KATHIE OLSEN is a former newspaper columnist, a nonprofit executive, a grandmother and a defender of the planet (and those who inhabit it). You can read about her novel TAKE ME TO MERCY and see her stories and poems at www.kathieolsen.com. She and her husband, Charley Hoye spend summer and fall in southern Oregon and winter and spring on Martha’s Vineyard. 
There are a few people in every town you can count on. These are the people who step-up when work needs to be done, volunteer, and then actually do it when they say they will. Sometimes a town is lucky enough to have one such who also has […]
He doesn’t make a big noise in this town. Maybe you’ve seen him riding his recumbent bike, or playing his banjo, or sipping coffee at Pony Espresso. Maybe you go to church with him. He is just one of those friendly guys you see around town. But Fred von […]
The sweet-faced woman behind the counter turns to you and smiles a friendly welcome. This is Joelle Manning Graves, proprietor of Sterling Creek Antiques, located in the historic Orth Building on South Oregon Street in Jacksonville. Her kindly vibe and deep wealth of knowledge about the things she sells […]
When Pattie Bakke looks customers in the eye at the Mustard Seed Café and asks “How’s breakfast?” she really wants to know, and when they respond, she really listens – looking for a way to lighten hearts and make people happy.
Pattie was born in Hermosa Beach, California in a […]