Lisa Morton is a screenwriter, author of non-fiction books, Bram Stoker Award-winning prose writer, and Halloween expert whose work was described by the American Library Association’s Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror as “consistently dark, unsettling, and frightening.” She has published four novels, 150 s

It is often assumed that in order to try something new, you must be an expert. For some, the thought of trying something new elicits feelings of inadequacy, and lacking specific skills becomes a barrier. Journaling is an endeavor where outside judgment has no role in the process.

Recently, California has suffered extreme heat and forest fires. As of October 5, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported that the number of acres burned during the 2020 fire season has exceeded 4 million. Unfortunately, fire season is far from over.

In celebration of Octavia E. Butler’s birthday this year, the Octavia Lab began making coloring pages to celebrate lesser-known heroes in California. As lab staff, we were deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and inspired by the call to action from the Black Lives Movement.