Tahoe Quarterly’s Winter issue came out a few weeks ago and it looks great! I wrote an article about Tahoe City artist Karey Dodge, who is reviving Lake Tahoe’s traditional art of basket weaving. Her works are beautiful, and she often incorporates unique rocks and gemstones into her creations.
For me, this article was a breakthrough as I’d taken a hiatus from writing since the birth of my fourth daughter in May. With a newborn (plus three other kids), I hadn’t been able to focus for any length of time and I’d felt like it was almost impossible for me to form, let alone write down, coherent thoughts. This article took way longer than it would have normally, but it felt so good to finally break out of the baby brain fog and be able to write again.
Because of all that, I felt even better when I got an email from Karey right after the magazine came out. It was a very sweet message thanking me for writing the story, but then she added that Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak apparently saw the article and purchased some pieces from her because of it. Writers often live in seclusion as it is, so I love getting any sort of feedback, and how cool is it that the governor is reading my stories?!
Alison O. Bender 