Engagement
Engagement is by introduction or direct inquiry. Initial conversations are free and exploratory. Defined engagements operate on flat-fee or retained scope.
I read inquiries personally. Responses arrive within a week, sometimes sooner, sometimes later depending on the season of the work and the demands of the valley.
What to include
For consulting inquiries
The institution. The stakes. The timeline. The question keeping you up at night.
For convening inquiries
The date, location, audience, and the question driving the gathering. Whether you are looking for design, facilitation, or programmatic substance.
For writing and editorial inquiries
The publication or platform, the editorial frame, the word count if known, the deadline. Topics in the work: rural systems, sovereignty, firearm violence prevention, gender-based violence, landscape, motherhood, institutional reality.
For media
Your publication, the angle, your deadline. I sometimes take background-only conversations.
For speaking engagements
Event name, date, location, audience composition, and expected length. Honorarium structure if relevant. Travel from Okanogan County.
The work happens in seasons. Some weeks I read the inbox daily; some weeks I read it on the weekend. Inquiries that are urgent and time-sensitive should say so in the subject line. I treat exploratory and patient inquiries with the seriousness they deserve, in the time the work permits.