Meet Our Coaches

Amanda Stubbert

Amanda Stubbert

Operations

Every bit of Amanda’s life experience contributes to her expertise as a fearless innovator and storyteller. Her background of success in theater, psychology, improv, coaching, writing, event planning, and storytelling has created a unique innovator ready to make your manuscript shine. 

She brings her entire self to the work and encourages others to do the same. Perhaps her love of skydiving isn’t within the job description, but the awareness that the scariest part of any jump is the first step out of the plane helps her bravely take you wherever we need to go. She will help you tell the right story to motivate, energize, and mobilize your readers, then create the partnerships you need to get your book into the hands of readers.

Anneliese (Anni) Kamola

Anneliese (Anni) Kamola

Lead Coach

Anneliese (Anni) Kamola has published works in many volumes of True Stories, anthologies from The Narrative Project. Anni has written, produced, and performed one-woman dance/storytelling shows, This Is My Body (2011) and Filling the Void (2013), and a solo storytelling show, Stories of Strong Women from Around the World (2015). Anni writes on family, womanhood, spirituality, the environment, and identity, and her writing is informed by neurobiology, attachment theory, and trauma/resiliency studies. Her memoir is forthcoming. She loves to dance to dubstep, is a fan of high-quality chocolate, will challenge anyone to Blokus, and longs to return again to the highlands of Scotland. Follow her on Instagram at @anneliese_kamola_author and on anneliesekamola.com/blog.

Wendy Welch

Wendy Welch

Coach

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

Coach

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.

Dana Tye Rally

Dana Tye Rally

Coach, True Stories Editor

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 Rawdin

Coach

Jeanne Rawdin is a professional storyteller with more than twenty-five years of experience in ghost-writing, copywriting, editing, media coaching, and video producing. She’s worked as a book editor, TV producer and reporter, and freelance writer for most of her career. Her writing projects include manuscripts, blogs, websites, PR materials, newspaper and magazine articles, and social media. She also served as Media Advisor for all student-run publications at University of California San Diego. In addition to being a Writing Coach for The Narrative Project, she creates videos, scripts, bios and marketing materials for entrepreneurs and small business owners as Founder/CEO of Epic Storytelling (www.epic-storytelling.com).

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

Betsy Graziani Fasbinder

Coach

Betsy Graziani Fasbinder is a genre-jumping, thrice-published author with a novel (Fire & Water), a memoir (Filling Her Shoes), and a how-to (From Page to Stage: Inspiration, Tools, and Public Speaking Tips for Writers) to her credit. She’s garnered Gold and Bronze IPPY Awards, a Booklist Starred Review, and a collection of other blingy congratulations for her writing.

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

Sabine Sloley

Coach

Sabine Sloley’s winding career path includes chemical engineer, veterinarian, swim mom, writer, and editor, but what she loves most of all is helping people tell their stories better. Since 2012 she has been providing editing and coaching services for writers of all skill levels. She’s worked with writers to refine and polish manuscripts ranging from epic fantasy through memoir to self-help, always keeping the focus on story—the juicy marrow of any writing project. Her short fiction has been published in several anthologies, including the 17th Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition Collection. She’s currently working on a novel-length work of speculative fiction.

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)

Andrea Gabriel

Andrea Gabriel

Coach

Andrea Gabriel is an author & illustrator whose work, both for children and adults, is grounded in her love for the natural world. She has illustrated more than ten books for the children’s trade market and written several more. Her books have been published by Charlesbridge, Albert Whitman and Co., Dawn Publications, Sasquatch Books, and Arbordale. She has published for the adult market under the name A.G. Bennett. She lives in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, with her family of two and four-footed creatures, and is working on her second novel, The Cuttlefish.

Testimonials from students

"Cami’s keen instructions, insights, gentle guidance and authentic caring for my writing woke my writer up! I have more enthusiasm for my writing now and more knowledge with which to approach my projects. I am more confident and joyous in my writing thanks to Cami!”

JJ Joshua, Intuitive Coach and Self-help Author

"I was #1 in Russian Travel and I've won the Moritz Thomsen Peace Corps Experience Award for 2014! I even had the chance to do a book reading at the Kazakh Embassy in DC. My book journey is going well and Cami made that happen."

