Addie Seabarkrob
Rochester, Minnesota — Addie Seabarkrob is an artist, an educator, and a writer. She worked in publishing, teaching, and advertising for many years before retiring in 2018. As an artist she participated in art exhibits around the country, earning awards and recognition along the way. Now living in Rochester, she enjoys gardening, writing, painting, and drawing. In all her endeavors, collaboration is a priority – finding ways to celebrate common interests and goals. She still loves the smell of crayons. She is still a work in progress. She thanks photographer Riley Bruce at rileybruce.com for her terrific biography photo.
Editor’s Note: Addie’s beautiful European artwork in this post: watercolor and ink for media (2005). Addie was in Memoir-Writing Class #5 at 125 Live in Rochester; is currently in the M&Mers writing group; and is in the UU Reflections writing group. See “Writing Groups” tab on the black Menu Bar.
Andrea Kahler Robertson
Rochester, Minnesota — Andrea Kahler Robertson absorbed a love of nature and art from her mother and grandmother. She also loves music and plays the piano and oboe. She received her doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. She has lived in Rochester, Minnesota with her husband and two children since 2013.
Editor’s Note: Andrea was in the first 13-week memoir-writing class at 125 Live and is in the ongoing M&M writing group.
Ann Hutton
Rochester, Minnesota — Ann Hutton grew up just over the river in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Her undergraduate degrees are from UW-Eau Claire, but she considers herself a Badger having earned her Masters of Library Science from UW-Madison. She worked in libraries from 1972 until her retirement as the Executive Director of SELCO – Southeastern Libraries Cooperating, the regional library system, in 2017. She is new to the craft of creative writing and her burgeoning efforts developed during the long days of our shared Covid isolation. She is an avid knitter, always with two or three or more projects on her needles and uses her blog, Knit+ Librarian, to share details of her latest creations, as well as thoughts about her other creative outlets – gardening and reading, as well as cooking, baking and traveling.
Editor’s Note: Be sure to check out Ann’s oh-so-beautiful-and-lovely knitting blog: knitlibrarian.blog which contains knitting treasures and more.
Ann Sigford
Rochester, Minnesota — Ann Sigford is an eager learner, storyteller and writer. At university she attempted to major in every known subject, eventually taking degrees in education, wildlife management and aquatic biology. Favorite jobs include working 20 years as a naturalist and nature center director and also Ship’s Scientist on Lake Superior. She has written two books for young people and is churning away on a memoir. At the age of 40 she met Folke Arbin and made a new family with his two daughters. When the girls were independent, she followed Folke to his farm in Sweden where they lived for 15 years. There she learned to chainsaw and hunt and sing in Swedish. The daughters also found true loves and are married with one child each. She is an active grandma to a little boy in Rochester and less often with the one in Oslo, Norway. Here in Rochester she is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church, sings in the choir and loves doing manual labor on the the property that will become a new home for the church.
Editor’s Note: Ann’s article “Workhorse, Warhorse to Show Horse: Celebrating a Birthday with the Budweiser Clysdales” was published in “Today” magazine’s July 2023 issue. She was in Memoir-Writing Class #5 at 125 Live in Rochester; is currently in the M&Mers writing group; is in the UU Reflections writing group, and is in our new Storyworth class at 125 Live.
Anthony J. Mohr
Sherman Oaks, California — Anthony J. Mohr spent 26 years “on the bench” as a California Superior Court judge patiently and impatiently – as only a judge can — listening to litigants tell their stories. Now off the bench he tells his own stories from his childhood and beyond in a wide variety of publications, many times earning recognition and literary prizes. In 2023 he published some of his life stories in his book “Every Other Weekend: Coming of Age with Two Different Dads.” Reviewer Ellen Sherman applauded Tony for “ . . . having striking insights into what a child understands compared to an adult looking back.” As an active member of the writing community, Tony reaches out to writers and attends various writers’ conferences.
Barbara Puller
Twin Lakes Village Golf Club, Rathdrum, Idaho — Barbara Puller’s college years in Texas took her to Houston Space Center and from there to the moon. Her story tells the tale of being the one who transcribed, for the world, Neil Armstrong’s voice – right in her headset – as he made his famous statement stepping onto the moon: “One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” Years later in Idaho, Barbara read this story to our writing group, The Village Writers, at Twin Lakes Village Golf Club. Characteristically, she was very modest about her participation in this historical event. Her listeners? We had goosebumps. Next Barbara read this story to Memoir-Writing Class #1 at the Rathdrum Library. Again, Barbara was very modest. Her listeners? Again, we had goosebumps. That’s Barbara. The same Barbara who serves the best iced tea on her golf course patio on a hot summer day. Her iced tea formula? Add a peach-flavored teabag.
