Melissa Avril Harris

Melissa is a graduate of The Evergreen State College who splits her time between whipping up a mean latte, writing in her mobile office, and stage managing local theater productions. Melissa’s roots stretch from the artesian wells of Olympia to the cobblestoned streets of Deutschland. Contact any member of the OLY ARTS writing staff at …

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Rebekah Finn

Rebekah is a freelance writer and editor under Finn Communications LLC, with a background in English literature and a Certificate in Editing. Her experience includes nonprofit communications, including social media and grantwriting. Her passion is to help tell stories that have a positive impact on the world and especially through local arts and business. When she’s …

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Alec Clayton

OLY ARTS Editor Alec Clayton is an artist and writer. In addition to being the editor of and writing for OLY ARTS, he has written art and theater reviews and other feature articles for the Weekly Volcano, The News Tribune, Art Access, The Olympian, and Thurston Talk. His published novels include “Teacher,” “Tupelo,” the three …

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Lucia Volker

Lucia is a writer and visual artist new to the Olympia region. She discovered her love of writing post-college through writing proposals and grants for her own creative work, nonprofits, and art collectives. In addition to writing for Oly Arts, she has had work published in the Mid America Print Council Journal, and has an …

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Guy Bergstrom

Guy Bergstrom is a speechwriter and speech coach and is a member of the Professional Speechwriters Association. He is also an award-winning reporter and a contributing editor to Criminal Element and The Big Thrill. He now hosts the popular writing and pop culture blog The Red Pen of Doom. He was a contributing writer for The New York …

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Bryan Willis

Bryan Willis

Bryan formerly served as Contributing Editor for OLY ARTS. Bryan is co-founder of the Northwest Playwrights Alliance at Seattle Repertory Theatre. His writing and plays have appeared throughout the U.K., Israel, Japan, U.S. and Canada, including New York Theater Workshop, Milwaukee Rep, Unseam’d Shakespeare Co., ACT, Book-It Repertory Theatre and Riverside Studios in London. His …

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Jennifer Crain

Jennifer Crain is a freelance writer based in the Pacific Northwest. Her work appears in print and online in national publications, regional magazines, trades, and newsletters. She is committed to good food, a subject she explore as a regular contributor to Edible Seattle, where she has written about indigenous fishers, mushroom farming, organic cranberry production, …

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Kelli Samson

Kelli Samson works as a high school English teacher, a blogger and a freelance writer based in Thurston County. She is a mother, friend, teacher, baker, writer, reader, film-watcher, and photographer. Contact any member of the OLY ARTS writing staff at editorial@olyarts.com.

Yvonne Joyce

Yvonne Joyce is a quilter, artist and writer recently retired to the Olympia area after many years in southern California, where she covered arts and culture for SB, Arts & Arts Southern CA, Arts Scene, the Orange County Register and other publications. Her work can be seen at the Olympia Arts Walk in 2018. Contact …

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Karen Lunde

Karen Lunde has been writing professionally since she was fifteen years old and covered high school basketball for her small-town newspaper, even though she was clueless about sports. In the late ’90s, she founded one of the first online workshops for writers, which was featured in articles about online education in The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, …

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