Write Up The Coast – Step-In! Stories

FOG Design+Art — Voices from the Floor

Live from FOG Design+Art Fort Mason Center, San Francisco — January 2026 For two days, I roved the halls of FOG Design+Art with a microphone — listening. Artists. Gallerists. Collectors. First-time visitors. A security guard. Conversations at the bar. Reflections between booths. This episode is a mosaic of those voices. Not commentary about the fair — but the feeling inside it. The risk, the pressure, the beauty, the curiosity, and the quiet exchanges that happen in the spaces between. Recorded live. Produced and edited after. Write Up The Coast — bringing people back to people, one voice at a time. for more information on Write-Up-The-Coast visit writeupthecoast.com or email writeupthecoast@gmail.com

Staying Present: A Conversation with Lynn Hershman Leeson

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

Step-In: New Year’s at The Sea Ranch Lodge

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

A Tribute to Claudia Altman Siegel

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

What You Need to Know Now: A Health Care Update with Vanessa Ignacio

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