Betty J. Magnus
Hayden Lake, Idaho — Betty J. Magnus is an aspiring memoirist. Her work is known for its enduring love of nature and its many beautiful symbolic narratives. With a background in teaching, counseling, and her early life experiences of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, she brings a unique blend of poetry and expository nostalgia to her writing. Having moved from the wheatlands of Washington to the woodlands of north Idaho, Betty lives on her family property in Hayden Lake, and draws inspiration from the generational relationships with the land. Betty has produced a number of short stories and articles, receiving honorable mention. Apart from writing, she enjoys art and music, which often find their way into her writing, layering her stories with authenticity and personality. Betty’s writing journey continues to evolve with her upcoming foray into the memoirs of a young girl learning about life as a camp cook deep in the heart of Montana’s forest complex. She’s excited to share her experiences with readers who seek to honor the natural world and share in her storytelling that celebrates the beauty and edifying bounty of wilderness.
Editor’s Note: Betty was in my first 13-week memoir-writing class at the Rathdrum, Idaho library. To my great surprise, she was one of my mother’s students at Rathdrum High School many decades ago!
Carol Carryer
Rochester, Minnesota — Carol Carryer grew up in New Mexico. She has led an interesting and varied life and always had a desire to write her memoirs. She and her husband, Peter (a Rochester native) moved to Rochester in 1975 towing a car, a dog, and an 8-month-old son. Since retirement from the education field – first as a teacher, then serving on the Rochester School Board for ten years, then strategic planning with numerous school boards in various locations — she has traveled frequently with Peter, spent time at their cabin, and big blocks of time in Seattle with their son’s family including two grandchildren. She is a pretty good watercolorist and has over a dozen illustrated travel journals from her many trips.
Editor’s Note: Carol is in the Storyworth class at 125 Live in Rochester.
Carolee Nelson-Hall
Rochester, Minnesota — Carolee Nelson-Hall is a Native Minnesotan who couldn’t wait to leave the state at age 18 and then couldn’t wait to return when she was in her 40s. She has lived in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Texas. She is delighted with her 46-year marriage and five adult children. Now a retired early childhood teacher, she still loves music, dancing, and world travel. She is at the gym most mornings for endorphins, fellowship and her mental health. A large part of her life these days is spending time with family and friends. Also her quest to explore her spirituality questions needs daily attention. She has been introduced at a party as “friendly, curious, kind and a bit odd” which she feels is pretty accurate.
Editor’s Note: Carolee was in (dare I say “Finished”) the 13-week memoir-writing class at 125 Live & now is in the Storyworth class.
Cathy Meinhardt
Rochester, Minnesota — Cathy Meinhardt is a retired Special Education teacher and aspiring hobby writer. She is married to her husband Bill whom she met in Traverski Ski Club in 1975. He was a skier and she was not! Cathy has two grown children, a son Nick, who lives with his wife and toddler son, in Seattle. A daughter, Kelly, lives in Los Angeles with her girlfriend. Cathy graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, with a double major in Elementary Ed/Special Ed. She has a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in Elementary Ed. Cathy taught Special Ed K-12, in Stewartville, MN for 30+ years. She loves learning and strives to approach each day with the hope of learning something new and asking questions to achieve that goal. The love of her life is currently Graham Donald, her toddler grandson who lives too, too far away. Her joy is watching him grow, develop, and learn on FaceTime visits, or better yet, in the flesh at family gatherings.
Editor’s Note: Cathy was in Memoir-Writing class #5 at 125 Live and is in the Storyworth class at 125 Live.
Chuck Walker
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho — Chuck Walker‘s values were set in childhood and polished at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, graduating in the Class of ’53. Its core values, including honor, courage, and commitment, have defined his life: sea duty after graduation; a business career holding prominent executive positions with top-tiered companies in industrial automation; and a loving family life with children, grandchildren, his late wife Dana, his partner-in-life Sue Skerrett, and their extended families.
Editor’s Note: Chuck and Sue were in Memoir-Writing Class #1 at the Rathdrum, Idaho Library. Great stories; lovely people.
Curt Mortenson
Rochester, Minnesota — Curt Mortenson is an eighty-four-year-old community college English instructor retiree from Rochester, Minnesota. He and his wife Jean reside in a senior apartment co-op, where Jane Iddings, our blogster, leads a group of residents interested in memoir writing. Curt is immensely proud of his Danish-Norwegian heritage and will tell stories of his North Dakota experiences to anyone willing to listen or read his stories.
