contributor bios
Arlys Clark has lived along the Columbia River near Rainier for almost four decades. Here is a setting with woods and a view of the river, and here she makes paintings, writes haikus, and watches nature. She lives with an aged Canon AE-1 that accompanied her on numerous travels and still is generously collecting imagery.
Bethany Fischer moved to Kelso, WA, after traveling in a military family at the age of 15. At age 20, she graduated from Lower Columbia College with an English DTA, which she’s currently using to earn a Bachelor’s at WSU Vancouver.
Carolyn Caines’s grandparents were Finnish immigrants to the Longview/Kelso area in 1909, well before Longview became a city. A third-generation resident, she graduated from Kelso High School and returned to the area after college as a classroom teacher. Marrying a local guy, they have three children and seven grandchildren. Poetry and painting are her passions, both based in her faith, and she feels privileged to share them whenever possible.
Chalayn Noelle Nagunst is a wife, artist, and sometimes teacher from SW Washington. She is inspired by trees, mountains, and all that the PNW has to offer.
Dayle Olson lives and writes in a small town on the Lower Columbia. She has been published in The Salal Review, Timber Ghost Press, RAIN Magazine, North Coast Squid, Haunted Words Press, Litmora Magazine, and the Columbia River Reader. She is active in The Writer’s Guild of Astoria and hosts a quarterly poetry open mic in Cathlamet. For fun, she creates zines and illustrates them with birds.
Haily Wilson was born and raised in Longview and has been doing art her whole life. She is an art student at LCC.
Hannah Palenske moved here from Manhattan, Kansas in 2015. She went to high school in Kelso, WA, and has lived in Cowlitz County for the last 8 years. She has been attending LCC as a student since 2019. She earned her Associate’s Degree in 2022 and is currently in the BASTE Program, Cohort #4. She works in the Office of Instruction and is set to graduate with her Bachelor’s in Summer 2024.
Jaida Barrows was a student at LCC for two years while completing the Running Start Program. She was also was also part of the Speech and Debate Team, the Fighting Smelt, and served as the Executive Director of ASLCC in her second year at LCC. She now attends Western Washington University but enjoys returning to LCC when possible and helping the Speech and Debate team.
Jane Beaston is a retired student who already had many careers. At 66, she decided to go back to school and take classes that interested her, or she wanted to learn more about. Her interests are in art, drawing/painting, creative writing, sculpture, and ceramics. After making her College Success teacher a poem and sculpture, her teacher suggested she take a creative writing class, so she did.
Jasmin Strand is a highschool student at R.A. Long in the Running Start Program. She mainly enrolls in online classes and is hoping to get all of her prerequisites completed for the Nursing Program by the time she graduates in 2024. Then, she plans on continuing at LCC to obtain her nursing degree.
Jenn F. is a mother, a daughter, a friend, a student, and an imperfect person learning to be better. She’s from the Pacific Northwest and has lived in the same town her whole life. This is the first poem she has written that she is fairly happy with; she wrote it in five minutes, while other poems took months.
Jennifer Nightingale has been happily engaged in writing and sharing pieces with the poets of the Lower Columbia Pacific. She lives in Astoria, Oregon, with her husband, Holt, and their spotted dog, Mickery.
Joe Griffith is a Stage Technician at Lower Columbia College. He is an ETCP Certified Theatrical Rigger, Entertainment Electrician and Recognized Electrical Trainer. Joe is also an AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist. He is an expert in Lasers and holds a variance from the FDA/CDRH to manufacture Laser light shows.
K. Swartz is a Lower Columbia student who is working towards a degree in political science and international relations. They have lived in the Pacific Northwest most of their life and spend a majority of their time driving back roads while listening to a range of music. They were published in 2022 in a short story collection titled Collecting Dust, and they continue to write to this day.
Katurah Buttrell graduated from Lower Columbia College in 2023. During her time at LCC, she was able to expand her love for art with ceramics, painting, and drawing classes. She enjoys visiting the local galleries and other artists. She continues to explore different art forms at home and through classes.
Katy Olson grew up in the Lower Columbia Region, graduating from Kelso High School in 1997. She currently works as a librarian at Mark Morris High School.
Kayla Wildman lived in Vancouver in the late 1970’s, came back to visit now and again over the next forty years, and in 2021, moved back to Southwest Washington to be close to family and to enjoy the beauty of that little corner of the world. Battle Ground Lake State Park is one of her all-time favorite places.
