I live in Boulder, Colorado and create AI prompted images to match your story and marketing needs.
I am a writer, teacher, tutor, designer and artist. I have spent my career creating commercial products that people use to enrich their lives. I have a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Colorado. I am currently studying French there. I am also tutoring students in the Writing Center. While I working with English as a second language students I became inspired to write and illustrate simple French stories. Luc Apprend à Partager is the first in this series.
In the Luc Apprend series, my goal is to create a sympathetic mouse character. I want the character to be relatable. Children will adore and want to emulate this mouse. The stories are simple and entertaining. The mission is that Luc’s character will encourage positive behavior while readers are learning French and English words.
In Luc Apprend à Partager, Luc learns the importance of sharing after he encounters a shop keeper who wants to keep all his food for himself.
Luc Apprend à Partager – Microsoft Designer
I created this group of AI generated images with detailed word prompts to build on a model image. I worked to maintain consistency in the setting, place, and time. The character’s faces and clothing remained consistent. I used Microsoft Design.
A Sublime Experience – Microsoft Designer
These sublime ferry images were created to capture the feeling of a dark winter’s night in the Northwest. The main character commutes home from work via Seattle to Bainbridge Island, Washington. This night follows the discover of a female murder victim in the parking lot near the ferry dock. The perpetrator was still at large.
Artifacts of a Murder: The Dead Girls Paintbrushes – Microsoft Designer
These AI images were created as imagery for the introduction to my story Artifacts of a Murder. The soft brush bristles and the pale, gentle blond wood color scheme was used intending as a contrast to the violence of murder. The handles are smooth and polished as a professional killer.
The Frozen Castle, a Murderous Tale – Microsoft Designer
This is the cover image for a gothic story about a women who marries a mysterious, wealthy man who transports her to his castle in Scotland where she is imprisoned and her youth is slowly drained from her soul to keep his 200 year old mistress from aging.
My Glamourous Career: A Memoir of Designing for U.S. Special Forces – Microsoft Copilot
I generated these AI images to set the dramatic mood of danger that is captured in my memoir about designing apparel for U.S. Special Forces to hunt Osama bin Laden in the Hindu Kush mountain range.
Le titre de mon histoire est Luc Apprend à Partager. Cette histoire est une lecture pour débutante français. Je suis débutant dans l’apprentissage du français.
The title of my story is “Luc Learns to Share.” This story is beginning French reading. I am a beginner in learning French.
Luc est le personnage principal du histoire. Il a dix ans. Il est un souris grise et brun.
Luc is the main character of the story. He is 10 years old. He is a grey and brown mouse.
The image of Luc is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
La région de mon histoire est la Suisse, dans la ville de Berne.
The region of my story is Switzerland, in the town of Berne.
The image of Luc’s village is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
La famille de Luc est très grande.
The family of Luc is very big.
The image of Luc’s family is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Le père de Luc est professeur. Le père de Luc lui a appris à partager.
The father of Luc is a professor. The father of Luc taught him to share.
The image of Luc’s father is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
La mère de Luc est professeur. La mère de Luc lui a appris à partager..
The mother of Luc is a professor. The mother of Luc taught him to share.
The image of Luc’s mother is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Et son village aime partager avec tout le monde.
And his village likes to share with everyone.
The image of Luc’s village is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Mais, Luc n’aimait pas partager. Alors, Luc est allé dans la grande ville.
But, Luc did not like to share. So, Luc went to the big city.
The image of Luc in the big city is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Sa famille était triste.
His family was sad.
The image of Luc’s family is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Mais, Luc est heureux. Il rêve de ne pas partager sa nourriture.
But, Luc is happy. He dreams of not sharing his food.
The image of Luc is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Il rêve de manger tout le fromage seul.
He dreams of eating all the cheese alone.
The image of Luc is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Il pense qu’il y a beaucoup de nourriture dans la grande ville.
He thinks that there is a lot of food in the big city.
The image of Luc’s imagination of food in the big city is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Mais, quand Luc est allé au magasin pour trouver de la nourriture, un homme l’a chassé. L’homme n’aimait pas avec Luc.
But, when Luc goes to the store to find food, the man chases him. The man did not like to share with Luc.
The image of Luc and the store keeper is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
L’homme dit “Pas de souris autorisée.”
