ABOUT US
Des N. Machen
Hi there! I’m Des—writer, food lover, and full-time fan of community, connection, and a well-timed pop culture reference.
By day, I work as an Events and Donor Relations Officer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where I get to help bring incredible theater to life in beautiful Southern Oregon. But when the lights go down and the laptop comes out, I turn to storytelling—sweet, sometimes messy love stories featuring LGBTQIA+ protagonists who navigate the big stuff: mental health, generational trauma, chosen family, and the science of being human.
When I’m not writing, I’m feeding people—literally. Cooking for the ones I love is one of my greatest joys, and I believe that sharing a meal can be its own kind of story.
I hold a certificate in Community Storytelling from The Hearth and am honored to have received a Congressional Award for community leadership. I live in Southern Oregon with my husband, our blended family of five (seven if you count our labradoodles, Freddie Mercury and Momma Cass—which, of course, we do), and more cookbooks than I’ll ever admit to owning.
Welcome to my little corner of the internet—pull up a chair, there’s always room at the table.​​​
Duncan W. Machen
I am a visual artist located in beautiful Southern Oregon. I have had a love of photography since I was a child and have a true passion for fine art photography, particularly black and white. As a child, I remember spending hours flipping through piles of old National Geographics and falling in love not only with the places I was transported to, but also with the very idea of the creative process. I knew then that I would be found behind the lens. My work has always been driven by a fascination with the overlooked, those small, silent moments and textures that most people pass by without a second glance.
The truth is, I pick up my camera with the hope of understanding the world around me. I have a few ongoing projects that explore themes of decay–a time passed, totems, or physical items that carry weight and meaning in our everyday lives, and I have just begun work to document the Oregon Shakespeare Festival with a much larger theme of documenting institutions and the significance they hold within the community. While I work in both digital and film formats, my heart truly belongs to film, specifically medium format. Each image I create is part of a broader effort to curate a collection that is thoughtful, evocative, and deeply intentional.
While my passion lies with black and white work, I also shoot events, portrait sessions, and headshots for clients, utilizing a combination of film and digital techniques. When I’m not behind the lens, I love going on creative and fun adventures with my wife, our blended family, and two endlessly entertaining labradoodles.