Kayleh Peppers’s family has gone to LCC for a long time and she’s happy to be attending there now as well. She’s in the Running Start Program and now has a job at the college as an English tutor.
Lauren Mallett’s poems appear in Poetry Northwest, Puerto del Sol, The Seventh Wave, The Night Heron Barks, and other journals. She lives on Clatsop land off Oregon’s north coast.
Logan Garner is a poet residing in Warrenton, Oregon and is the recipient of the Neahkahnie Mountain Poetry Prize. His poetry is rooted by place and nature, often examining small moments and happenings as they rest against larger backdrops. His first collection, Here In the Floodplain, was released by Plan B Press in 2023.
Marc Imlay is a retired chiropractor, acupuncturist, and meditation instructor. He’s led interpretive nature walks for the past 28 years at Soos Creek Park in Kent, WA, and has lived on Coal Creek Road in Longview for the past 9 years. Marc has written poetry since high school. He recently self-published his first poetry book, Pilgrimages to a Bullfrog Buddha at Amazon Kindle. His other creative interests include partner dancing and playing bass guitar in a duet with his wife.
Marie Wise retired from LCC in 2018 so she could finally realize her dream of becoming a full-time artist. Marie loves to paint the landscapes of Kalama and surrounding areas, especially the ships and tugboats that navigate up and down the river, and she loves to paint the beautiful skyscapes above her. She feels lucky to be selling her paintings in a gallery and several gift shops, and she is grateful life has given her the opportunity to express what she sees through her paintings.
Marvin Pierson teaches digital photography at LCC—he has been there for over 20 years. He has also operated a Photography Studio for over 45 years. Molly Beth is currently living a lovely life in the PNW and follows her heart wherever it takes her when spirit calls.
Molly Beth is currently living a lovely life in the PNW and follows her heart wherever it takes
her when spirit calls.
Newman Hamper has been a student at Lower Columbia College on and off since 2019. He started as a running start student, and now he is finishing his degree. He has taken 2 photography classes at the college, and he always enjoys sharing the innate beauty in the world from his perspective.
Racquel currently attends Mark Morris high school. She is in her sophomore year and has grown up in Longview. She is interested in writing, especially poetry.
Ray Cooper believes he is lucky to reside in Cowlitz county. He has been a member of the LCC Art & Design department for over 20 years.
Remy Frey is a second year student at LCC and has enjoyed becoming part of the school community. Being a wildlife and nature enthusiast, she appreciated growing up in the Lower Columbia Region. Her love, curiosity, and respect for animals is what inspires her artwork.
Robert E Larson grew up in Southwest Washington and spent some formative years at Lower Columbia College. The life lessons learned there have followed him through the years and directed him to develop into a productive member of his current community. He loves the memories he has of being a student as well as the gorgeous scenery of the region.
Ruby Hensen Murray is a columnist for the Osage News living in the lower Columbia River estuary. A MacDowell fellow, she’s winner of the Iowa Review and Montana Prizes. Find her in Cascadia: A Field Guide, Ecotone, Under the Sun, the Massachusetts Review, and Pleiades.
Ryker M. is a second year English student with Lower Columbia College. They spend most of their time juggling hobbies at work, never seeming to find enough time in a day. He writes primarily within the fantasy genre but occasionally dabbles in autobiographical poetry.
Sami Robinson has lived in the Lower Columbia region her entire life. She went to school in the Kelso school district and furthered her education by taking classes at Lower Columbia College.
Tasha Kelly is a mother to a 10 year old boy and a student at Lower Columbia College in Longview, WA. Tasha loves going for long walks around the lake. She also loves to read and to write.
Thomas Wakefeild is a 16-year-old photographer and student at Lower Columbia College. He has lived in Longview all his life and enjoys capturing the beauty of our world in his photographs.
Weld Devils Welding Club created this metal art sculpture titled S’more PNW as a collaboration between various LCC students and their faculty advisor, including: Tyler Baldwin, Joshua Morrison, Kaden Michaud, Antonio Lopez, Vanessa, Ruelas, Karleigh Klug, Sy Sundahl,
Bodie Huhta, Amber Dawn, Josh Frymire, Baylee Garcia, Uriah Welch, Chandler Lyon, James Banks, Jayden Yates, Tevan Clayson, Natasha Allen, and Jessica Moore. The piece is set to be installed as a permanent fixture on the LCC campus.
