Ashley Tongol is currently the social media coordinator for UC Davis Student Affairs and Communications where she manages their social media platforms and collaborates on all aspects of content creation. She graduated from UC Davis in summer of 2021 where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema & Digital Media, as well as a minor in English and a minor in Global Studies with an emphasis in “Asian Culture Portrayed Through Artistic Mediums.” Following graduation, she worked with UC Davis Athletics as a Digital Media Fellow for two years. 

Margaret Shakespeare writes about archaeology, agriculture, design, hospitality, baseball, music, wildlife, the environment, cultural history, remote destinations and more — often entwining several of her interests to tell compelling stories. Her work has been published by The New York Times, Wine and Spirits, Discover, Wildlife Conservation, Opera News, leading university alumni magazines and many other national consumer and trade publications. She is a long-time contributor to Landscape Architecture Magazine and the author of several books. Her passport has been stamped at over a hundred foreign borders. She lives in New York City and on the North Fork of Long Island in a quirky 200-year-old farmhouse.

Melissa LuVisi is a writer, entrepreneur and advocate. She is the recipient of the 2022 Sacramento Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business award and is highlighted in Crunchbase’s 2023 list of Influential Women in Sales Melissa regularly writes and is quoted as an expert in top publications, contributing to conversations around the arts, business, women, and healthcare tech. Her strategic contributions helped secure the receipt of the Inc. 5000 2022 & 2023 awards. She helped develop the Sustainable Life Project, a nonprofit for transitioning foster youth, and sits on the board of De Colores Art, a nonprofit serving neurodiverse artists and students. 

Andrew Rose is a writer and educator who lives in Natomas with his wife Cecy. His work has appeared in the San Jose Mercury News, Modesto Bee, Citrus Heights Messenger and other publications. In addition he has written “Where does a clown go?” a book on his experiences as a circus performer.

James Stout is a journalist and former bike racer whose work has appeared in The Nation, National Geographic, and Mother Jones. 

Becki Robins is a California native who loves exploring her state’s hidden places, and occasionally the more obvious places, too. She usually drags semi-reluctant kids along, which makes for endlessly interesting experiences. Her favorite writing combines science with history, travel, and humor. She lives in California’s gold country, where natural beauty, history, and the local people are a constant source of creative inspiration.

Miranda Culp (she/her) grew up in Los Angeles among artists, booksellers, actors, and teachers. She got her B.A. in radical thought from Goddard College in Vermont and enjoyed her salad days in the Bay Area working at bookstores by day and singing in dive bars by night. She authored a short story collection entitled “The Brunt” and a local history book called ”Becoming the City of Citrus Heights.” Miranda co-owns Amatoria Fine Art Books in Sacramento, and she’d like to thank you for not shopping at scamazon. 

Owen Racer is a freelance journalist who has traversed a multitude of the country’s regions on varying beats. His reporting is currently focused on mental health. owenracer.com​

Christina MacIntosh grew up in Brooklyn, studied Creative Writing and Earth Systems at Stanford, and has reported on San Francisco for Mission Local. christinamacintosh.com​

Linda Childers is a California native and freelance writer. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Shondaland, The Cut, The California Health Report, and many other national media outlets.