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Writing Samples:

Journalism Pieces (fictional situations and locations):

Marine’s Death Story

McKinleyville Mayor’s son involved in car accident that kills former US Marine. At 10 last night on Central Avenue, a newer model SUV and a mini cooper collided in an intersection. Several support vehicles were on scene, and four people were rushed to the hospital.

The driver and two other passengers in the SUV were taken to General Hospital for observation. All three passengers are in stable condition. The driver has been identified as Bradley Pierce, 18, and son of Mr. William Pierce, MyKinleyville’s mayor.

The driver of the mini cooper, sole passenger in the vehicle, was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. He has been identified as Garrett Johnson, 28-year-old from Eureka and former US Marine.

“The SUV was heading east on the 300 block,” says police officer Pete Woditinski, “and apparently ran a red light and hit the other car which was heading south on Central Avenue.”

The official investigation found that the SUV t-boned the mini cooper. The weather last night was clear and is not being looked at as a potential cause for the accident. Officials are currently unable to test Pierce for a DUI due to injury, but 15 beer cans were found in his SUV at the time of the accident. Pierce has been arrested with pending charges.

Johnson returned home from his final tour of duty in Afghanistan two days ago. He is survived by his wife and their two-year-old daughter.

Student Riot Story

Humboldt State University students were injured in a riot on the evening of Sept. 28, 2016 after their football team won the Division Two National Championship.

Fifteen students were injured last night and one is currently in critical condition at Arcata General Hospital after the HSU football team won a narrow victory of 28 to 26 against Southern Mississippi State. This is the first division championship in the school’s history. Hundreds of students watched their football team get the winning touchdown from bars around the Arcata town square.

A riot broke out in the Arcata Town Square as students poured into the streets. Witnesses report shoving and bottle-throwing among the crowds. Cars were rocked and overturned. Some small fires broke out.

“It was really frightening,” says Zachary Sibek, a junior and broadcast journalism major . “I was in a bar and I left pretty quickly to get away from everything”.

Local businesses report damage and looting in the wake of student excitement.

“Here in the bar, it was pretty calm until about 9:30 or so, we didn’t really know what was going on but we heard the windows crashing,” says local business owner of The Spot. “From then on it was just chaos.”

Police were forced to use tear gas to subdue some of the rioters.

“We are highly disgusted at the events that took place last night”, says one university official. “It doesn’t represent our school. It doesn’t represent our students.”

The University is currently looking into the extent of student involvement before taking disciplinary action. Officials confirm it is more than likely that students will be suspended from the university for such behavior.

Environmental Writing Poetry and Prose:

Not a Star in the Sky

Five limbs make up the body of an animal living in the ocean's tide. A being well-suited to its environment, unbreakably fastened to the rock's surface. Two inches thick and about the size of a hand, it encases and consumes a California mussel.

Its flesh is orange and tapers to purple at the end of each limb. Bumps cover its skin and white lines cover the orange in a webbed pattern creating camouflage among the acorn barnacles, limpets, and turban snails that also call the tide home.

Frigid waves beat at its body with no visible affect. Anemones and sponges withdraw at the slightest disturbance, but this five-point creature cannot be deterred from its meal.

A Breeze Engages the Senses

A light breeze stirs my hair and shakes nearby leaves.Everything that is not tied down waves in protest. My clothes whip against me. Every inch can feel the wind's force.

Branches and foliage rub together and create a tune. Grasses, tarps, and wind chimes lend their rhythmic tines to the music. Car horns and barking dogs lend a deeper pitch. The wind picks up and intensifies its orchestra.

The scent of freshly cut grasses from three houses over rushes by, mixing with new wood chips and salty ocean brine.

It touches everything.

Under the Giants

The smell of soil mixes with the mist of a light rain. Under the protection of redwood trees, I sit immersed in shades of green and brown. My senses are filled by the rich scent of soil and the constant drum of rain. Birds chirp and rustle in the undergrowth. Insects scuttle for cover. Sorrel and sword ferns appear to stretch toward the sky, strong stems nourished by a bed of decomposing leaves. The cycle of life, death, and rebirth is evident all around.

Soft debris forms a comfortable nest. Branches shield me from every stray drop of water. It is easy to imagine magic in this place. Plant and animal life flourishes as Mother Earth provides for her children.

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Ciera R. Mills

Environmental Justice Writer & Advocate