Editor’s Note: Curt’s daughters gave him a subscription to the online memoir-writing program called Storyworth. He finished his stories; they were printed by Storyworth into a hardbound book; and our writing group, The Ridge Writers, then had a “Book Celebration” party for him.
Debi Neville
Rochester, Minnesota – Debi Neville lived most of her life in Spring Valley, then transplanted 24 years ago to Rochester. She’s written poems and plays all her life. In fact, she’s written nine plays which have all been performed. Having received a prestigious McKnight grant, she wrote a play that was recorded and shown on public television KSMQ. Debi started Brave Community Theatre fifty-two years ago in Spring Valley. It is the oldest, self-supporting community theatre in Minnesota. She has directed over a hundred plays for community theatre and schools. She also hosted a Writers’ Festival. In addition to her theatre career, she had a lengthy career in real estate. Debi returned to school as a “non-traditional” student earning a degree in mass communications. She had the opportunity to freelance and has written for the Post Bulletin and numerous magazines. Currently she is a writer for TODAY magazine and Backstage Bulletin for Rochester Civic Theatre. She’s also a member of SEMN poetry writers group and is a co-facilitator with Jane Iddings of UU Reflections, a Unitarian Universalist writers’ group.
Elizabeth Forwood
Rochester, Minnesota – Elizabeth Forwood is an enthusiastic and passionate writer, travel-lover, foodie, amateur photographer, budding ceramic artist, and a recovering Type-A personality. Elizabeth grew up all over the world thanks to her parents’ military careers, but she considers Washington State her true home. After earning a degree in international studies from the University of Idaho and a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University, Elizabeth worked in the non-profit sector in the Washington, D.C. metro area for ten years before life took an unexpected turn, and she decided to become a full-time mom. Nowadays, she resides in Rochester, Minnesota, with her husband, David, and their two amazing kids, Emma and Ian.
Editor’s Note: Elizabeth was in the Memoir-Writing Class #4 at 125 Live in Rochester and is the Zoom Master for the continuing M&Mers writing group. See “Writing Groups” tab on the black Menu Bar.
Jane Iddings
Rochester, Minnesota — Jane Iddings loves to write and to facilitate groups of writers. This is her volunteer work in retirement. She first started writing as a California attorney translating legalese into understandable English. She was a columnist for the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff; wrote briefly for the Sequim Gazette on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula; and contributed several articles to the Post Bulletin in Rochester, Minnesota. Husband Ken and Jane have lived everywhere from South Africa to Hawaii. At different times they lived full time aboard sailboats on the East Coast sailing between Penobscot Bay, Maine, and Key West, Florida, as well as traveling around the U.S. and Canada with an Airstream trailer. Along the way Jane started several writing groups and, most significantly, created a 13-week memoir-writing class that she facilitated six times! She’s now moving her memoir-writing facilitating to an online process called Storyworth. Jane also facilitates several other writing groups. She loves to encourage writers and is so excited to share their writings on her blog. Jane also has plenty of her own stories to share. She, husband Ken, and Kitty the Cat happily live in Rochester, Minnesota, which they insist is their last home. No more moves!
Jean Mortenson
Rochester, Minnesota — Jean Mortenson is a “70-ish” woman with varied interests. Her childhood was blessed with growing up on a North Dakota wheat farm where hard work and love of the land were dominant. Being a retired Mayo Clinic clinical dietitian, she aims to practice activities that maintain a healthy lifestyle. She will promote any aspect of making a comfortable and inviting home including cooking, baking, decorating, tablesetting, sewing, gardening, hospitality, organizing space. A guiding force in her life is her Christian faith which means participation in worship, Bible study, sewing projects for needy citizens, seeking social justice and equality, and promoting music of the church. She loves classical music, her Norwegian heritage, reading historical fiction, and socializing with friends. She is the wife of a retired English teacher, a mother of two gifted daughters, grandmother of three handsome grandsons, and mother-in-law of an extraordinary son-in-law.
Editor’s Note: Jean is in the Fairway Ridge “Ridge Writers” group.
Jim Brown
Rathdrum, Idaho — Jim Brown’s decades as a civil trial attorney prepared him to write a legal thriller “The Third Wrong” and its sequel “The Anniversary” (available on Amazon under the pen name Enoch James). His gift for writing prepared him to write his book “Jeannie: 54 Years and 10 days are not long enough” that its cover calls “The Life of My Love” (also available on Amazon as author James Brown). In writing this love story about his wife Jeannie, Jim had the support of his long-standing writing group, The Red Inkers. Toward the end he also had the support of the Village Writers, a writing group at Twin Lakes Village in Rathdrum, Idaho. The Village Writers had the honor of hearing Jim read from the book’s final chapter “Hospice” the excerpt posted on this blog.
