Life + Culture

Coming Full Circle

Bringing Life and End of Life Fully Into Focus Article by Lynette Confer | Photography by Natalie Stephenson In a world that often shies away from conversations about death, one nonprofit is breaking the silence – offering grief literacy, end-of-life doula training and services, and a compassionate space to normalize discussions about life’s final chapter. The Peaceful Presence Project is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “reimagine and transform the way communities talk about...

Beauty

About Face

A Clear Vision of Health and Beauty   Article by Sue Baldani | Photography by Natalie Stephenson A year after graduating college, where she majored in anthropology and minored in French, Dr. Tara Goecks traveled to Burkina Faso, West Africa, with the Peace Corps. This trip, which lasted two years, changed the trajectory of her life. “I was a health volunteer and worked in health clinics in a remote village,” she says. “There, I saw a lot of different diseases and pathology and was able to...

Arts + Culture

Oregon’s Poet Laureate

Ellen Waterston – Painting a Portrait of the Central Oregon High Desert with Words Article by Julie E. Furnas | Photography by Shadow Bear Media In recognition of women this month, Bend Lifestyle magazine was honored to spend a bit of time with Oregon Poet Laureate and high desert author, Ellen Waterston. Best known for her poetry and literary nonfiction, Waterston uses the desert as a backdrop, a character - a connection to the human narrative and the world at large. Her poetry and prose...

Life + Culture

Mother May I?

May I Please Tell You Why I Love May? Article by Sharon Maier-Kennelly High Desert Food and Farm Alliance (HDFFA) believes everyone deserves good food. At the heart of that belief is their commitment to supporting, showcasing, and elevating local producers who work so hard to bring fresh, healthy, nutritious food from their farms to our own tables. Farmers Markets! HDFFA is always excited to welcome May, a month that arrives in the High Desert with an abundance of gifts. With the arrival...