The man says “No mice allowed.”
The image of Luck and the “No Micse Alowed” is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Luc a appris qu’il doit partager pour avoir des amis.
Luc learns that he must share to have friends.
The image of a sad Luc is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Luc a appris à aimer partager parce que qu’il adore ses amis.
Luc learns that he likes to share because he loves his friends.
The image of Luc is generated by Microsoft Copilot (Melodie Miller / AI Prompt Engineer)
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
I paused along the moss-clad path to Gothtopia’s altar, where worship lingered like incense in the ghostly ruins of Saint Michel’s basilica in Normandy. The damp perfume of aged wood and stone breathed through the centuries, pulling my soul through time’s fragile veil. I stepped first into the monastic refuge of 966 CE—then onward into the cold, stone prison of King Louis XI in 1472.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The spirits of the exiled citizens whispered, “Run away,” yet I pressed forward. In the distance, the unforgiving door stood resolute, its distressed, burnt Tuscan auburn frame glinting beneath a lacquered sheen of blood-red defiance.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
A procession of artifacts drifted down the path, motionless yet advancing, as if carried by memory. Coordinates flickered across the heads-up display of my spectacles—longitude, latitude, fragments of direction. I had left my map on the battlefield, and my phone no longer held a charge. Though I was not truly lost, the world had misplaced me.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The red lacquer door, a relic of a final warning, roared, “Open me!” Its cry rang like swords clashing in the hands of dying warriors. “The end is near,” it whispered in silence, the relic’s cruel souvenir. “The enemy offered no home advantage,” I answered, defiant against its echo.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The unconscious masters ignored the printed enslaved, who begged for release from the fabric that bound them. I saw in the image a colonial warning—a reminder not to forget the past. I thought of the forced integration that tore children from their former lives as they boarded those buses. Their spirits have long since vanished, erased as characters and forgotten by their teachers and the system that failed them.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Along the path, a messiah sat upon a fractured altar, her voice trembling as she called out for an apostle to gather the faithless flock. Her sword and wings—tattered, torn, and trembling—beat helplessly against the cold, mechanical wind of capitalistic dominion that had ruled over Gothtopia.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
As I drew near the altar, the hollow glass candles began to shatter under the prophet’s resonant cries. Razor-edged shards clashed around me. From below, the unfeeling Holy Mother wailed—a menacing summons that chilled the marrow of my faith.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Through the monolithic arches, I saw the basilica—its nave filled with abandoned chairs, now nests for birds that had long forgotten how to fly. The Benedictine monks of 1790 CE were driven from the abbey by the revolutionaries, who also abolished the lettres de cachet, sealing the end of an era in French history.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The altar walls, built from the skeletons of time, stood weathered and decaying beneath the assault of the salt-laden sea air. I knelt before the new god of technology, awaiting the signal that would permit the ritual, the digital incantation demanded by faith’s replacement.
Around me, green moss and a viscera of pollution writhed through the mechanical vastness of the future, twining with the Messiah’s torn wings. Nearby, a self-adoring granite gargoyle hovered mockingly, its once sacred symbol of fertility now a caricature of its conceit.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Razor-sharpened wrought-iron impalers stood in place like sentinels, their blackened stocks recalling the disappeared fallen heads of statesmen. The tattered public servants gazed on from the gallery, trapped in an echo of the past. Their ghosts, condemned to linger in the gallery, watch as history repeats itself. A vessel of broken time, the basilica endures its shattered moments. Her remembrance, reflected in graven images of the memory of Saint Michel and in the minds of the pilgrims.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The vacant wrought-iron bars framed a prophecy: our daily debts are the rations earned through the labors of hope, fragile offerings, easily crushed by a king’s will. Lettres de cachet once sanctioned imprisonment or death without trial within Mont-Saint-Michel’s shadowed Gothtopia. Yet, in bitter irony, this violation of justice preserved the abbey from utter ruin.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
As I turned to leave, the narcissistic ghosts gathered—unseen yet impenetrable—blocking the windows and door. They pulsed with vibrations drawn from the basilica’s menacing past, its walls still breathing history. One by one, the apparitions released their lethal cargo of memories upon the living below—those drifting through their holidays, blissfully unaware, unwilling to remember.
