Welcome
I’m Ann, an artist and writer in Ohio.
In addition to the Midwest, I’ve also called Appalachia, the Deep South, and the West Coast home. Work has taken me from family farms to university classrooms to corporate board rooms. In short, I’ve lived America from many perspectives.
Everything interests me, but I’m most often searching for reasons to pause in this chaotic world. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me baking, swimming, and seeking meadows filled with wildflowers.
Here at Birchbark Journal, I tuck away my artwork, essays, recommendations, and research. I commiserate. I encourage. I vent. Most of all, I care.
Read all of my posts here on the blog. Subscribe at Patreon to receive monthly newsletters recapping recent posts. Wherever you find me, the goal is to offer a quiet, relaxing space for you to consider thoughtful pieces.
What is the Birchbark Journal philosophy?
If I’ve learned anything it’s that, at heart, most of us hope for similar things in life. We need security and good health. We want to know where our next meal is coming from. We wish the best for the next generation. We yearn to love and to be loved.
Achieving these wants and needs isn’t easy for individuals, let alone a whole society. In some ways, we do need to take a step back. And, in some ways, we do need to take massive leaps forward. Mostly, though, it’s important to just breathe for a minute and appreciate where we are now, what we have, and what we share in common.
How did Birchbark Journal get its name?
The bark of birch trees was used to write manuscripts and draw pictographs as early as two thousand years ago in what is now Afghanistan. It was also a known writing and sketching surface in ancient India, Ireland, Nepal, and Russia as well as North America.
So many different cultures. So many different languages. So many different belief systems. One medium.
The service of birch trees didn’t stop with communication. Birch bark has built baskets, canoes, dwellings, and rattles. The bark, buds, and leaves continue to serve as medicine. Birch seeds also provide food for wildlife.
Why is the Birchbark Journal avatar a dog?
Well, first of all, he’s cute. He also knows both when to be silent and when to bark. This reminds me of a proverb shared by a Protestant minister with a Shawnee background: “I am kind until you give me reason not to be. Then I become fierce.”
Thank you for being here. Take what you need, and I hope you’ll come back.
With hope,
Ann