journalism portfolio
Awards + achievements
University of Utah EPIC Awards, 1st place “Best Article” 2019
SLUG Magazine Contributor Limelight, Issue 348, Print, December 2017
Ride of Passage: A First-Timer’s Trip Across Scotland
Bikepacking.com
For a long time, setting off on a bikepacking trip felt unattainable for Lizz Corrigan. That is, until she decided she was done letting a lack of gear and experience hold her back and traveled to Scotland to ride a 220-mile route with her partner Ben. She shares some reflections on her first trip here, along with some advice on how to get started.
Photo: Lizz Corrigan
Photo: Kelly Loutzenheiser
Van Life: When the Madias Met Winter
Wasatch Magazine
When they first bought their big orange Ford van, Briana and Keith Madia hadn’t initially planned on actually living in it. The van, Bertha, was meant to be an adventure-mobile to haul their camping and climbing gear to and from Salt Lake City to the southern Utah desert regions. In no time, Bertha became home, but not without some stark realizations, like winter. Bertha isn’t a Sprinter, she’s just plain old Bertha—no AC, old heater, a whole lot of windows, and little insulation. From frozen gear to frozen faces, Bri and Keith have laughed and roughed their way through some of the coldest moments of their lives. Bri detailed some of their lessons learned while enduring Utah winters in the van, both as city slickers and desert dwellers.
Food: Nature’s Greatest Partnership
Wasatch Magazine
How do you connect with the outdoors? Your likely answer is probably through activities like hiking, camping, skiing, climbing, and biking. But have you ever considered that the connection to the outdoors could be made through the food you eat?
Photo: Kelly Loutzenheiser
Photo: Eric Walle
CLIF Bar & Company: Combating Climate Change with Live Concerts in the Snowbird Aerial Tram
slug magazine
"From the mountainside to the voting booth, CLIF Bar & Company has set out to save the world. CLIF GreenNotes (CGN), a program of CLIF Bar & Company, recently launched a mini concert series inside the Snowbird aerial tram called Frontside Sessions—a music-drive campaign to tackle one of the most pressing issues of our time: climate change."
Track History, Tell Stories: Michael McLane on Literature, the Environment and Social Justice.
slug magazine
"In the heart of Ken Sanders Rare Books, past the weathered manuscripts and “Hayduke Lives!” T-shirts, sat poet, author and editor Michael McLane. The Downtown antiquarian bookshop is a historical and cultural epicenter and, since McLane’s undergraduate career, “the most important part of my literary education,” he says. McLane engaged with filmmakers, historians, polygamists and, of course, Ken Sanders, the “incredible storyteller” and friend of Edward Abbey. McLane’s time with Sanders propelled his fascination with the Intermountain West, though he didn’t discover his literary relationships with Utah’s wild and cultural landscapes until after he attempted parting with them."
Photo: Photo: LmSorenson.net, SLUG Mag
Photo: Gilbert Cisneros, SLUG Mag
The Handmade Tale of the Great Salt Lake Guitar Co.
slug magazine
"Reo bought the business from his father about two years ago—Ken refused to sell to anyone else. “These buildings are lifelong projects,” says Reo. “I’ve been working on this building since I was 8 years old. I love this building.” The main focus of the shop is the same, and after Reo remodeled the space, he saw a spike in business. Unfortunately, Ken passed before Reo began the remodel, but Jan from Bee Hardware “stopped in [the shop] a couple weeks ago,” says Reo. “He got teary-eyed, seeing what this place has turned into.” Jan was so excited that he started telling old stories, like how “the town sheriff was standing here drunk, and his gun fired and almost shot his foot off.” Reo pulls back the rug, exposing a rugged bullet hole in the dark, antiqued hardwood floor."
Localized: Harold Henry
slug magazine
"The band brings a diverse triad of influences. From Old Crow Medicine Show to Nirvana to Wu Tang Clan and everything in between, Hansen is uncertain where his music-listening habits translate into music-making. He generalizes both as being part of “a medium of music that is inter-generationally passed down.” Darland has core influences like Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Junkyard Dog and Nazareth, who were “great melodic bands who just grabbed you,” says Darland, an idea for which Pearson advocates: “I don’t want to be background music,” she says. “I want to enthrall and draw everyone in.”
Photo: LmSorenson.net, SLUG Mag
Photo: Talyn Sherer, SLUG Mag
The Shortest Girl at the Tallest Man on Earth
slug magazine
"Matsson is definitely a treat to see live, even though “seeing” was really mostly just “listening” because it seems that all the tallest men on earth showed up, though I did see frames of Matsson swimming side to side across the stage, with his fish-strap hangin’ his guitar around his neck..."
Tom Kenny: The Voice of SpongeBob is No Square
slug magazine
"[Kenney] describes voice-acting as timeless and ageless, something he could do until he dies of old age—“In the earlier years, under wigs and beards, that’s where I was the happiest: being unrecognizable,” he says. “Voice-acting is that times the nth degree. You can play any character you can sound like as long as you are easy to work with and are versatile. For me, it represents a huge freedom—being freed from your body and your age and your gender.” Whether Kenny plays kids, women, monsters or robots, he fills their roles, and fills our hearts."
Photo credit, Google Images
Photo: Scott Frederick, SLUG Mag
The Brewing of John Bolton & Salt Lake Roasting Co.
slug magazine
Bolton started roasting in a Sandy warehouse in October 1983, and then opened Salt Lake Roasting Company’s first retail shop in the building where Stoneground is now. Bolton’s passion for roasting coffee began in an age when it was a rebellious act to drink coffee in Salt Lake City, which actually helped his business. “I had an enviable monopoly—I had no competition in quality coffee. The business grew rapidly and well, and I’m very grateful for that.”
ROHA Brewing Project: Trailblazing Saisons & Single Track
slug magazine
The morning sun poured signs of summer into the small taproom through the floor-to-ceiling windows the Saturday morning after RoHa Brewing Project’s opening night. I sat at the bar with the three partners of RoHa, Chris Haas, Rob Phillips and Josh Stern. I felt immediately comfortable in the uncluttered taproom, decorated throughout by RoHa’s geometric green-tree logo. We settled in by discussing the differences between the Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead Pandora stations, shamelessly enjoying the signature Back Porch Pale Ale at 9:30 a.m.
Photo: Talyn Sherer, SLUG Mag