C.U. Presents closed its modern vampire love story to a packed house at the University of Colorado Loft Theatre in Boulder.
Director Heather Kelley’s adaption of Jack Thorne’s play “Let the Right One In” completed its run to a sold-out theater on Sunday, Oct. 20, at the University of Colorado Loft Theatre.
The audience waits for the sold out presentation of Let the Right One in to begin. Scenic design by Hyley Delich. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, first love, sexual intimidation, and school bullying transcend the borders of time and space in “Let the Right One In.” Eli, a 200-year-old vampire fixed at the age of 12, befriends Oskar, their 13-year-old neighbor, on the playground where Eli is bullied by schoolmates in 1981 Sweden.
Eli, a 12 year old trapped in the body of a 200 year old vampire is played by Wyleigh Watson. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The childhood friendship between Eli and Oskar is complex, creating “a dynamic narrative that centers on empathy and fighting for each other despite all the blood and scars,” Brosnan Bustamante, the stage manager said.
Oskar, played by Salem Channell, lives next door to Eli the vampire. Eli, played by Wyleigh Watson, contemplates a Rubix Cube. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Let the Right One In ”is a macabre story with a happy ending,” Scenic Designer, Haley Delich, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design, Technology, and Management said. Oskar is “dealing with bullying and first love,” and Eli “is trapped with the body and the mind of a child.”
When Hakan dies, Oskar becomes Eli’s new companion, giving purpose to their lives.
Bullies Jonny, Jimmy and Micke, play by Ian Von Pechmann, Sam Stitt and Cade respectively, threaten to drown Oskar, played by Salem Channell.
Situated in 1981 Blackeberg, Sweden, the playgrond was the setting where Hakan, Eli’s parent figure, killed and procured blood from his victims for the thirsty 12-year-old child.
Roan Cochrane as Hakan (Right) drains the blood from his victim played by Ian McCance (Left). (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The emotional topics of the play demanded that stage manager Brosnan Bustamante, a C.U. student, ensure a smooth production. Brosnan prioritized a supportive environment. He minimized stress to keep the team focused on the performance.
Savannah Gullett plays Oskar’s Mum (Left). Norah Shuey plays Halmberg, the police commissioner. (Right)(Melodie Miller | Photographer)
“It’s crucial that the stage, cast, and crew are functioning smoothly, especially in a production that is emotionally intense and technically demanding,” Bustamante said.
The menacing play ground of “Let the Right One In.” (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Filled with death, blood and bulling, the setting is ironic as a playground but fitting as a place of horror, where children act as monsters.
Bully Jonny, play by Ian Von Pechmann, talks with Oskar, played by Salem Channell.(Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Delich designed the set to evoke a “bit of the horrors of growing up and outgrowing the playground,” she said.
“Let the Right One In” play ground setting designed by Hayley Delich. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The cast of “Let the Right One In” take a bow at the close of their successful run.
Salem Channell as Oscar (center front) Middle row: Wyleigh Watson as Eli, Charlie Hough as Mr. Avila, Sam Stitt as Jimmy, Pechmann as Jonny. Back row: Roan Cochrane as Hakan, Ian McCance as Dad, Cade Heaton as Micke, Savannah Gullett (far right, back) as Mum. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The minimalistic rusted monkey bar set, designed by Delich, was intended to “mirror the stark lives of the characters,” she said. The characters had outgrown the playground but were emotionally stuck in their childhood experiences where they faced bulling and isolation everyday in “Let the Right One In.”
“Let The Right One In” play ground Scenic design by Hyley Delich. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The 2024 C.U. Presents, “Let the Right One In,” is part of the Artists Series, which spans over 80 years on campus. Kelley is pursuing a PhD in Theatre & Performance Studies at C.U. Boulder.
University Theatre Building, 261 University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302
Humor offers a chance to challenge the narrative of marginalization. This is according to Dallas Goldtooth, Res Ball (film) actor and environmental activist, who spoke on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the University of Colorado Macky Theater. Goldtooth mixed his signature storytelling and humor with advocacy, gaining the audience’s trust.
“Buy American Spirit cigarettes,” he said when asked how non-indigenous allies can get involved.