Keek Mensing
Sedona, Arizona – Keek Mensing has taken many roads less traveled leaving Cannon Falls, Minnesota, to spend her senior high school year aboard a sailing ship on the Mediterranean Sea; leaning into Buddhism at The Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado; bicycling across the United States; guiding hiking tours up and down the Grand Canyon and beside the ‘gators in the Florida Everglades; livin’ and lovin’ life in an RV at America’s most beautiful places; being a journalist, a therapist, a Hospice administrator, a nature lover extraordinaire . . . well, she’s just about done it all in this one lifetime. She tops it off with her animal communication or animal psychic skills that she wrote about in her 2008 book “The Way I Hear Them: Stories of an Animal Communicator.”
Editor’s Note: Keek at Horseshoe Bend, Arizona.
Linda Hanson
Rochester, Minnesota — My father worked for the international airline PanAmerican. Because of that, I was privileged to live in Japan, Haiti, and Puerto Rico, as well as the Seattle/Tacoma area during my growing up years. I married a North Dakota farm boy and, for most of our thirty year marriage, I was privileged to live and raise my family on a farm in northeast North Dakota. My husband died in 1999 and, in the year 2000, I moved to Zumbrota, Minnesota and worked at the Pine Island school. I went back to college and got my degree and teaching license, a lifelong dream finally achieved at the age of fifty-five. I moved to Rochester after I found a job at the Rochester Center for Autism. I was privileged to spend the next eleven years giving one-on-one play therapy to children with autism. Since then I have been enjoying my retirement immensely. Just recently I sold the house I have loved, the very first house I have ever owned, and moved into a senior living cooperative, Realife, which I also love. I have compiled several personal essays into a book for my children and grandchildren. It is now finished. I have had my share of hard times, but all in all, I believe that I have been richly blessed.
Editor’s Note: Linda was in the first 13-week memoir-writing class at 125 Live and has been a foundational member of the ongoing M&M (Memoirists & More) writers’ group.
Margo Stich
Rochester, Minnesota – Margo Stich’s parents moved from New Jersey to Minnesota when she was 11-years old. Thereafter, annual summer drives east fostered her love for long-distance road trips. Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, fostered her passion for the seacoast. Prior to becoming a “stay-at-home parent,” she worked in cancer and immunology research at Mayo Clinic. “Motherhood” added volunteering in a diverse number of areas. When Rochester Women Magazine (RWM) launched in 2000, she was asked to join the staff. Responsibilities included assistant editor, covering food and wine articles and more for some 14 years. Overlapping this, for 2 ½ years she oversaw a study for ACS which looked at how patients responded to treatment away from their own homes. That was SO rewarding! These days her interests include reading, writing, cross-stitching, trying new recipes, food and wine pairing, and volunteering.
Editor’s Note: Margo is in UU Reflections, the writers group at First UU of Rochester.
Martin R. Lara aka Carlos, the Chicano Cat
Cottonwood, Arizona – “As with many cats in his generation, particularly those hailing from San Francisco’s Mission District, Carlos grew up on the streets. He attended school, sure, but his real education came from comic books read in his uncle’s attic, and from truths learned on street corners and in gravel parking lots turned ballfields. Like furry gymnasts he and his fellow felines would spring aboard flatbeds, four-legged hobos riding the asphalt because they could. Because they were young and alive.
Carlos got nabbed for joy riding. The judge said, “Join the Military or go to jail.” So, Carlos joined the Air Force to see the world, and because he thought it would be better than making signs in a prison-yard. But instead of going to Europe or Vietnam, they stuck him guarding Minuteman missile silos in North Dakota. Carlos took his DD-214 and got himself a desk job near a fireplace. Studied Kajukenbo and met Bruce Lee. He dated a girl to keep her from getting mixed up with his slimebag friend . . . and fell in love.
He found God. Took night classes. Had two kittens of his own. Discovered the joys of home. Carlos kept taking classes – acquiring degrees like properties on a Monopoly board. Four master’s degrees in all. He went to the seminary to save souls, but discovered he was a heretic, believing that while God may have many whiskers, he/she/they/it takes many forms. At the local community college, Carlos taught humanities, writing, and comparative religion.”
Editor’s Note: This bio is an abbreviated version of the bio written by Marty’s son, Dan Lara, that is included in Marty’s book “Carlos, the Chicano Cat” found on Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/carlosthecat
Looks like Dan is talented just like his father. Marty and his wife Linda were in my 13-week memoir-writing class in Cottonwood, Arizona in 2020.
