Santa Cruz: Then & Now is a love letter to Santa Cruz, California, where I have lived for 53 years. I was 19 years old in 1973 when I first arrived. So young, I was yearning to find my tribe-kids who questioned the mores of our elders, and relished change. Santa Cruz fit the bill. In Santa Cruz you could be “weird” and no one would notice. It’s a place where you had the grace to figure stuff out. It was here that I finally felt accepted and found my voice. Santa Cruz sustained me as I fumbled my way through adulthood.

And then in 2023 the unexpected happened and I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Even more unexpected was the outpouring of love and support my family received. My Santa Cruz community wouldn’t let me give up. It’s a truism that “it takes a village” and in my case it saved my life. I’m forever humbled and grateful.