Dallas Goldtooth of Dakota and Diné heritage speaks at Macky Theater on the Campus of University of Colorado at Boulderof his experience with environmental issues and activism . (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Goldtooth is known for his character William Spirit Knifeman in the FX series Reservation Dogs. He is also the founding member of the 1491’s comedy group. He joked with the Boulder audience and reminded them that solving the climate crisis means acting on a larger scale. The climate crisis disproportionately impacts Indigenous communities and other marginalized groups.
Actor and activist Dallas Goldtooth as William Knife-Man in FX’s Reservation Dogs. (Photograph by Shane Brown / FX)
“I’m sure all of you are really happy about your hybrid car that you’re driving or that you switched your light bulbs to LED lights. It’s great. But we have to remind ourselves as we understand that the causation of climate chaos is capitalism. It also means that the fight to protect this planet is much more than environmentalism,” Goldtooth said.
Activist Dallas Goldtooth encourages the audience to . (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The fight for climate change is a fight for liberation, according to Goldtooth. Many areas affected by climate chaos are marginalized communities. Their citizens often lack the power to influence what happens to the land. They have no voice regarding the water, the air, or their bodies. He encouraged the audience to help lift marginalized voices.
“This will allow us to imagine a future that’s livable for everyone,” Goldtooth said.
Dallas Goldtooth combined humor and inspiration for action with audience at Macky Theater on the Campus of University of Colorado at Boulder. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
“Just bring people together around a common issue and let them talk with one another. You have right-wing ranchers, and you have left-leaning natives,” Goldtooth said, “working together to stop the Keystone XL pipeline to preserve clean water on their lands. I’m happy to say that we won the Keystone XL campaign.”
Dallas Goldtooth joked with the audience at Macky Theater on the Campus of University of Colorado at Boulder. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Goldtooth amplified the importance of the world’s “climate chaos as an issue that we are all dealing with on this planet.” He softened the message with a personalized joke when asked how he began his career as an activist. Goldtooth told the audience, “Well, I was 13 pounds when I was born. So, my mom knew injustice.”
Dallas Goldtooth reminded the audience at Macky Theater on the Campus of University of Colorado at Boulder that the climate crisis affects marginalized communities disproportionately. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Storytelling is a “big part of the organizing effort to make this planet better,” Goldtooth said. Humor provides the “opportunity for you to disrupt the narrative because all of our fields have been impacted” by marginalization. For example, the United States insurance companies secure capitalistic investments. Goldtooth told the audience that “insurance companies are complicit in the destruction of the earth.”
Benny Shendo attended Goldtooth’s speech. He is the vice chancellor for Native American Affairs at the University of Colorado. Shendo is also a member of New Mexico’s Democratic Senate. “I think you will find humor across any country. I mean, it’s not any different in Pueblo or any different in Pani or any other tribe,” said Shendo.
Benny Shendo. University of Colorado alumni speaks to Congress. Members of Congress formally accepted a sculpture of Po’pay, a medicine man from Ohkay Owingeh who led the Pueblo Indian Revolt of 1680, to complete the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall collection. (Photograph courtesy of the C-SPAN 2 Archives)
Phillip Gover is a Tribal Affairs Specialist for the Colorado Department of Human Service. He is an advocate for Indigenous Coloradoans and said, “I think Native Americans have always dealt with tragedy with a sense of humor. Most people would say, ‘What?’ Why would you laugh at that? If I’m not laughing, then I’m crying, and I’d rather be laughing.”
Phillip Gover, a Tribal Affairs Specialist for the Colorado Department of Human Service (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Goldtooth uses joy and laughter to advocate for marginalized Native American communities disproportionately facing climate change.
Dallas Goldtooth shared the stage with students at Macky Theater on the Campus of University of Colorado at Boulder. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
He is descended from the Minnesota Dakota/Diné (Navajo) tribe. He is a member of the Lower Sioux Indian Community. He is also a Dakota language instructor.
Story interpreted by Melodie Miller | Designer | Illustrator
Keawe the Flaming Spirit of the Volcano (Melodie Miller, Illustrator, Adobe Illustrator)
Po the Volcano and the Flames of Many Voices (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
In the beginning there was Po, the all-powerful Volcano.
Keawe the Flaming Spirit of the Volcano (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
And, Keawe, the flaming spirit of the Volcano.
