The arts have always been a part of Sarah Greenman. As a child, this painter, playwright, and activist spent hours with her maternal grandmother, a watercolorist in a small attic studio. Her grandfather built the sacred room, because he knew it was important for his wife to have space of her own. That tradition has continued, with Greenman now having a studio behind her own home in Oregon. Its name is “The Little Shed That Could” and it is a place for Greenman to spread out, get messy and experiment. Growing up in California, Greenman spent a lot of time active with the local community theater. Both of her parents were involved with directing, scriptwriting and performing. Her paternal grandmother even lent her seamstress skills to designing their costumes. Having caught the acting bug, Greenman went on to graduate from the Pacific Conservatory Theater (PCPA). While serving as interim Director of Outreach and Education at PCPA, she fell in love with her partner, Jack, an accomplished actor and voice dialect coach. The couple relocated to Dallas, where Jack worked at a local university. Greenman frequently contributed to the home tour site Houzz.com and also worked on her lifestyle blog, La Maison Boheme, which focuses on modern bohemianism and art. Painter Together she and Jack are raising two sons, Walker and Charlie. Charlie lives with a host of special needs that stem from an pediatric stroke and Craniosynostosis. During his early years, Greenman took up painting, because it was something she could do with Charlie in a …

Growing up Jess Rinker didn’t realize “writer” was a job title. It wasn’t until reading Harry Potter that she understood her love for jotting down stories could become a career. Daria Peoples-Riley tossed her first self-portrait into the kitchen trash can. Luckily her mother rescued the piece, which today hangs in Peoples-Riley’s parents’ living room. Although they hadn’t planned artistic careers, both women found their calling. Together they have released a new picture book for children titled Gloria Takes a Stand. The Author Jess Rinker The picture book is a spirited look at Gloria Steinem’s influential life. Rinker first found Steinem’s work during her 20s. She had married young, graduated college, and given birth to all three of her children by age 28. Often working minimal part-time jobs, Rinker spent the rest of her time caring for the young family. She loved being almost exclusively home, but did not nurture her own dreams. That all changed with a writing course. Not only did Rinker begin pursuing a career she loved, she also realized remaining in her first marriage was no longer possible. “Something clicked in that writing class and there was no turning back,” Rinker said. “Not only do I now have a writing career, I remarried and have an even larger family to love. In college my social group considered feminism a negative word and through association I didn’t think much about Gloria. Then I began reading her work and obviously my perspective changed. Her commitment to really listening to others and having the conversations we’d rather avoid is something …