Bethany Fischer moved to Kelso, WA, after traveling in a military family at the age of 15. At age 20, she graduated from Lower Columbia College with an English DTA, which she’s currently using to earn a Bachelor’s at WSU Vancouver.
Carolyn Caines’s grandparents were Finnish immigrants to the Longview/Kelso area in 1909, well before Longview became a city. A third-generation resident, she graduated from Kelso High School and returned to the area after college as a classroom teacher. Marrying a local guy, they have three children and seven grandchildren. Poetry and painting are her passions, both based in her faith, and she feels privileged to share them whenever possible.
Chalayn Noelle Nagunst is a wife, artist, and sometimes teacher from SW Washington. She is inspired by trees, mountains, and all that the PNW has to offer.
Dayle Olson lives and writes in a small town on the Lower Columbia. She has been published in The Salal Review, Timber Ghost Press, RAIN Magazine, North Coast Squid, Haunted Words Press, Litmora Magazine, and the Columbia River Reader. She is active in The Writer’s Guild of Astoria and hosts a quarterly poetry open mic in Cathlamet. For fun, she creates zines and illustrates them with birds.
Haily Wilson was born and raised in Longview and has been doing art her whole life. She is an art student at LCC.
Hannah Palenske moved here from Manhattan, Kansas in 2015. She went to high school in Kelso, WA, and has lived in Cowlitz County for the last 8 years. She has been attending LCC as a student since 2019. She earned her Associate’s Degree in 2022 and is currently in the BASTE Program, Cohort #4. She works in the Office of Instruction and is set to graduate with her Bachelor’s in Summer 2024.
Jaida Barrows was a student at LCC for two years while completing the Running Start Program. She was also was also part of the Speech and Debate Team, the Fighting Smelt, and served as the Executive Director of ASLCC in her second year at LCC. She now attends Western Washington University but enjoys returning to LCC when possible and helping the Speech and Debate team.
Jane Beaston is a retired student who already had many careers. At 66, she decided to go back to school and take classes that interested her, or she wanted to learn more about. Her interests are in art, drawing/painting, creative writing, sculpture, and ceramics. After making her College Success teacher a poem and sculpture, her teacher suggested she take a creative writing class, so she did.
Jasmin Strand is a highschool student at R.A. Long in the Running Start Program. She mainly enrolls in online classes and is hoping to get all of her prerequisites completed for the Nursing Program by the time she graduates in 2024. Then, she plans on continuing at LCC to obtain her nursing degree.
Jenn F. is a mother, a daughter, a friend, a student, and an imperfect person learning to be better. She’s from the Pacific Northwest and has lived in the same town her whole life. This is the first poem she has written that she is fairly happy with; she wrote it in five minutes, while other poems took months.
Jennifer Nightingale has been happily engaged in writing and sharing pieces with the poets of the Lower Columbia Pacific. She lives in Astoria, Oregon, with her husband, Holt, and their spotted dog, Mickery.
Joe Griffith is a Stage Technician at Lower Columbia College. He is an ETCP Certified Theatrical Rigger, Entertainment Electrician and Recognized Electrical Trainer. Joe is also an AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist. He is an expert in Lasers and holds a variance from the FDA/CDRH to manufacture Laser light shows.
K. Swartz is a Lower Columbia student who is working towards a degree in political science and international relations. They have lived in the Pacific Northwest most of their life and spend a majority of their time driving back roads while listening to a range of music. They were published in 2022 in a short story collection titled Collecting Dust, and they continue to write to this day.
Katurah Buttrell graduated from Lower Columbia College in 2023. During her time at LCC, she was able to expand her love for art with ceramics, painting, and drawing classes. She enjoys visiting the local galleries and other artists. She continues to explore different art forms at home and through classes.
Katy Olson grew up in the Lower Columbia Region, graduating from Kelso High School in 1997. She currently works as a librarian at Mark Morris High School.
Kayla Wildman lived in Vancouver in the late 1970’s, came back to visit now and again over the next forty years, and in 2021, moved back to Southwest Washington to be close to family and to enjoy the beauty of that little corner of the world. Battle Ground Lake State Park is one of her all-time favorite places.
