Ashland author examines the unseen impact of military service on families

Ashland author examines the unseen impact of military service on families

Molly Best Tinsley is an Ashland-based winner of the Oregon Book award. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0d43f48/2147483647/strip/false/crop/600x480+0+0/resize/600x480!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb0%2F2a%2F4a6392ee4ad8a722149667496b96%2Fmollyt.PNG]Molly Best Tinsley is an Ashland-based winner of the Oregon Book award. (https://shop.sibyllinepress.com/products/a-modest-trumpet-fanfare-a-novel ) In "A Modest Trumpet Fanfare [https://shop.sibyllinepress.com/products/a-modest-trumpet-fanfare-a-novel]," Ashland author Molly Best Tinsley [https://shop.sibyllinepress.com/pages/author/molly-best-tinsley] explores the emotional costs of military life beyond the battlefield, arguing that while service members go to war, "families serve too." Tinsley draws on a lifetime shaped by military culture. A self-described "Air Force brat," she grew up in occupied Japan and Germany before spending two decades teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy. She left academia, in what she describes as a "fit of sanity," to write full-time. The novel examines how military culture can shape family life long after the uniforms come off. Tinsley said the mindset of conflict — of always "having an enemy" — can extend into the home and influence relationships. She recalls a childhood marked by frequent moves, where home was packed into boxes every few years and putting down roots was nearly impossible. Her family, she said, became a "mini fortress" governed by the unspoken rule that "nothing went outside the family." Her father, an Air Force meteorologist, often reinforced military hierarchy at home, telling the family, "I'm the boss in this family." Tinsley said those experiences also taught her that public appearances often concealed private struggles. "You put your best foot forward," she said. "But it was always a performance. That's the game." "A Modest Trumpet Fanfare" is the latest novel by Molly Best Tinsley. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8b92511/2147483647/strip/false/crop/560x862+0+0/resize/343x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F14%2F4a%2F9ad28c4541468fd57c529788e6ba%2Fa-modest-trumpet-fanfare.png]"A Modest Trumpet Fanfare" is the latest novel by Molly Best Tinsley. (https://shop.sibyllinepress.com/products/a-modest-trumpet-fanfare-a-novel ) Now living in Ashland, Tinsley said she sees fiction as a way to explore experiences that resist simple explanations. She uses her writing to examine family, memory and identity. "Narrative is an instrument for making truths concrete," she said. She also encourages writers to prioritize imagination over branding and metrics, arguing that publishing has become increasingly focused on measurable results. Through "A Modest Trumpet Fanfare," she hopes readers gain a better understanding of the millions of children whose lives are shaped by military service, even when they never wear the uniform themselves. GUEST * Molly Best Tinsley, author, A Modest Trumpet Fanfare

The underground schools that shaped Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement

Author Elaine Weiss. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/30e259b/2147483647/strip/false/crop/683x546+0+0/resize/660x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7c%2F3e%2F0633008847ad8eadcaca537b85d2%2Felaine-weiss.jpg]Author Elaine Weiss.(Nina Subin / Courtesy of Simon & Schuster) A network of grassroots classrooms helped shape the modern civil rights movement, training ordinary people to register voters, challenge segregation and claim basic rights in hostile conditions. The effort grew out of the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee, whose model inspired the first Citizenship School founded by Gullah community members on South Carolina’s Sea Islands. From that modest start, hundreds of Citizenship Schools spread across 11 Southern states, equipping Black Americans with literacy, leadership skills and the confidence to assert their rights despite threats from officials, media institutions, business leaders and vigilantes. Participants and organizers — Black Americans alongside white allies — faced intimidation and violence, and some paid with their lives. Yet the movement’s lessons carried forward across generations, influencing ongoing struggles for racial justice. Journalist and author laine Weiss explores this history in her book "Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Spell-Freedom/Elaine-Weiss/9781668002698]." The account highlights lesser-known figures whose organizing helped propel leaders such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Diane Nash and Ella Baker. Weiss also traces the roots of the anthem “We Shall Overcome,” linking its spread to Highlander and the Citizenship School network that sustained the movement. GUEST * Elaine Weiss, journalist and author

