Meet Our Coaches
Welcome to The Narrative Project, where we believe YOUR story matters and we are committed to giving you everything you need to get your book into the world.
I’m Cami Ostman, the founder of The Narrative Project and your Chief Story Warrior. When I published my first book, Second Wind: One Woman’s Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, something interesting happened: the actual process of writing the book changed the way I thought of myself. As I wrote words like: “No one needed to give me permission to celebrate myself…I had my own internal locus of celebration,” they became true. In fact while I was writing, I found myself repeatedly asking, “What do I wish to be true about my main character (me) in this chapter?” And as I composed my manuscript, I discovered that I was able to inhabit the words I was writing.
Words are powerful. We CREATE our identities with words. We tell our truths with words. As we write, we become!
Our passion at The Narrative Project is to support YOU in writing your book so you can experience your own transformation.
I hold a B.Ed. in English from Western Washington University and an M. S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Seattle Pacific University. In addition to my memoir, Second Wind, I’m the co-editor of Beyond Belief: The Secret Lives of Women in Extreme Religions, a contributor to Adventures Northwest and to my own blog, 7marathons7continents.com. I’m also one of the founders of Red Wheelbarrow Writers, a community of writers in Western Washington and a blogger for psychologtoday.com. I’ve been profiled in Fitness Magazine and my books have been reviewed in O Magazine, The Atlantic, and Washington Post.
I have assembled a team of equally qualified writing coaches who partner with our writers to help them do the most honest writing of their lives. Through weekly classes, one-on-one support, and tailored, honest feedback, we specialize in helping authors “figure out what they really have to say.”
We work with you to bring your best work into the world, always keeping in mind that ultimately, we’re all authoring our own lives!
Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor
Her poetry chapbook, Pause Mid-Flight, was released in 2010. Her poetry and essay collection Dancing Between Bamboo Poles was released in 2019 and is available on her website: rebeccamabanglomayor.com. Rebecca received her MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University in 2012. Currently she is working on a contemporary fantasy novel.
Anneliese (Anni) Kamola
Wendy Welch
Wendy Welch is the author of The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap, Fall or Fly (about fostercare and the opioid crisis) and a forthcoming book on COVID-19 conspiracy theories from McFarland Press. She edited Public Health in Appalachia, From the Front Lines (a collection of healthcare providers talking about substance use disorder patients) and a forthcoming book about Appalachian doctors and nurses during the corona virus pandemic from Swallow Press. Welch lives in Virginia where she directs a medical education consortium. She enjoys crocheting, playing the harp, and swimming.
Nancy Canyon
Nancy Canyon is published in True Stories II, Memory into Memoir, A Raven Chronicle Anthology: Take a Stand Art Against Hate, Water~Stone Review, Fourth Genre, Floating Bridge Review, Able Muse, For the Love of Orcas Anthology, and more. With Pacific Lutheran University’s MFA in Creative Writing and University of Washington’s fiction certificate, she teaches writing for Chuckanut Writers and coaches writers at The Narrative Project. Nancy won Chanticleer Review’s Cygnus Award for Paranormal Fiction for the forthcoming novel “Celia’s Heaven.” Her memoir manuscript “Struck” is a finalist in Chanticleer Review’s 2019 Journey Award for Narrative Non-fiction. Her story “Holy Spirit Delivers” is a finalist for Scribes Valley 2019 Short Story Contest. Her poetry book “Saltwater” is available at villagebooks.com. Nancy also works as a visual artist in her Morgan Block Artist Studio in Historic Fairhaven. She lives in Bellingham, Washington, with her husband Ron Pattern. More at nancycanyon.com and facebook.com/canyonwriter.
Colleen Haggerty
Colleen Haggerty is an author, coach, speaker, facilitator, and trainer. As a Story Warrior for The Narrative Project, Colleen delights in creating community for and giving support to writers who have committed to writing their books. She brings a discerning eye and a probing, curious mind to the writing process, supporting writers to express what they really want to say. Colleen’s memoir, A Leg to Stand On, An Amputee’s Walk into Motherhood, was published by She Writes Press. She has personal essays published in numerous anthologies. As a Soul Tender, Colleen supports people to access their Soul selves and Soul needs through creative practices and compassionate self-witnessing. You can watch her TEDx talk, access her writings, and check out her events here at colleenhaggety.com.
