I’m the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, Girl Waits with Gun, and The Tree Collectors. My books have sold over a million copies worldwide and been translated into 18 languages.
I’ve appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition and Fresh Air, as well as CBS Sunday Morning, Good Morning America, the PBS documentary The Botany of Desire, and–believe it or not– TLC’s Cake Boss. (The cake was delicious.) I’ve won a a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, the American Horticulture Society’s Book Award, and an International Association of Culinary Professionals Food Writing Award.
I’ve also been a painter and drawer of pictures for over twenty years. I teach both writing and art classes online right here. I live in Portland, OR with my husband Scott Brown, a rare book dealer who has his own Substack right here.
A few years ago, I declared myself the artist in residence of my neighborhood park.
That was a transformational, joyful experience. You can read about it here.
Now I send out a free newsletter filled with ideas, observations, and inspiration that you can use to create your own self-appointed artist residency.
I’ll also send you hand-illustrated stories, brimming with obscure research, unexpected digressions, and the good stuff that gets left on the cutting room floor.
I often recommend a book, a movie, or a podcast. I answer your questions about writing, books, art, or really anything you’d like to ask.
Supporters take a deeper dive.
For the price of just a pencil or two, you can join a community of artists who are learning to draw and paint! And some of us are working together on our own unofficial artist-in-residence projects
We’re exploring the idea of being the artist in residence of your world, through:
Video art lessons
Art supply reviews & recommendations
Tips & tricks for starting and sustaining an unofficial artist-in-residence
Live Zoom classes
Bringing in other elements, like writing and collage
Giveaways
If you finish a self-appointed artist residency, I’ll publish it here on Substack so you can share it with the world!
Here’s a free preview of the kind of thing you’ll see if you’re a subscriber.
This is for everyone! Beginners welcome! Also, there’s no such thing as talent. Drawing and painting are technical skills. Anyone can learn how. Join us! Try it out for a month and see what you think. I hope to see you there.