‘The Curse of Hester Gardens’ explores trauma and gun violence

Tamika Thompson is a journalist and author of the gothic horror novel, 'The Curse of Hester Gardens.' [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d6aaecd/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1162x867+0+0/resize/708x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6b%2F1f%2Fd47689344e4dafe34c20127aafdb%2Ftamika-thompson-author-the-curse-of-hester-gardens.png]Tamika Thompson is a journalist and author of the gothic horror novel, 'The Curse of Hester Gardens.' (https://www.tamikathompson.com/) Tamika Thompson’s debut novel, "The Curse of Hester Gardens [https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781645663195/the-curse-of-hester-gardens/]," explores Gothic horror that swaps traditional haunted mansions for the concrete corridors of a public housing project. Thompson will discuss the book at Bloomsbury Books in Ashland on Thursday, April 30, from 7 to 8 p.m. The story follows Nona McKinley, a mother navigating a supernatural curse and gun violence. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/316a6ee/2147483647/strip/false/crop/591x857+0+0/resize/364x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F34%2F61%2Ffb8a545849b8b1045d6150f9a3b4%2Fbook-the-curse-of-hester-gardens-by-tamika-thompson.png](https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781645663195/the-curse-of-hester-gardens/ ) Thompson draws on her personal and professional experiences. She grew up in a high-crime neighborhood in Detroit, where her uncle was killed in a shooting, and she survived an attempted carjacking. Her work as a journalist also informed the novel, including research into youth violence that she described as “horrific.” "Gun violence in America is an epidemic and a public health crisis," said Thompson. "It's the leading cause of death for young people in this country." In the novel, the curse functions as a metaphor for generational trauma and institutional neglect. While strange events haunt the residents of Hester Gardens, Thompson suggests the deeper harm is systemic. “The only ghost here is poverty,” the book states. Thompson also questions how readers interpret the setting. Set in the fictional Medford, Michigan, the story portrays threats that extend beyond the supernatural to failing institutions. A local hospital is nicknamed “Deadford,” and a megachurch draws resources from residents while enriching its leadership. "There are no human villains in this book," Thompson said. Instead, the novel points to broader systems that shape how young boys transformed by trauma into what society labels "criminals." She said she hopes the novel prompts a broader conversation about safety, equity and how communities are treated and helps readers to move beyond stereotypes to see the humanity in every character, from the grieving mother to the gang leader. “I want readers to really ask themselves what kind of country we want to have," Thompson said. "Do we want all communities to be safe? Do we want all of our children to be safe?" GUEST * Tamika Thompson [https://www.tamikathompson.com/], author, "The Curse of Hester Gardens [https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781645663195/the-curse-of-hester-gardens/]"