Laurel Leigh
With in-house book publishing credentials as well as fifteen years as a freelance editor for clients in the US and Sweden, Laurel Leigh’s skills as a structural editor and script doctor are highly sought by multiple publishers, producers, and individual authors. She has acted as project manager for numerous titles published by Chronicle Books, including Family Spirit with William Grant & Sons (Glenfiddich) and The Seven Stars Cookbook with Caesar’s Entertainment, which received a Gourmand World Cookbook Award. Recent editing projects for Dallas, Texas–based BenBella Books include the hit titles Up in Arms by American Pain author John Temple; The Menendez Murders by journalist Robert Rand; and Baby, Don’t Hurt Me by former Saturday Night Live star Chris Kattan.
Both her memoir and fiction have been featured in the acclaimed magazine The Sun among other publications. For her creative contributions and service to the writing community in Bellingham, Washington—including helping to found the popular Chuckanut Writers Conference—she received a Mayor’s Arts Award.
Laurel Leigh holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism from Gonzaga University. She has taught writing classes since 2005 and is delighted to be on the team of The Narrative Project as the Next Chapter coach. www.LaurelLeighWriter.com
Dana Tye Rally
Dana Tye Rally (danatyerally.com) is an author, coach, editor, magazine writer, and formerly, an award-winning newspaper reporter. She is currently working with non-fiction writers to support them in finishing their dream book projects. Dana has taken part in two successive nine-month programs through The Narrative Project toward completing her memoir-in-progress, “Lessons in Reverse.”
Dana is published in True Stories, Volume II, and in numerous women’s and trade magazines. Through Cami Ostman and The Narrative Project, she has encountered a warm, resilient community that offers ongoing support for writers and their publishing goals. As a writing coach, she is passionate about giving writers the tools and inspiration they need to stay committed and to flourish.
Dana loves her blended and extended families, her pug Fin, her wonderful friends, reading, travel, yoga, cooking, chocolate, whimsical adventures, acts of courage, dry humor, and being immersed in the creative process.
Jeanne Rawdin
Jeanne is also a Kriyaban member of the Self-Realization Fellowship based in Encinitas, California, and is currently studying Reiki. She and her pug, Henry, enjoy long walks on the beach. Henry is also the main character in a children’s book Jeanne recently wrote. You can reach her at rawdinjeanne@gmail.com.
Betsy Graziani Fasbinder
In addition to her own stories, Betsy delights in helping others write and tell their own lived and imagined stories, both as a writing coach and a speaking coach. She features the stories of others on her weekly podcast, The Morning Glory Project: Stories of Determination.
Sabine Sloley
She lives in outdoorsy Bellingham, WA where, when she’s not editing or writing, she’s hiking, kayaking, or sailing (or baking plant-based cookies or looking for good stories on Netflix or negotiating for the armchair with Zaney, the psycho-cat). Her latest outdoor love-affair is crewing on a 1924 tall ship, the Schooner Zodiac. She’s inordinately fond of the serial comma, the em-dash, and her hard copy of the Chicago Manual of Style, and she is very excited to be a part of the Narrative Project. (editor.sabinesloley.com)
Devon Fredericksen
Devon Fredericksen is the author of How to Camp in the Woods (Black Dog & Leventhal, 2019) and coauthor of 50 Classic Day Hikes of the Eastern Sierra (K. Daniels Publishing, 2013). She also contributed to Navigating With or Without a Compass (Black Dog & Leventhal, 2019) and Green Fire (Huxley College of the Environment, 2010). Her journalistic credits include pieces in High Country News, Guernica, Yes!, Indian Country Today, Meatpaper, Food Safety News, and Eastside Magazine. Her writing focuses on the intersection between food, nature, and people. She earned bachelor’s degrees in environmental journalism and Spanish from Western Washington University. Devon has held multiple roles within the book publishing industry for more than a decade, first as a bookseller for Spellbinder Books, then for eight years as a senior book development editor for Girl Friday Productions (GFP). At GFP, she helped a diverse range of publishers and independent authors position their books strategically in the competitive publishing landscape.
Isabel Castro
Isabel Castro is TNP’s Client Care Specialist. In this role, she blends her love for people, writing, spreadsheets, and creative problem solving to support TNP writers. As a graduate of the Get Your Book Done program and a current member of the Next Chapter, Isabel understands the frequent needs that arise in the program, and is available to help authors on their writing journeys.
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