Coen Olsen

  In the community garden at LBCC’s Albany campus highly toxic hemlock grows.  First brought over by colonizers for decorative gardens, the flowering plant is invasive and quick to take over if left unchecked. Linn-Benton’s gardening club has been fighting the plant for years. The innocent looking flower comes from the carrot family and to the untrained eye looks right at home in the garden. Melinda Williams, who founded the current gardening club in the spring term of 2022, heads much of the community garden fight against the hemlock.  “One of the first things I do when introducing people to the garden is show them how to identify poison hemlock and warn them not to touch it without gloves and long sleeves,” Williams said.  Her major concern is that students will get severe rashes from the plants. Alex Loveday, a student employee through the biology department who tends to the greenhouse, is concerned about the health dangers of the encroaching plant, such as kidney failure. They can

ABOUT ME Hello, my name is Coen Olsen. I am a creative writing major, and this is my third year attending LBCC while working (part-time this term). While I love creative fiction and non-fiction, I've never moved into telling other people's stories. I'm hopeful that this class will help me find new tools to add to my writing toolbox and, maybe, a new passion.  Outside of school and work - I enjoy e-bike rides along scenic routes on the outskirts of Corvallis (cheating, I know) and using old mail stamps for art (another blasphemy to traditionalists). The family dog, Sebastian (shown to the right), loves bike rides just as much as me. He probably hopes that the new puppy will never get to try riding in the basket! MY GOALS I could write myself to death, but when it comes to submitting pieces to publishers? I find myself doing *anything* else. With nothing on the line except maybes, I need a bit more than a shove. Passing classes is something that matters to me, so here I am to