the answer.

I believe joy is the answer.

8.

If I were a millionaire, I would invest in trees, native planting, homegrown edible gardens, and the arts. Since I am not a millionaire, I invest in trees, native planting, homegrown edible gardens, and the arts.

Same thing, smaller scale. 

9.

Talking about myself makes me uncomfortable, so I talk about things that matter to me instead.

Can you tell?

11.

I love, love, love the play of light and shadow. If I’m walking and suddenly I stop, whether in the house or out and about, it’s probably an arresting display of light and shadow.

That, or I forgot something and am about to retrace my steps…

12.

I tend to be time-blind but season-aware. The calendar is almost meaningless to me.

For that reason, I forget a lot of birthdays and holidays. Which I sort of feel bad about, but I mostly accept as part of who I am now. (After fighting against it with the best of intentions and a lot of shame for years and years.)

13.

FREE SPACE!

Abolition Now! The work did not end in 1865. I look to Angela Y. Davis and bell hooks for shared language around the current abolitionist movement.

For me, it is ultimately world-building. What could be more exciting to awaken and encourage artivism? We are ending all forms of violence, coercion and surveillance and supplanting it with community care and creative expression. Yes!!

14.

My voter registration is Green-Rainbow Party and I will always vow to vote my conscience or not at all. The existing political binary is harmful to the people and to the planet.

16.

I work part-time at my local library. It looks like a castle! I’m in the reference section, helping people register for free community offerings, use the computers, and find books they might like to read. I also organize the monthly art shows.

This all makes me very happy.

17.

I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when I was 19. I experienced eczema (eternal itchiness and discomfort) for most of my 30s. My auto-immune system is not kind to me.

One of my pet peeves is being told to savor the energy and wellness I ‘have’ now, because I appear youthful. I do not remember ever feeling energetic. Age and wellness are not an explicitly causal relationship. I wish people approached conversations with fewer assumptions and more curiosity.

18.

The minute someone asks me my “favorite” anything, I freeze. Superlatives shut me down.

19.

Some authors I love: AA Milne, Mary Oliver, Sadeqa Johnson, Veronique Tadjo, Robin Wall Kimmerer.

21.

I bake a mean loaf of sourdough. 

I don’t even like bread, but it is gooooood. 

22.

I am an alum of the University of Washington, with a dual degree in Business and Communications, and a Certificate in International Studies in Business.

Because my programs tended to be heavily left-brained, I sprinkled in at least one unrelated-to-my-major imperative-to-my-balance creative class every quarter: theater, art, kid lit, etc. 

23.

I picked UW without ever having been to Seattle because I fell in love with two things: pictures of the cherry blossoms in the quad and the number of libraries on campus.

I still love a college campus. I would be a student forever if it were a profession.

24. 

Here’s what I wanted to be when I was a kid: a veterinarian by day, a theater actress by night, a novelist (writing from an attic room overlooking trees) by weekend. And a mamma. My dreams were very, very busy.