Our guest for this Thanksgiving Day episode is the choreographer, dancer, arts advocate and potter Suzanne Ostersmith.

Up until a few months ago, Suzanne was the chair of Gonzaga University's dance program — a program that she herself founded.

She retired in May after 25 years at the university, but she certainly hasn't been idle since then.

For one, she's been a multifaceted creative force behind Gonzaga's upcoming production of Thumbelina. The original story ballet is based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale and will include young dancers from local studios.

Suzanne also currently serves as co-chair of the Spokane Arts Commission, and on top of that, she's been cultivating a pottery practice. She talks about all those different strings in her bow and shares some insight into how Thumbelina first came about.

Thanks to this episode’s sponsor, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, and a special shout-out to local artist and arts educator Carrie Scozzaro for helping to support the podcast.