Lionel Ward: “A Virus Ate My Homework” A High-Schooler’s Experience During Times of Pandemic
The privilege of growing up in a place like Ashland isn’t lost on 18-year-old Lionel Ward. Meet this aspiring professional thespian who shares about his love of theater, inspired by living his whole life in a theater town. Learn about his favorite places and qualities of Ashland, as well as his takeaways from navigating his teenage years while on lockdown… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Cass Sinclair: “‘Celebrating Ashland’s Culture of Caring’ at the OHRA Center”
Cass Sinclair has been part of the Ashland community for nearly 30 years. Recently, she was promoted to Executive Director of OHRA (Opportunities for Housing, Resources & Assistance), a “low-barrier” Residential Shelter and Resource Center for under-served Ashland residents. In September 2021, OHRA relocated to the former Super 8 Motel property on Ashland Street… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Marko Bey: “On the Frontlines of Forest Stewardship in Times of Climate Crisis”
Lomakatsi is a Hopi Indian term meaning ‘life in balance’. Since 1995, the Ashland-based Lomakatsi Restoration Project has successfully implemented diverse and carefully designed restoration projects across thousands of acres of forests. In cooperation with a broad range of partners, their work has set precedents on nationally recognized projects. Here, Executive Director Marko Bey shares about himself and his passion… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
David Wick: “Building a Culture of Peace from the Inside Out, Beginning in Our Own Hearts “
David Wick together with his partner Irene Kai have been contributing members to the Ashland community for 19 years. And together with a team, the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission was established here in 2015. In this interview, hear about all the remarkable, visionary projects David has accomplished, locally, nationally, and internationally… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Abby Lewis: “Passion, Compassion and Service”
Abby Lewis is a 20-year resident of Ashland and has been a strong supporter of RVML since the very beginning. She is very much a walks her talk kind of person with a strong, demonstrated commitment to helping people. She’s a very involved community member and has had a hand in many different things in the Rogue Valley helping individuals and organizations… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Joyce Epstein: “Open Eyes, Open Ears, and Open Mind”
Joyce Epstein has been a very active contributor to the Ashland community for the last 33 years, which is roughly only the median age of most of us Ashlanders. When you’re just a few years shy of your 100th birthday, you’ve accumulated more life experience than the rest of us youngsters, and Joyce has a lot to share. After I asked this wise elder of our community permission to reveal her actual age and birthday here, I was curious to look up her astrological profile… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Senator Jeff Golden, Oregon State Senate, District 3
Southern Oregon public radio listeners remember hearing Jeff Golden hosting JPR’s Jefferson Exchange morning program. Television viewers have seen his Immense Possibilities programs on SOPTV. That’s a combined 17 years of local broadcasting experience under Jeff’s belt, interviewing and interacting with countless other dedicated, service-oriented people like himself. On top of his broadcasting and journalism careers, he’s been a rafting guide, a carpenter, and an author; with five nonfiction books published… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Colleen Pyke of Jefferson Public Radio: “Going for It with Abandon”
Colleen Pyke‘s friendly and charismatic voice is known to many thousands of Rogue Valley residents, emanating from radios tuned to Jefferson Public Radio over the last decade or more. She’s a 30-year broadcasting professional, starting while attending SOU in the ’80s. She graduated with a Communications Degree in 1985, and worked as a television reporter for KDRV in Medford. Then she returned to her love of public radio and JPR a few years later… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Dana Preston, Ashland Chamber of Commerce
Dana Preston has been a dedicated and passionate community leader here for decades, beginning as an “inexperienced” intern for the Ashland Chamber at age 18. Here is a woman who is following her life’s calling, and during our interview, this Ashlander reveals what an authentic and genuinely caring community servant she is, with several interesting clues about the ways she’s so well-qualified to serve us… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Satya Pinney: “Bring On the Hope!” Inspiration From a Tweenager with a Bright Vision
Meet 12-year-old Satya Pinney of Generation Alpha (people born 2010-2024). Here’s an intelligent, confident young woman, a Pisces, wise beyond her years, whose appetite for knowledge and personal growth opportunities inspires optimism when considering how this next generation is equipped to negotiate the unprecedented challenges ahead for humanity… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Sandra Slattery: “‘Minding the Community’s Businesses’- Going Above and Beyond to Help Make Ashland Special”
Established 133 years ago, the Ashland Chamber of Commerce has been a robust backbone of our community serving us in many capacities, doing things that may seem “non-traditional” for an organization of its kind. For the last 37 of those years, Sandra Slattery has served as the Executive Director. With her current staff, Dana Preston, Katharine Cato, and Dana Welsh… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Jim Teece: “Living the Ashland Dream with Fearless Imagination”
