A few years ago when at our family cabin in Ocean Park, dear neighbor Sandy dropped by, gifting us a copy of the Coast Weekend with an article about my then new book Humanity's Grace. While I had seen the article online, I had not yet realized the news source was a printed weekly magazine. … Continue reading A Map of Her Own: Circling Back
It never fails. Just when I'm unsure I have another blog in me, a new inspiration floats in. Today it is a memory about a set of glass goblets, and the Oregonian's front page story celebrating 175 years since its birth. Today's Oregonian article celebrates the anniversary of the first printing of the Oregonian. That … Continue reading From Newspapers to Glass Goblets: Creatively Weaving Fact into Story
This October of 2025 has been a big month. In addition to my usual October Celebrations like my birthday (this year 64) and wedding anniversary (37!), I published a book (my sixth). Too, although recently claiming retirement, I agreed to present a keynote and session at an early October industrial hygiene conference. I too struggle … Continue reading Take a Breath
UPDATED: As of Wed., October 22 A Map of Her Own is now readily available on Amazon for the retail price of $16.95. Find it here. That being said, you can still find it under the other book buying options listed below. It's a good thing this wasn’t my first or second, or perhaps even … Continue reading A Map of Her Own: Testing My Limits
Keynote talk at the 2023 ASSP WISE (Women in Safety Excellence) event at Oregon Governor's Occupational Safety and Health Conference. My mom was a bit younger than I am now when she retired from her adjunct faculty position at Marylhurst. It was a difficult choice as she loved what she did, but an autoimmune illness … Continue reading Embracing Retirement: A Journey of Growth and Mentorship
In May 2014, two months before Dad died, my parents joined me as I presented a talk at OHSU on behalf of Oregon's Safety Break for our Institute's science seminar. It was a day to advocate for workplace safety, and I created a slide deck with images purchased from John Klatt, founder of Old Oregon … Continue reading Grieving the Loss, Embracing the Launch: My Parents’ Impact on My Writing
Hawaiian women pack pineapple into cans, November 20, 1928. View in National Archives Catalog When I began graduate school in 1984 at the University of Washington School of Public Health, I thought I wanted to work in water quality. Yet that first quarter (Tony Horstman and Mike Morgan's) industrial hygiene class opened my eyes. I learned … Continue reading The Fight for Workers’ Rights: A Labor Day Reflection meets “A Map of Her Own”
Maybe there’s a pattern or maybe it’s happenstance. After I published my first memoir, I felt for the first time in adulthood that I could write a novel. Allowing myself to tell my own story in My Music Man, fed by memories of my past and stories lived by others, invited my brain to be … Continue reading A Map of Her Own: Navigating Dual Timelines in Fiction
Dede's Books and blog 