Untimed Infinite Time Passing (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Surrounded by an abyss of empty darkness, together, they were alone.
One day Keawe, speaking his mind said, “Po, it is not good that I am so alone.”
“But we have always been alone together. It has always been our way. We are all powerful. We do not need another.” Po responded.
The Flames of Many Voices (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The Flames of Many Voices living inside Volcano echoed Po’s warning, speaking with crackling and slapping flames, “Yes, Yes, Yes. It has always been our way, way, way. We are all powerful, powerful, powerful. We do not need another, another, another.”
“But Po, I have no one to love.” Keawe said.
“Keawe, what is this word you say, Love?” Po asked.
“What is this word Love? What is this word Love? What is this word Love, Love Love?” the Flames echoed with the innocence of Many Voices, pushing and pulling at the walls of the Volcano.
Time passed.
Na Wahine and Keawe (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Po did not want Keawe to be lonely, so he created Na Wahine for him to love.
“Keawe, I am Na Wahine. I have been waiting, alone for a long time, inside your heart. I am here now to share your love.” she said.
“Why did you not come sooner?” Keawe asked?
“Because you did not call for me.” she answered.
Looking down upon Keawe and Na Wahine, Po said, “Together you will rule. And, it is good.”
Then with a rumbling of the Volcano, Po commanded, “From your love, bring forth life to help you govern the heavens and the earth; bring forth beauty and all things will be good.”
The god princes and goddess princess of Hawai’ian legend (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Through Na Wahine, Keawe brought forth four sons.
Kane the God Prince of Sky (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The first son was Kane, the god of the sky and all that it is.
Ku the God Prince of War and Peace (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The second son was Ku, the god of war and peace; and Kanaloa, the god of all things in and of the ocean;.
Kanaloa the God Prince of Ocean (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The third son was Kanaloa, the god of all things in and of the ocean.
Lono the God Prince of the Land (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The fourth son was Lono the god of the land and that which it brings forth, the harvest and its bounty.
The Flames of Many Voices (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Along the walls of the Volcano the envious Flames of Many Voices became angry and agitate. The Flames of Many voices felt alone because Keawe was not alone.
“Call for me. Call for me. Call for me,” the Flames of Many Voices echoed.
But Keawa did not answer.
Time passed.
“Four daughters will be yours,” Po said.
Laka the Goddess Princess of the Hula (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Your first-born daughter, Laka, will bring the hula, the language of the heart.” Po said. “Laka will keep the story; abide by her words.”
Hina the Goddess Princess of Sanctuary (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
“Your second daughter Hina will give you sanctuary from danger, stand on her as a rock when in need.”
Kapo the Goddess Princess of the Lost (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
“Your third daugher, hot tempered Kapo will govern furiously with her brother Kanaloa. Be remembered by Kapo when you are hungry and lost, she will feed you and lead you home.”
Papa the Goddess Princess of Nature and its Beauty (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The fourth daughter, Papa, “will rule all of nature with beauty beyond words. Anyone who looks upon her, even in her rage, will feel her power.” Po said.
Papas natural beauty will overpower the gazers senses, and none will find the strength to resist her.
“Once the beauty of Papa is gazed upon, she will enchant their heart forever,” Po said.
The Flames and the Goddess Princess of Nature and its Beauty (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The Flames of Many Voices gazed upon Papa and were stricken with love for her natural beauty, which was beyond challenge, thus they were lonely no more, They were enchanted.
To this day, anyone who looks upon the nature of Papa and the beauty of the Islands, will not have the strength to resist her love. Hawai’i will live in their hearts for eternity.
This is the creation story of the enchanting lands of Hawai’i, her captivating love and irresistible beauty.
Mountains northeast of Durango brings fourth-highest harvest of mountain lions
By Colorado Student News Service
Friday, Nov 1, 2024 11:00 AM Updated Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 5:59 PM
Records from Colorado Parks and Wildlife shows 2,600 hunters killed 502 mountain lions in 2022-2023, the most recent period for which statistics are available. (Courtesy of the National Parks Service, via The Colorado Sun)
In the early morning chill of Colorado’s rugged wilderness, the rhythmic panting of hounds echoes through the trees as they close in on their elusive target, a mountain lion.
