CONTRIBUTORS

Jane Benefield

…has spent her life in nontraditional jobs for women and she wonders why they are called that. She wanted to be a librarian in the 1970s but found out promotional opportunities and higher pay were afforded men not women. The only job a woman cannot do, she says without irony, is donate sperm. Email: janebenefield@cox.net

RYAN P. CRUZ

…was born and raised in Santa Barbara, and covers a wide range of local topics for Santa Barbara Independent and Coastal View News, including food, sports, local news, city government, music, arts and culture. Email: ryan.p.cruz@gmail.com

Matt Dayka

…spent the better part of his 16 years as a commercial photographer in near perpetual motion around the globe. While the pandemic put an abrupt end to that, he has enjoyed spending more time rooted with friends and family up and down the Central Coast.

Instagram: @mattdayka

Bryn Fox

…has been growing her roots in Carpinteria since 2007. When not working her day job, she can be found running and hiking local trails, baking up a gluten-free storm, running from surf break to soccer field with her three kids, and volunteering for AYSO. Email: bryn.e.fox@gmail.com

Ingrid Bostrom

…is perpetually squinting through her lens at faces and happenings throughout Santa Barbara County. She tends to emphasize light, levity, and open space as a beacon for a brighter and more hopeful world. She travels with minimal equipment and big aspirations. Instagram: @ingridbostromphotography

Glenn Dubock

…found that after a rewarding 40-year career in marketing and photojournalism, his plan to retire was derailed by the ever-present beauty of the area. Glenn started Dubockgallery.com, which became the space where lovers of all things Carpinteria come to see what’s new in Glenn’s lens. Email: dubock@cox.net

Peter Dugr

…has been using his colorful vocabulary to entertain and educate since he was just yea high. These days he relies on his wordsmithing to run Carpinteria-based Two Trumpets Communications while raising kids and being raised by his new pup Toula. Email: peter@two-trumpets.com

Chuck Graham

…is a freelance writer and photographer based in Carpinteria. He’s a beach lifeguard there and leads kayak tours at the Channel Islands National Park. His work has been published widely. He recently published two books, “Carrizo Plain, Where the Mountains Meet the Grasslands” and “Hike the Channel Islands,” with John McKinney. Instagram: @chuckgrahamphoto

Summer and its long, golden sunshiny days have the power to turn even the most grown up of grown-ups into a kid again. The magic of the season pulls us out of the stress quicksand and into the moment. No matter what the season, our talented writers and photographers at Carpinteria Magazine are creative kids at heart. In this edition, we pay homage to those inner children with throwback photos from their actual childhood days. You can’t pinch their cheeks, but go ahead and gush over these cuties!

Debra Herrick

…is a writer-editor based in Santa Barbara County. She has been writing for Carpinteria Magazine since 2018. She is also the co-founder of Lum Art Magazine and associate editor of UC Santa Barbara Magazine

Email: editor@lumartzine.com

Emily Merrill

…is a commercial photographer based in Santa Barbara who photographs a wide array of advertising, corporate, and fine art work. When she’s not shooting, she’s a road tripper, cocktail enthusiast, perfume fanatic, hiker, voracious reader, and animal lover.

Instagram: @emilymerrillphoto

Kara Petersen

…is a writer, depth psychotherapist, and crisis counselor. Her work is curious about the facets and intersections of the human experience, and imbued with influences of her Carpinteria childhood.

Email: karapetersen.2010@gmail.com

Robin Karlsson

…is a creative soul, animal activist, collector of sea glass, lover of fonts, volunteer, cyclist, and a good friend. Her favorite sound is when she hears Zoe, 2, and Sven, 4, calling for Grandma. She likes Space X launches, winter sunsets, Starry Night Stout, and cats more than dogs. Instagram: @Bobnrbn

Amy Marie Orozco

…still has her Girl Scout sash with 32 badges (somewhere in the garage) and still loves camping. The organization’s motto “Be Prepared” has served Amy well in her chosen deadline-oriented field of work putting thoughts into words. Website: amymarieorozco.com

Evelyn Spence

…is a Santa Barbara County-based reporter and managing editor of Coastal View News in Carpinteria. She is passionate about covering city government, breaking news, and everything that makes Carpinteria, Carpinteria. Email: evelynrosesc@gmail.com

Amy Lynn Espina Stanfieldjarmie

…is best known for her moody landscapes and capturing the true essence of her subjects. She has taken her superpowers as a creative storyteller and immortalized them through the lens. Graduating with a BA in fine arts from New Mexico State University, she was inspired by the go-with-the flow qualities of Southern California, which she now calls home. Email: artALESart@gmail.com