Blog du Wren

Minor Media Mentions - Summer 2022

South Whidbey Record
July 30, 2022

This summer has been a whirlwind of juggling gigs for me such that I've barely had a chance to catch my breath, much less make a blog post. But now that things have started to slow down, I can play catch up, starting with archiving of these Minor Media Mentions.

I love seeing photos of myself in the newspaper. It aligns nicely with my "external validation" approach to happiness. This summer was a great one for that, with photos appearing in 4 of the local rags. In a future post, I'll include the actual photos, but for now, here are some low quality snaps to show context:

Anacortes American
July 13, 2022

Skagit Valley Herald
August 14, 2022

Port Townsend Leader
August 17, 2022

In addition to newspapers, I came across photos a few other places that bear capturing:

Sedro Woolley Chamber of
Commerce Membership Directory

Corporate party invite

A-town Is Our Town pamphlet

Yes, it was a super busy juggling season for me, one that had high points and lows. Getting back out there alone was not easy. I take these Minor Media Mentions as a symbol of success, albeit a small one, but sometimes that means a lot. Stay tuned for my seasonal photo wrap up, which should be a really fun one.

Thursday September 29 2022

File under: media, juggling

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Minor Media Mentions - AMPulance Tour

In my continuing Minor Media Mentions series, Della and I made it to this week's Anacortes American! The was about the recent event we did with the Anacortes Music Project where we went around to 6 different neighborhoods and did a short show (half circus, half music). The event went really well, and despite us being sorely out of performing shape*, we had a great time.

So far, 2020 is shaping up to be a pretty slow year for Della and me, juggling-wise. Almost all of our events have been cancelled or seriously scaled back. A few new gigs have trickled in (a birthday party here, a mini-celebration there), but all the biggies—festivals, library shows, fairs—are a no go. While it is hard to have the momentum of our career derailed, or at least put on hold, we know it could be worse. We're trying to use the downtime to stay practiced, rework acts, and even come up with a bit of new material. (Check out our instagram (@WrenAndDella) for the beginnings of our new chicken act!*)

In knowing 2020 is going to be so slow, it is nice to get this little nod from the local paper. And additionally, our good friend and AMAZING photographer Thadeus Hink, snapped some great shots!

Saturday June 20 2020

File under: media, juggling

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Cover Story of the Skagit Valley Herald

I've posted a number of times here on BdW about small town newspapers and the occasions I have appeared. I even have a series of posts called "Minor Media Mentions" where I capture for posterity the occasional photos or blurbs that make it to various print media outlets. This latest, however, doesn't feel like it quite fits the category "Minor". Recently, a about me and my crossword endeavors was featured on the front page of the Skagit Valley Herald.

The SVH runs the Universal crossword, which, up until this past year, was a somewhat of a throw away puzzle constructed and edited by a persona non grata. Then editorship was taken over by David Steinberg, a great editor I've worked at the Orange Country Register and the Puzzle Society. This allowed for some of my puzzles to appear in the paper, which I thought was neat, something a small town paper might be inclined to point out—"Today's crossword is by area man" or whatever. So I pitched the idea when I had a puzzle coming out. To make a long story short, this article is what came of the pitch, notably not in conjunction with one of my puzzles. In fact, it doesn't even mention having a puzzle in the SVH, which was the pitch in the first place.

I can't deny that it is nice to have a feature story about me on the front page of my town's newspaper (albeit with a less than flattering photo). It feels like a neat nod to this thing I do. It would have been great if things could have come together to have the feature run with a puzzle, but I guess you can't have it all. If you want to try some of my puzzles, I've started a bit of a resume, as it were. Here's to hoping it keeps growing.

Monday September 23 2019

File under: media, crossword

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The Real Food Show (with Minor Media Mentions)

Almost 5 years ago, I posted about a show Della was involved in that goes into elementary schools and teaches kids about healthy eating and lifestyle. As of about 2 years ago, I took over the roll of Frank* and have been busy performing in schools all over Western Washington.

The Real Food Show is a dynamic 35-minute performance that combines circus arts, food education, laughter, healthy lifestyle awareness, and fun. Della eats an apple while juggling. I ride a unicycle. Della dances* while standing on my shoulder. I balance a huge stack of protein blocks on my face. It's a really fun show.

The funding model so far has allowed schools to get the show for free through sponsorship by local area co-ops. Overall, the show has been in 75+ schools (40-ish under my tenure) and is universally well received. But we're looking to expand to communities that might not have co-ops. We're excited to be doing a PTA sponsored show soon and hope to find lots more ways to bring this important message delivered in a fun way to more students! If you have want the show to come to your kid's school or have an in anywhere that might want the show, please contact me.

A few of our recent shows have been covered in print, and as is my wont, I shall post the articles here for posterity. A big thanks to the Port Townsend Leader and the Skagit Food Co-op for the coverage, and as always, the Community Food Co-op for their initial and continued support of the show!

Friday April 19 2019

File under: media, juggling

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Minor Media Mentions - Summer Juggling 2017

I always find it a thrill to have a photo of me in a newspaper—some mix of validation, fame, and glee. This summer, it has happened a few times for various juggling events we've been a part of. I wanted to post them here as an addition to my minor media mentions series, kind of a digital scrapbook.

Firstly, to your right, we have a picture of me from the Skagit County Fair, featured on the front page of the Skagit Valley Herald. That makes 2 years in a row of making the front cover for our performances at the Fair! Hopefully that bodes well for the Fair asking us back next year to be a part!

There were also a couple of photos from the Anacortes American. The was of us at the 3rd of July celebration at the Heart of Anacortes. The was also taken at the Heart of Anacortes, but this time for a show we did for the Anacortes Library. The library show was super fun for me because many of my old high school classmates with in the audience with their kids and the show got a great response!

Later towards the end of the summer, I'll do a more inclusive Summer of Juggling wrap up post (like I did last year!) with drone video, lots of pictures, a run down of the major events we did, and more!

UPDATE: The weekly paper* arrived this morning and low and behold, who was staring right back at me? Me! Granted I didn't even get a mention in the story or even my name in the caption, but it is a pretty neat shot!

Monday August 28 2017

File under: media, juggling

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Minor Media Mentions - Anacortes Pride

Again for posterity, I submit this article from Anacortes Pride, the monthly newsletter/paper from the Anacortes School District. It was an honor to be profiled and really really fun chatting with the superintendent. The conversation ranged all over, much more than could be covered in this Q&A. The paper copy will go in my scrap book, but now it's in my digital scrapbook as well!

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