For hunters, the video from a Durango outfitter, shows a moment steeped in tradition and survival skills, but such moments may soon disappear from the Colorado landscape. On Nov. 5, voters will decide the fate of mountain lion and bobcat hunting in Colorado, with Proposition 127 seeking to ban the practice entirely.
The group “Cats Aren’t Trophies” gathered about 188,000 signatures to put a measure on the November ballot.
While the group’s name references “trophies,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife considers trophy hunting to be illegal in Colorado. Hunters are expected to eat and use what they kill, based on a hunting brochure from the state agency.
Public records from the state agency show a highly regulated hunting environment where 2,600 hunters killed 502 cats in 2022-2023, the most recent period for which statistics are available.
The fourth highest number of mountain lions killed – 11 – came from an area in the mountains northeast of Durango and La Plata County. The rest of the mountain lions killed around the state were in the single digits, mostly in remote, mountainous areas.
The 21 mountain lions killed in a remote area northeast of Meeker in 2022-2023 was the largest number for any area in Colorado, based on public records provided by Kara Van Hoose, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman. The next largest number of mountain lions killed were in a mountainous southern part of the state near Interstate 25, where 16 were killed in one Colorado Parks and Wildlife statistical area and 15 were killed in the neighboring area. Colorado Parks and Wildlife maps do not follow county lines around the state but are numbered by region.
Van Hoose declined to comment on specific questions related to Proposition 127 so as to remain neutral during the election period. She declined to comment on how current legal hunts affect the economy or how banning mountain lion hunts could affect wildlife and cattle, among other things. Colorado Parks and Wildlife started regulating hunting licenses for mountain lions in 1965 after the mountain lion population declined, according to information on the state agency’s website.
Van Hoose said that Colorado Parks and Wildlife surveys wildlife populations by helicopter, among other things, to decide how many licenses will be available to hunters every year.
“We set licenses depending on a lot of different factors. There are environmental factors and external factors,” Van Hoose said.
The most emotional part of the hunting discussion appears to be how some Colorado outfitters use GPS-collared dogs to track and hunt mountain lions. Hound hunting is legal in Colorado.
Some 88% of Colorado residents disapprove of hunters using dogs to help with hunting and 78% disapprove of “trophy hunting” of mountain lions, according to an August Colorado State University study published in the Society for Conservation Biology journal.
Kelly Maher, a Colorado hunter, said she teaches her children to honor the animals that the family hunts “by consuming and using every part of the animal.” She said proponents of Proposition 127 don’t like the hound hunting, “but the cat needs to be stationary to identify its sex and status.”
The people who gathered signatures to get Proposition 127 on the ballot feel that hunting mountain lions with GPS-equipped dogs “gives our hunters a bad name for violations of fair chase,” according to Mark Surls, the volunteer and outreach coordinator for the group.
A group supporting continued mountain lion hunting is called Colorado’s Wildlife Deserve Better, which includes funding help from the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and the Colorado Wool Growers Association. And the Board of Mesa County Commissioners in Grand Junction unanimously approved a resolution opposing Colorado Proposition 127 on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife requires hunters to take an exam and buy a license to hunt mountain lions. About 3,800 to 4,400 mountain lions live in Colorado, according to the state agency, but most people never see them because they’re active at night.
About the Colorado Media Project
The University of Colorado journalism program has a $10,000 grant from the Colorado Media Project, as you know, and we’re working with eight newsrooms this semester in rural and underserved communities mostly around the Western Slope, including The Journal, Ark Valley Voice, Aspen Times, Bucket List Community Café, Colorado Newsline, Denver Urban Spectrum, Rio Blanco Herald Tribune, Sopris Sun/Sol del Valle and Enterate Latino.
Readers can the Colorado Media Project and the class by contacting Elizabeth Potter and the students at elizabeth.potter@colorado.edu.
Colorado Media Project | Courtesy of Colorado Media Project
Common Sense Institute Colorado, a nonpartisan group interested in protecting Colorado’s economy, reports that Proposition 127, if passed, would cause an overall “$4 million to $6.2 million in lost Colorado Parks and Wildlife revenue.”
