In this episode, I sit down with Lynn Hershman Leeson, an Art:21 honoree, for a conversation that moves well beyond a traditional art interview.

Recorded live in the studio, the discussion unfolds naturally—guided less by chronology or critical frameworks than by curiosity and presence. We talk about memory, identity, personas, technology, resilience, recognition, and the long arc of a creative life, allowing the conversation to follow its own course rather than a prepared agenda.

This is not a survey of work or a career retrospective, but a listening-forward exchange shaped by reflection and lived experience. A reminder that some conversations are most meaningful when they remain open, unforced, and attentive to what emerges in the moment.

Recorded live in Lynn Hershman Leeson’s studio., San Francisco, CA
Hosted, recorded, and produced by Mark Sanford Gross.

for more information on Write-Up-The-Coast visit writeupthecoast.com or email writeupthecoast@gmail.com

On New Year’s Day—the first day of 2026—Write Up the Coast set up the Step-In Story Booth at The Sea Ranch Lodge, on the rugged northern edge of California’s Sonoma Coast.

Set at the entrance to the Lodge, the booth drew people in by curiosity rather than invitation. Some were gently nudged to step in; others arrived entirely on their own. One at a time, they recorded a two-to-three-minute, stream-of-consciousness response to a simple New Year’s prompt, offered just before entering:

What is something you’re leaving behind, and what is something you’re taking with you?

There was no preparation and no performance. Each person spoke in their own voice, in the moment, without names. Those voices were later woven together in this podcast—just a moment of sharing, held in sound.

Credits
Music: Still Blue Quartet
stillbluequartet.com

Produced by Mark Sanford Gross
Gualala, California

Write Up the Coast — Step-In Story
writeupthecoast.com
writeupthecoast@gmail.com

for more information on Write-Up-The-Coast visit writeupthecoast.com or email writeupthecoast@gmail.com

This episode is a tribute to Claudia Altman Siegel, recorded live on the night of the gallery’s closing celebration at Altman Siegel in San Francisco on November 20th, 2025.

Amid the noise of the evening, a quiet space was carved out. Through the Step-In Story Booth, voices stepped in to speak — offering reflections, stories, and sentiments shaped by years of shared attention, conversation, and care. The voices are left unnamed, not to obscure identity, but to center listening.

The episode begins with Claudia alone, before the room filled, and ends with her again — laughing.

Produced by Mark Sanford Gross for Write Up the Coast.

This is not an ending but a listening

for more information on Write-Up-The-Coast visit writeupthecoast.com or email writeupthecoast@gmail.com

A straightforward conversation with Vanessa Ignacio, founder of Ignacio Health Services here on the Mendonoma Coast. In this no-frills episode, we talk honestly about the urgency of understanding your health-care options for 2026, what decisions need to be made now, and how to stay focused in a system that can feel overwhelming.

Vanessa breaks down the essentials—what to watch for, what to prepare, and how to navigate your coverage—with the clarity and calm guidance our community depends on. And while this conversation is rooted in the needs of our local Mendonoma community, Vanessa’s words of wisdom and practical direction apply to anyone, anywhere, trying to make sense of their health-care choices.

This is clear, practical information for all of us—delivered simply, directly, and without frills.

If you find this episode helpful, please share it with a neighbor or friend.
Our community stays strong when we pass knowledge forward.

for more information on Write-Up-The-Coast visit writeupthecoast.com or email writeupthecoast@gmail.com

This premiere episode of Write Up The Coast Writers begins with a simple idea: what happens when people pause—just for a moment—and follow the nudge to say something from the heart?

Fifteen voices from around the world responded to the prompt “The thank-you that lingers.”
No overthinking. No polishing. Just two minutes, a spark, and whatever rose to the surface.

You’ll hear reflections from Hong Kong to Budapest to California. Some speak in their own voices; others are read by volunteer storytellers. Together, they form a tapestry of gratitude—casual, reflective, mysterious, and deeply human.

This project is part of the broader Write Up The Coast mission: keeping people connected through storytelling, one prompt and one voice at a time.

Thank you for listening. And thank you to every contributor whose words linger long after they’re spoken.

for more information on Write-Up-The-Coast visit writeupthecoast.com or email writeupthecoast@gmail.com

Step-In! set up just outside Surf Market, where Sonoma and Mendocino counties meet on the Mendonoma Coast in Northern California — a place you won’t find clearly marked on any map.

On the hinge between Halloween, Daylight Savings, and Election Day, random voices of community stepped into the booth to reflect on light and dark, time shifting, and change.

These are their voices. This is Step-In!

Thank you to Surf Market, the Independent Coast Observer and all the voices for coming together for this episode.

for more information on Write-Up-The-Coast visit writeupthecoast.com or email writeupthecoast@gmail.com

Step-In! begins its journey at the Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco — a space already alive with creativity, dialogue, and attentive listening. Inside this installation by artists Lenka Clayton, Nanci Amaka, and Katherine Vetne, visitors stepped into the Story Booth, one by one, and shared whatever rose to the surface in the moment. No script. No rehearsal. Just presence — a voice, a breath, a thought caught in real time.

This first episode captures the spirit of Step-In!: spontaneous story-sharing as a gentle act of community-making. These recordings were gathered live at the gallery and will become part of a growing sound tapestry of everyday voices — weaving together strangers, place, memory, and the courage of “showing up” with our words.

One voice at a time. One community taking shape.
Music by max b.
For more about Step-In! and upcoming pop-ups, visit writeupthecoast.com

for more information on Write-Up-The-Coast visit writeupthecoast.com or email writeupthecoast@gmail.com

Date: October 22, 2025
Recorded live inside The Record in Point Arena, this Step-In! episode invites locals to pause between aisles and share their stories, blending everyday moments with honest reflection.

Thank you to Paul, Kim, and Mak at The Record — located at 265 Main Street in Point Arena — for opening both their space and their spirit to the very first Step-In! gathering held there.

And thank you to everyone who stepped inside the booth, hesitated for a breath, and then chose to speak from where they truly were in the moment. These October-season nudges opened the door to memories, fears, childhood shadows, playful ghosts, and quiet truths — the kinds of stories that sit just beneath the surface until someone gently invites them forward. All spoken out alone in a small booth on-the-spot in the middle of a crowd and all the noise.

In your quiet moment, how would you respond to one of the nudges?

This episode was produced and hosted by Mark Sanford Gross.

music by max beldner

for more information on Write-Up-The-Coast visit writeupthecoast.com or email writeupthecoast@gmail.com