Over 30 years ago, Jim Teece and his wife Dena Matthews discovered Ashland like many of us Ashlanders did, by stumbling across it. This town has a way of attracting people who ‘belong’ here. Here in this insightful interview, Jim shares his love of business and community involvement with several anecdotes that typify the people who contribute to the great quality of life we enjoy here… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Pamala Joy: “For the Love of Service: Living with Joy; Loving Ourselves and Others”
The Ashland Food Angels is a community service organization with a long history here. For over two decades, Pamala Joy and a team of volunteers, hundreds over the years, have diligently worked to help provide food security for families. Pamala exemplifies service in all aspects of her life… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Mayor John Stromberg: “The Spirit of Ashland-
Artistry of Leadership in City Government”
Great community leadership is born from an artistry in combining disparate talents and crafting them with vision, wisdom, dedication, and hard work. In this three-part interview series, former Ashland mayor John Stromberg talks about the quality of leadership that is required to make a city great… 3 PARTS: READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Rev. Michelle Arellano: “Community Stewardship at a Soul Level”
Michelle Arellano‘s passionate commitment to healthy community building began in her early childhood. She’s an accomplished, mission-driven visionary whose articulate elevator speeches would leave you awestruck, inspired, and grateful that there are skilled women like her leading teams doing vital service in this world. Her entire career has been involved with helping children and families, with Boys and Girls Clubs regionally, and here in Ashland with Options for Helping Residents of Ashland (OHRA)… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW LISTEN TO FULL INTERVIEW
Officer Riley Gomes, Ashland Police Department: “Appreciating Every Day”
One of Ashland’s finest is also among Ashland’s newest, arriving here six years ago as a career-focused college student. At age 24, Officer Riley Gomes joined Ashland’s Police Force following his two-year stint completing SOU’s Criminal Justice Program in 2017. Lately, he’s working the night shift, managing an awkwardly odd schedule that baffles his family and friends. It’s actually a perk of the job that affords him three- and four-day weekends to spend time with them though… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Greg White, Reinholdt & O’Harra Insurance
It’s interesting to learn about Ashland from people who have lived here most of their lives, or at least 30 or 40 years. It’s seemingly rare to encounter native Ashlanders like that. Greg White is a 39-year contributor to the community here, beginning as a muscle-car-driving teenager and high school football star in the 80s, to a father of four and community leader today, serving the Almeda wildfire disaster survivors… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
Lola Zinn, RiteAid Postal Annex Manager
Many residents of South Ashland enjoy their acquaintance with Lola Zinn, but how many of us really know her? Typically, most people aren’t too excited about running errands to the post office, but here’s a special lady in our community who makes it her minute-to-minute mission to uplift the people she welcomes to her counter at the RiteAid Postal Annex… READ INTERVIEW PRINT INTERVIEW
ABOUT ROGUE VALLEY METAPHYSICAL LIBRARY
Come discover Rogue Valley Metaphysical Library and find an exceptional collection of books, audiobooks, and DVDs to borrow, purchase, or exchange.
An annual fee of $30 enables checkouts of materials on a surprising variety of fascinating, useful, and life-enriching titles. Discover things here not commonly available elsewhere. Print Application
You can also trade books on all subjects at no cost in the Media Exchange, with thousands of fiction and non-fiction titles. Membership not required.
A donor-supported nonprofit since 2002, RVML’s mission is providing easy access to information that inspires, heals, and connects, with an emphasis on solutions to the world’s critical challenges.
Enjoy a hot beverage or a healthy snack while browsing hundreds of inexpensive gift-quality items in the Bookshop. Reserve the Conference Room instantly online for up to 2-hours at no cost (Bookshop hours vary depending on the Conference Room schedule.)
In addition to the library services, RVML also produces lecture and workshop events including the annual Architects of the New Paradigm Conference Series. Watch hundreds of commercial-free videos on RVML’s Free YouTube Channel. Please Subscribe!
Aren’t you curious? Discover it for yourself at Rogue Valley Metaphysical Library in Ashland, Oregon. There’s truly something for everyone here. Watch 1-Min Video Tour
Rogue Valley Metaphysical Library & Media Exchange
1757 Ashland St., Ashland, OR 97520 (541) 552-9119
Open Daily 10-6, Closed Sun-Mon. office[at]rvml.org
CONFERENCE ROOM
Reserve instantly online at no cost.
BOOKSHOP
Hundreds of inexpensive gift-quality titles (hours vary depending on Conference Room schedule.)
LENDING LIBRARY
$30 annual fee allows unlimited checkouts of books, audiobooks & DVDs.
MEDIA EXCHANGE
Trade items on all subjects; fiction & non-fiction (membership not required.)