Monica Taylor
Rochester, Minnesota — Monica Taylor and husband Lewis enjoy living their retirement years in Rochester where they are within two hours of their four children and five grandchildren. They live in the senior apartment co-op where Jane Iddings, our blogster, first introduced Monica to memoir writing at its writing group, The Ridge Writers. She later joined Jane at a 125 Live memoir-writing class. Monica has written a book capturing stories written by her father and his siblings about their experiences after the death of their father: the separation of the family with the children in an orphanage, and their mother and a newborn sibling in the county poor house; the Great Depression; and WW II. Monica says despite all the hardships, it all ended well. She used the Storyworth online process to write and publish her book.
Rev. Luke Stevens-Royer
Rochester, Minnesota – Rev. Luke Stevens-Royer has been the Minister of the First UU (Unitarian Universalist) Church of Rochester since 2017. Prior to this post, he served as Associate Minister of the White Bear UU Church in Mahtomedi, Minnesota, and before that as Young Adult Religious Educator at the Unity Church-Unitarian in Saint Paul. Rev. Luke prepared for the ministry at the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in Saint Paul and was ordained in 2012. On the road Rev. Luke takes his family on vacations to enjoy Mother Nature, and takes his congregants on pilgrimages to UU’s spiritual home in the Boston area to enrich and inform their lives.
Richard Wolfgramm
Lanesboro, Minnesota – Richard Wolfgramm was raised in Elm Grove, a small town just west of Milwaukee. In the 1950s, Elm Grove was reminiscent of Lanesboro where he now lives. Two major events took him away from Wisconsin. The first was his service as a U.S. Army Green Beret during the war in Vietnam. Having read “All Quiet on the Western Front” as a teenager, he thought he might someday write about his war experiences. However, after returning stateside, he realized he had absolutely no idea how to write. Fast forward to 2006. When he moved to Lanesboro he learned recreational writing, not classroom-type writing as in college, but fun writing, perhaps more along the line of his favorite author, Garrison Keillor. Once he learned how to enjoy writing, the words started flowing. He submits writings to The Root River Current, an e-magazine, and his own (whimsical) blog: Travels with Austen (his dog). The other event that took Richard away from Wisconsin was for study as a professional architect at the University of Minnesota. This led to many Twin Cities projects including working for one of three firms designing the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis and his design for the Quaker Meeting House in St. Paul. He says he has happy, successful kids and grandkids. A good life indeed.
Stephanie Evans Hanson
Rochester, Minnesota — Stephanie Evans Hanson’s first documented writing is a story about the Tooth Fairy meeting Santa Claus (loosely based on true events since she lost a tooth on Christmas Eve when she was 6). Creative writing has been her longest hobby and passion, with much of her education dedicated to growing her skills and expanding her perspective. She has participated in various writing workshops and showcases, became editor of her high school yearbook and newspaper, as well as editor of her undergrad’s literary magazine. She graduated with a BA in English Literature. Along with writing, she is dedicated to public service and advocating for justice. After years of working in various non-profits and coffee shops, she decided to receive her Masters in Professional School Counseling in 2017. Two weeks after marrying her partner, Dan, they moved to Minnesota for Stephanie to start her graduate program. She has been an Elementary School Counselor since 2019, an active member of First UU of Rochester since 2020, and a loving dog mom to Ruby since 2021.
Steve Hill
San Juan Islands of Washington State — Steve Hill has been an artist forever, or as he puts it, “Since the day I picked up my first pencils and crayons.” That was to lead to a professional artist’s life living in the magical islands west of Seattle – a natural habitat for a talented, nature-loving painter, who had the beauty of the islands as his canvas. His canvas expanded beyond the Islands to Cuba and Europe, where he has often painted and led other artists on painting tours. Steve’s enormous talents have been richly rewarded with 65 top awards in major juried fine art competitions worldwide since 2003; his work resides in three art museums, many private and corporate collections, and has been published in several notable art magazines and books; he has exhibited in major art venues such as Florence, Italy, and New York City; in 2018 he was voted into the prestigious Salmagundi Club, America’s oldest and most prestigious art organization founded in 1871 in NYC. He considers his biggest honor was winning the annual purchase award from the Superintendent of Zion National Park in 2015, putting his painting into the Park’s permanent collection. Steve is clearly a somebody in the art world. See his website windsweptstudios.com
Editor’s Note: Steve and I were in the 1965 graduating class of Borah High School in Boise, Idaho. After attending Boise State University, he earned his MFA (Masters in Fine Art) in painting from Washington State University in Pullman.