What Portland's ranked choice voting system could mean for Southern Oregon

FILE - Ballots are prepared for recounting in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, in Augusta, Maine. A group of Oregon county clerks opposes ranked-choice voting in primary and general elections of candidates running for statewide and federal offices. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9131bf4/2147483647/strip/false/crop/767x511+0+0/resize/767x511!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F01%2F1f%2F3702f0304e008d561ecb19e9bd1a%2Franked-choice-voting-ap.jpeg]FILE - Ballots are prepared for recounting in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, in Augusta, Maine. A group of Oregon county clerks opposes ranked-choice voting in primary and general elections of candidates running for statewide and federal offices.(Robert F. Bukaty / AP ) Supporters of proportional ranked choice voting say many of the country's political divisions stem not just from ideology, but from the structure of elections themselves. That idea is the focus of a free screening Saturday in Ashland of the 2025 documentary "American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies," hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Rogue Valley. The film compares Northern Ireland's electoral reforms with Portland's recently adopted proportional ranked choice voting system, arguing that different election rules can produce broader representation and reduce polarization. Under ranked choice voting, voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than selecting just one. If a voter's first-choice candidate is eliminated, their vote transfers to their next-ranked candidate. "Sell the brownies, not the recipe," said Babara Klein, vice president of the League of Women Voters of Oregon. [https://www.lwvor.org/] Klein said advocates believe the conversation should focus on what ranked choice voting could achieve rather than the technical details of how ballots are counted. "We want better elections. We want room for moderates. We want no spoiler effect, less negative campaigning, and of course, better representation of the voter," she said. "That's key." Klein said proportional ranked choice voting extends that concept to elections where multiple seats are filled at once, giving more groups of voters an opportunity to win representation. Klein said candidates in ranked choice voting systems sometimes campaign together, asking voters to rank one candidate first and another second. She said that creates incentives to speak positively about other candidates rather than attack them. Klein also said the current winner-take-all system can leave many voters feeling their voices don't matter, particularly in places where one party consistently dominates elections. She said proportional representation could encourage more people to vote by giving more voters a meaningful opportunity to help elect candidates who reflect their views. The League of Women Voters says its advocacy is not aimed at changing the political makeup of any particular community. "We want a bigger voice for everybody," Klein said. EVENT * A free screening of "American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfbN2yVF7cY]" begins at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at the Ashland Public Library. A question-and-answer session with Klein will follow the film. GUEST * Barbara Klein, vice president, League of Women Voters Oregon

How Southern Oregon volunteers raise life-changing service dogs

A young child wearing blue glasses lies on the grass beside a golden retriever service dog wearing a working harness [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/86344fe/2147483647/strip/false/crop/3072x2048+0+0/resize/792x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7b%2Fcb%2Fa64d17ff483facab8ba01a102cda%2Fmichael-26-bailey.jpg]A boy poses with his Canine Angels service dog. The Southern Oregon nonprofit trains service dogs for children and young adults with disabilities and is seeking volunteer puppy raisers. ( Courtesy of Canine Angels) Canine Angels [https://canine-angels.org/] is helping children and young adults with disabilities gain greater independence through specially trained service dogs — and the Southern Oregon nonprofit is looking for more volunteers to help raise its next generation of puppies. Based in Grants Pass, Canine Angels trains service dogs for children, teens and young adults, a population founder and lead trainer Sandy Mays said is often underserved by larger assistance dog organizations. The nonprofit has graduated about 120 service dogs since its founding and typically has about 20 puppies living with volunteer raisers while another 15 undergo advanced training. Mays said adolescence can be an especially challenging time for young people with disabilities, who are seeking more independence but may still rely on parents for everyday tasks. "A service dog can help them open doors, pick up dropped items, turn on lights and get help when they need it," she said. The dogs also give parents greater confidence that their child has support when they begin spending more time on their own. Five dogs wearing Canine Angels service dog vests pose outdoors on and around a wooden bench. The dogs represent several breeds and breed mixes used in the organization's training program. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0ce7c31/2147483647/strip/false/crop/866x680+0+0/resize/672x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd4%2Fe5%2F6d8ecd7e466bbc1cc7bf0d497c60%2Ftypes-of-dogs-used-program-credit-sandy-mays.jpeg]Canine Angels works with several breeds and breed mixes, including Labrador retriever-golden retriever crosses, goldendoodles, standard poodles and American Indian dogs. The Southern Oregon nonprofit selects dogs based on temperament and suitability for service work.(Sandy Mays / Canine Angels) The organization relies on volunteer puppy raisers, who care for dogs from about 9 weeks old until they are just over a year old. Volunteers focus on socialization, basic obedience and good manners before the dogs move to advanced training. Not every dog becomes a service dog. Some are better suited as facility dogs working in schools, hospitals or public agencies, while others enter the nonprofit's "career change" program and are adopted as highly trained companion dogs. Executive Director Kerrie Walters, who has multiple sclerosis and previously partnered with one of the organization's dogs, said seeing a puppy graduate into a working partnership makes saying goodbye worthwhile. "It's really rewarding," she said, describing graduation ceremonies where puppy raisers hand their dogs to the people whose lives they will change. GUESTS * Kerrie Walters, executive director, Canine Angels * Sandy Mays, founder and lead trainer, Canine Angels