Something Rather Than Nothing

Holly Campbell is a life-long, self-taught artist born and raised in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Primarily using acrylic, ink, and watercolor, her work is often described as whimsical - with a focus on feminine energies, body positivity, and "dream-scapes". 

Since 2016, she has worn a multitude of different hats as an artist. She has spent many hours volunteering for local art organizations such as the Corvallis Arts Center, the Corvallis Arts Walk and Chintimini Wildlife Center. These connections eventually led Holly to join a co-op gallery named Voices (now called The Nest). Voices is where Holly really stepped into her identity as an artist and collaborator. Between designing/painting two downtown murals with the group and founding Voices' annual young artist exhibit, Holly met her friend/business partner, Sharon.  

Holly and Sharon joined forces in 2017 to open The Hold Studio and that partnership kept The Hold running for almost three years before Covid changed their trajectory. The Hold has since closed its physical location, but Holly and Sharon still run their gallery virtually. In the meantime, Holly has found solace in painting and collaborating from her home studio and you can often find her work on display at local restaurants, shops and, of course, on Instagram (@hollycampbellart). 

https://www.hollycampbellart.com/

Ben Westhoff is an award-winning investigative journalist who writes about culture, drugs, and poverty. His books are taught around the country and have been translated into languages all over the world.

His new book Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic is the highly-acclaimed, bombshell first book about fentanyl, which is causing the worst drug crisis in American history. It has received glowing reviews and was included on many year-end best lists. Westhoff was interviewed about the book for Fresh Air and Joe Rogan, and published an excerpt in The Atlantic. Since the book’s publication, Westhoff has advised top government officials on the fentanyl crisis, including from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the U.S. embassy in Beijing, and the U.S. State Department.

His previous book Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap is one of the best-selling hip-hop books of all time. It received raves from Rolling Stone and People, and a starred review in Kirkus. S. Leigh Savidge, Academy Award nominee and co-writer of Straight Outta Compton said it "may be the best book ever written about the hip hop world."

Westhoff's work has appeared in the Library of Congress, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Playboy, Vice, Oxford American, Pitchfork, and others. He's been honored by the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Entertainment Journalism Awards, Religion Newswriters Association, Best Music Writing, Best of Southern Food Writing, L.A. Press Club, and the Missouri Press Association.

He has been interviewed as an expert commentator for CNN, BET, A&E, and ITV, and is the former L.A. Weekly music editor and Voice Media Group Senior music editor. He's a contributor to the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap, and his 2011 book on southern hip-hop, Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop was a Library Journal best seller.

https://www.benwesthoff.com/

Alicia Angel is a New York City based songwriter, singer, visual artist, and activist. She has co-written over 35 songs for Emmy nominated and award winning hit preschool shows including Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer" and "Dora and Friends: Into the City" as well as songs for “Sesame Street,” Sesame Studios, and Universal Kids’ “Snug’s House.” She has written songs for artists in China and Taiwan via Universal Music Publishing Group, including the song “Girls” performed by Rainie Yang and Cyndi Wang. 

 Alicia's paintings have been exhibited in NYC art galleries. She’s used her music and art to raise awareness of, and money for, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, Myasthenia Gravis, and COVID-19. 

Jakub Ferencik is a philosopher and an author. Ferencik's new book 'Up in the Air: Christianity, Atheism & the Global Problems of the 21st Century' formed the basis for our critical discussion.

You will enjoy this deeper dive into philosophy and the inquiry into our present difficulties in connecting humans to productive, up-building discourse. Jakub and I dig into space/time, art, epistemology, argument, rationality, Calvinism, atheism, agnosticism and Christianity and much more . . . 

S.A. Lawrence-Welch  (she/her/hers|they/them/theirs) 

S.A. is a Métis / Néhiyaw (Plains Cree) Indigenous Advocate, Organizer, Speaker, Activist, Artist & Writer. 

Their main focus of work has been on the lasting damage the Residential School System, Indian Boarding Schools & The 60’s Scoop left on First Nations people. They are an advocate for community gathering and cultural connection as a form of healing trauma. S.A.’s goal is to see Indigenous representation and leadership in historically and presently non-Indigenous spaces.

https://www.instagram.com/lawrencewelchnw/

HARDLINERAY makes smart, high energy art of a noticeably singular and unique hand. Ray is of noteworthy talent. I loved doing this episode. To learn about Ray check out these words from his Folks Press (Portland) feature:

"When all is said and done, however, what keeps Ray sane is comics. Comics, comics, comics. In part, the sanity comes from being skilled. A fellow illustrator had this to say about Ray from Chi City. 'Even though I've seen a lot people do comics—that was like my first love—you can tell when somebody has a unique angle. Even in a very common job—some people do backgrounds, some do ink, some do coloring—you can tell when someone is just trying to do their own thing. That's what caught my attention about Ray.'" 

https://www.instagram.com/hardlineray/

DIRTY PRINCESS is a mischievous alchemy of Francesca, Mikayla , and Jewlz

These women appear as a dark obscurity that rose into the spotlight in early 2018.

Dirty Princess have encapsulated crowds with fuzz guitars, banshee-like vocals, and stand up drums. Their music is a field of energy you can feel starting at your toes and ending in the tips of your hairs.

Wild and Alive rock n' roll will NEVER die!!!

https://www.instagram.com/pcp3k/

DIRTY PRINCESS is a mischievous alchemy of Francesca, Mikayla , and Jewlz

These women appear as a dark obscurity that rose into the spotlight in early 2018.

Dirty Princess have encapsulated crowds with fuzz guitars, banshee-like vocals, and stand up drums. Their music is a field of energy you can feel starting at your toes and ending in the tips of your hairs.

Wild and Alive rock n' roll will NEVER die!!!

Claire Peaceful Deer Lady Zwicker is an Anishinaabe woman from Lake Simcoe Territory / Williams Treaty Territory in Ontario, Canada. 

"I am currently writing my thesis for my Masters of Education around Indigenous Survival, Revitalization & Self-Determination. I am a big advocate for Indigenous Youth and believe they are the future. I am also a beginning educator and have worked in Vietnam, my home community, and will be working at a First Nations school in the city. 

Beadwork and art have been my medicine and I love sharing it with the world and our youth as it was something I did not learn until I was an adult."

https://www.instagram.com/peacefuldeerlady/

Claire Peaceful Deer Lady Zwicker is an Anishinaabe woman from Lake Simcoe Territory / Williams Treaty Territory in Ontario, Canada.

"I am currently writing my thesis for my Masters of Education around Indigenous Survival, Revitalization & Self-Determination. I am a big advocate for Indigenous Youth and believe they are the future. I am also a beginning educator and have worked in Vietnam, my home community, and will be working at a First Nations school in the city. 

Beadwork and art have been my medicine and I love sharing it with the world and our youth as it was something I did not learn until I was an adult."