About this Event
Date: April 11th, 2026
Time: 4 - 6 p.m.
Location: Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts & Agriculture
Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts and Agriculture invites all community members to come and engage with our current artists in residence. During this event, the current cohort of Writers share some of their work and how their time at Pine Meadow Ranch has enriched their writing practice. This event will also include special guest Pam Houston, author of "Cowboys Are My Weakness".
The event will take place in our classroom and starts promptly at 4 PM, followed by light refreshments.
This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited so registration is required.
For ages 16 and older. Those under age 16 may attend accompanied by an adult.
About the Residents:
Leah Altman (She/They) - Vancouver, WA
Leah Altman is an Oglala Lakota writer and nonprofit executive with over 15 years of experience advancing Native-centered philanthropy, strategic planning, and cultural leadership. She has held senior roles across national and regional organizations, including serving as Development Director at the Intertribal Agriculture Council, where she built and led the first-ever development team and designed systems that supported a $16M budget. Leah has also led fundraising and communications teams at YWCA Clark County and the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, where she strengthened major gifts programs, stewarded donor relationships, and implemented grant and campaign systems that centered equity and community care. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the Institute of American Indian Arts and an MA in Book Publishing from Portland State University. Her first book, Cekpa: A Memoir in Beaded Essays, was published in November 2025 by Ooligan Press.
In her current role as Executive Director of Confluence, Leah is guiding the organization through a transformative shift from white-led to Native-led leadership. She is leading a rebranding and strategic planning process rooted in Indigenous values, strengthening partnerships with Columbia River Tribes, and expanding Confluence’s storytelling, education, and land stewardship programs. Looking ahead, she is focused on building sustainable funding systems, advancing cultural preservation projects, and ensuring Indigenous voices and ecological knowledge are carried forward for future generations.
Lyric Aquino (She/Her) - Portland, OR
Lyric Aquino is an award-winning journalist with a passion for writing about all things relating to science, the environment and Indian Country. Originally from Ohio, she is a proud citizen of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo with ancestry from Isleta Pueblo and the Jicarilla Apache Nation. She earned two bachelor’s degrees from Kent State University in anthropology and journalism. Aquino holds a master’s degree in science, health and environmental journalism from New York University. One of her passions is reporting on the intersection of traditional ecological knowledge and western science. She is currently a Report for America Corps Member and works at Underscore Native News.
Aquino is fond of multimedia reporting and experimenting with different ways she can communicate with her audiences. Her work can be found in outlets such as Grist, High Country News, Popular Science and Smithsonian Magazine.
In her spare time she can be found fawning over reptiles, geeking out over Lord of the Rings, playing boardgames with her fiancé, frolicking in fields and renaissance fairs, exploring nature and crafting.
Pam Houston (She/Her) - Crede, CO
Pam Houston is the author of the memoir Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country, the novels Contents May Have Shifted and Sight Hound, the story collections Cowboys Are My Weakness and Waltzing the Cat, and several essay collections, including Air Mail (with Amy Irvine). Her work has appeared in The O. Henry Awards, The Pushcart Prize, and Best American Short Stories of the Century, among others.
She teaches in the Low Rez MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts, is Professor of English at University of California, Davis, and co-founded the nonprofit Writing By Writers. She lives near the headwaters of the Rio Grande in Colorado.
Barbara Soulé (She/Her) - Bend, OR
Barbara Soulé (Diné) is a communications strategist and multidisciplinary creative whose work is grounded in values, storytelling, and community. With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she has a deep understanding of how thoughtful messaging, compelling visuals, and authentic narratives can support mission-driven work. Her background spans writing, graphic design, and photography.
Barbara holds a bachelor’s degree in Native American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Strategic Communication from the University of Oregon. She is a citizen of the Navajo Nation of mixed Diné and European American heritage (Tó’aheedlíinii | Bilagáana). A creative at heart, she finds joy in the creative process—whether through painting, beading, pottery, or writing. She currently serves as Chief Communications Officer for the Intertribal Agriculture Council.
Jarrette Werk (He/Him) - Portland, OR
Jarrette Werk, whose traditional name is θeih naakyaa, is an award-winning Indigenous journalist and photographer. His work centers Indigenous sovereignty, memory, and contemporary life with care, proximity, and accountability. A citizen of the Aaniiih and Nakoda Nations of the Fort Belknap Indian Community, he is a multimedia journalist with Underscore Native News and an alum of the Report for America Corps.
Werk holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada Reno's Reynolds School of Journalism. His work spans audio, documentary film, and written and visual reporting, including roles as associate producer for Nevada Public Radio’s Native Nevada Podcast and the award-winning documentary Remaining Native. A four-time Indigenous Journalism Fellow, Werk now mentors emerging Indigenous storytellers. His reporting has earned a national Hearst Journalism Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and multiple honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, Indigenous Media Awards and more.
In 2025, Werk participated in ENCODED, an unsanctioned Indigenous-led exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, intervening in the American Wing as it closed its centennial year. In 2024, he was named a Dreamstarter, supporting his forthcoming photo book documenting Indigenous life in the Pacific Northwest.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
68467 Three Creek Rd, 68467 Three Creek Road, Sisters, United States
USD 0.00