Kayleh Peppers’s family has gone to LCC for a long time and she’s happy to be attending there now as well. She’s in the Running Start Program and now has a job at the college as an English tutor.
Lauren Mallett’s poems appear in Poetry Northwest, Puerto del Sol, The Seventh Wave, The Night Heron Barks, and other journals. She lives on Clatsop land off Oregon’s north coast.
Logan Garner is a poet residing in Warrenton, Oregon and is the recipient of the Neahkahnie Mountain Poetry Prize. His poetry is rooted by place and nature, often examining small moments and happenings as they rest against larger backdrops. His first collection, Here In the Floodplain, was released by Plan B Press in 2023.
Marc Imlay is a retired chiropractor, acupuncturist, and meditation instructor. He’s led interpretive nature walks for the past 28 years at Soos Creek Park in Kent, WA, and has lived on Coal Creek Road in Longview for the past 9 years. Marc has written poetry since high school. He recently self-published his first poetry book, Pilgrimages to a Bullfrog Buddha at Amazon Kindle. His other creative interests include partner dancing and playing bass guitar in a duet with his wife.
Marie Wise retired from LCC in 2018 so she could finally realize her dream of becoming a full-time artist. Marie loves to paint the landscapes of Kalama and surrounding areas, especially the ships and tugboats that navigate up and down the river, and she loves to paint the beautiful skyscapes above her. She feels lucky to be selling her paintings in a gallery and several gift shops, and she is grateful life has given her the opportunity to express what she sees through her paintings.
Marvin Pierson teaches digital photography at LCC—he has been there for over 20 years. He has also operated a Photography Studio for over 45 years. Molly Beth is currently living a lovely life in the PNW and follows her heart wherever it takes her when spirit calls.
Molly Beth is currently living a lovely life in the PNW and follows her heart wherever it takes
her when spirit calls.
Newman Hamper has been a student at Lower Columbia College on and off since 2019. He started as a running start student, and now he is finishing his degree. He has taken 2 photography classes at the college, and he always enjoys sharing the innate beauty in the world from his perspective.
Racquel currently attends Mark Morris high school. She is in her sophomore year and has grown up in Longview. She is interested in writing, especially poetry.
Ray Cooper believes he is lucky to reside in Cowlitz county. He has been a member of the LCC Art & Design department for over 20 years.
Remy Frey is a second year student at LCC and has enjoyed becoming part of the school community. Being a wildlife and nature enthusiast, she appreciated growing up in the Lower Columbia Region. Her love, curiosity, and respect for animals is what inspires her artwork.
Robert E Larson grew up in Southwest Washington and spent some formative years at Lower Columbia College. The life lessons learned there have followed him through the years and directed him to develop into a productive member of his current community. He loves the memories he has of being a student as well as the gorgeous scenery of the region.
Ruby Hensen Murray is a columnist for the Osage News living in the lower Columbia River estuary. A MacDowell fellow, she’s winner of the Iowa Review and Montana Prizes. Find her in Cascadia: A Field Guide, Ecotone, Under the Sun, the Massachusetts Review, and Pleiades.
Ryker M. is a second year English student with Lower Columbia College. They spend most of their time juggling hobbies at work, never seeming to find enough time in a day. He writes primarily within the fantasy genre but occasionally dabbles in autobiographical poetry.
Sami Robinson has lived in the Lower Columbia region her entire life. She went to school in the Kelso school district and furthered her education by taking classes at Lower Columbia College.
Tasha Kelly is a mother to a 10 year old boy and a student at Lower Columbia College in Longview, WA. Tasha loves going for long walks around the lake. She also loves to read and to write.
Thomas Wakefeild is a 16-year-old photographer and student at Lower Columbia College. He has lived in Longview all his life and enjoys capturing the beauty of our world in his photographs.
Weld Devils Welding Club created this metal art sculpture titled S’more PNW as a collaboration between various LCC students and their faculty advisor, including: Tyler Baldwin, Joshua Morrison, Kaden Michaud, Antonio Lopez, Vanessa, Ruelas, Karleigh Klug, Sy Sundahl,
Bodie Huhta, Amber Dawn, Josh Frymire, Baylee Garcia, Uriah Welch, Chandler Lyon, James Banks, Jayden Yates, Tevan Clayson, Natasha Allen, and Jessica Moore. The piece is set to be installed as a permanent fixture on the LCC campus.