—Janet Givens, author of At Home on the Kazakh Steppe: A Peace Corps Memoir

"When I hired Cami as a developmental editor for my memoir, my manuscript felt like a massive ball of tangled yarn. With her years of experience as a therapist, Cami has a keen eye for identifying themes, motivations, and resolutions, which allowed her to masterfully pull the threads of my story out of the mess. She laid them across the arc of my book with precision. Cami helped me to produce the book I truly wanted to write.”

Colleen Haggerty, author of A Leg to Stand On

"Cami is a talented writer with a special devotion to bringing out the best in other people's work. I contributed an essay to her book, Beyond Belief, and communicated with her on developmental edits for my piece. Her direction and notes were so valuable to bringing my storytelling to greater heights, and I am impressed at the level of care and detail she showed for each of her many contributors. I highly recommend working with Cami, and I recommend her books too!"

—Erin Seaward-Hiatt, contributing author in Beyond Belief

"If it had not been for finding Cami and the Narrative Project, I would still be limping through a terrible first draft, picking at line edits. Instead, in two and a half years I have transformed the narrative of the memoir I have been dinking away at for decades. The Narrative Project has provided me with more tools than I even knew I needed. Instead of dreading the writing that goes nowhere, I am enjoying the ride, creating new possibilities and diving in to discover more ways to share with the words that are just right."

—Lora Hein

"I started with half a dozen personal essays. After eighteen months of hard work along with the smart feedback, keen eyes, and pertinent, invaluable critique from this program's leaders and members, I finally had the first draft of my memoir!"

—Renee DeMont

"I participated in the first Narrative Project program in October of 2016 after returning from a three-week solo backpack trip in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains with the specific intention of using that trip as the basis for a memoir I hoped to write. I had absolutely no idea how to start this project, but by the end of the program, I had a structure within which to write and a full  140,000-word rough draft! I can say with certainty that I would not be where I am with my memoir were it not for this well-structured and accountability-based phenomenal program."

—Kathie Tupper

"After I suffered a traumatic brain injury, I wanted to explore the experience in a memoir. I started working with Cami Ostman in her nine-month Narrative Project course, and I followed up with her Next Chapter course the following year. I wrote somewhat slowly because of my injuries, but Cami supported my work, offered numerous suggestions for getting through the draft, and gave me many tools to understand what I was trying to express and how to do it. If you have a story to tell but have not been able to get yourself started, I cannot recommend highly enough the Narrative Project program as a way to push yourself, as well as create the best possible version of your story."

—Seán Dwyer

"The Narrative Project gave me everything I needed to shape mountains of research into the book I envisioned. More importantly, I have made lifelong friends and we have continued to support each other as we bring our stories into the world."
—Anne
"Dabbling for over twenty years at writing the stories of my life with my husband and four children in Africa and Asia, I realized I did not know what I was doing when it came to writing my memoir. I attended one of Cami’s free writing workshops and committed my time and energy to her nine-month program. Cami Ostman and my critique group helped me find the threads that pulled my stories together and see myself as a writer. "
—Tori
"On a chilly September day in 2018, I entered Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park to attend a free one-day seminar held by Cami Ostman. Having never attended a writing workshop, I had preconceived notions that I would write. While I didn't write that day, the kindling within my soul was sparked and my desire to write my story ceased being a dream and began to be a reality. I joined the 9-month program and went from 0 words on the page to over 70,000. I learned about the writing process, themes, and gained new confidence in my ability to write. The best is yet to come!"
KristiLyn

"In my 18 months with the Narrative Project, I have learned that a writer doesn't write alone. TNP fosters a community of value beyond payment or description. The support is that of a healthy family, and the critique is that of an inspiring Masters program. The Narrative Project has provided me with an all-inclusive roadmap for how to live my dream as a published writer, and the confidence to get my butt in the chair."

Anni

"Over the past 50 years, I have made many attempts to write my story, but my unhealed trauma would rise whenever I tried. Cami Ostman created a safe enough space...Before I knew it, I had the beginnings of a book that I now feel I am meant to complete. This program offers the necessary support for becoming a writer who tells the truth. It's not for the faint of heart, and both requires and nurtures courage. Cami and her highly-skilled and tenderhearted coaching team do their level best to make damn sure you don't fall between the cracks."

Renee

“I’m so glad you created this program. The design of it is just so incredible and helpful. What I’m most proud of is sticking in there with this book. I’ve learned not only how to write but to be a writer.”

–Lisa Ransford, TNP Next Chapter graduate

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