Nick got his formal writing education in college through a history and education degree, two degrees that required him to write a lot about dead people who made important decisions at one point in time. While he is thankful for that education, he’s delighted to write about something other than passed philosophers, national figureheads or “Differentiating the Classroom environment.” He writes the Drink Local piece for the Messenger by day, and bartends at a local joint in Medford by night. (No doubt doing some Research and Development.) When he’s not making (or drinking) fresh cocktails, he spends his time writing his own work, which can be found at writingbynick.com along with his annual Christmas Card.

Stephanie Raffelock is an overly caffeinated, type-A personality, and novelist on the verge. A graduate of Naropa University’s program in Creative Writing and Poetics, Stephanie worked an internship at The Boulder Daily Camera and has penned articles for The Aspen Times, Quilters Magazine, Care2.com and Nexus Magazine. She currently writes a bi-monthly column for SixtyandMe.com, and is a regular contributor to The Rogue Valley Messenger.

Find out more: on her website stephanieraffelock.com; on Facebook: @StephanieRaffelock; on Twitter: @Sraffelock.

Photo Credit: Tina Bolling