Of the total, the Common Sense group says there would be a direct loss of $410,000 from mountain lion and bobcat hunting licenses. The group estimates that Colorado Parks and Wildlife would lose a separate $3.6 to $5.8 million in elk and deer hunting permit revenue because the increased mountain lion population would keep the elk and deer population down.
Reporting by Adair Teuton, Bella Hammond, Caniya Robinson, Jackson Jupille, Lincoln Roch and Melodie Miller.
It was early morning on a crisp, cold, sunny Sunday in November on the 55-acre Sunflower Farm. Founder John Roberts fed wood to the crackling campfire to warm the Farmfest guests. Community members of all ages come to the sustainable farm to roam among the magical forest and farm animals.
The farm is a healing “resting place for the community,” Roberts said. You can come as a family “to mingle with others that you never would have otherwise met.” The farm creates connections and an “intertwining of community that I think is beneficial.”
Roberts earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Colorado Mesa University. He taught at a primary school in Moshi, Tanzania, Africa. While in Moshi, he observed the benefits of outdoor-based learning. “The students plant seeds in the spring. By the end of the summer, they see the benefits of their participation in the farm. “
The children spend more than half their learning time out of doors. They play with the worms in the dirt and “begin to understand where their food comes from,” Liz Napp, the executive Sunflower Farm and Sunflower Farm Acres, said.
The farm is like an outdoor living room where Roberts introduces his guests to over 100 farm animals. “When I lived in Washington D.C., I realized that spaces are important,” Roberts said. “Over the last 25 years, I’ve created spaces for visitors to experience different things,” while enjoying the farm.
In 2024, Sunflower Farm became a production farm with an educational vision to immerse children in nature, land conservation and farming. Jacob McGuire, operations manager of Sunflower Farm Acres, said the children are “getting more than just the curriculum” as they navigate the property. They are “participating in preserving nature.”
As a conservation easement, Sunflower Farm is “required through contract to preserve much of the nature that exists,” McGuire said. This means no new structures can be built on the farm, so the preschool cannot grow.
But there are other ways the farm can grow its contribution to the community. Healthy soil grows nourishing food, so Roberts is committed to working with aspiring local farmers.
We are “planning to expand educational internships focusing on regenerative farming practices,” McGuire, who has a master’s degree in international human rights from the University of Denver, said.
Roberts bought the homestead in 2002. It had a rundown farmhouse. However, Robert’s four children and their friends loved the place. Roberts, a master builder, improved the property, created the community spaces, and formed a preschool.
Roberts goal was to preserve the open space of the farm. He built winding pathways for visitors to explore a hay maze, a grain silo, and a twin-engine airplane. Guests can wander between hand-split wood enclosures where friendly goats and ponies greet everyone.
The farming and animal setting creates an “easy learning environment for kids to participate and they are eager to participate,” Roberts said. While planting pumpkin seeds, the children count and improve their “dexterity, and they’re also learning.”
Looking to the future, Roberts said, “You know, I don’t think there’s going to be another Sunflower Farm. The business model does not financially support” the preschool.
“I was raised poor, so money is not a motivating factor for me. Otherwise, I would have sold this farm years ago and retired.” Roberts said. “But I’ve made a commitment of myself to do this for the community. This is my purpose.”
Visitors are welcome at the Sunflower Farm in Longmont Colorado with reservations.
The SKEA Elsa down filled ski parka with matching fur ruff.
Photos courtesy of SKEA
Nylon Ciré – Ciré is a highly glazed wax finish that creates a water resistant barrier.
Down filled insulation throughout
Underarm ventilation zips.
Interior sleeve cuff with thumb holes.
Interior snow-skirt
3 zipper pockets
Fixed collar and hood
Optional snap-on real/faux fur trim
An athletic fit with room to move
Unleash your skiing flair with the SKEA Elsa Jacket. This jacket is not just breathable and hydrophobic, but effortlessly shifts from the slopes to the streets. Filled with down, it offers unbeatable warmth and adaptability for your mountain adventures. The Elsa parka combines purpose and femininity, and comes in a range of colors to match your taste.
Photos courtesy of SKEA
The SKEA Elsa down filled parka sketch and production instructions
SKEA photo shoot at Loveland Pass, Colorado
Photos courtesy of SKEA
The SKEA vintage ski-wear inspired Thinsulate insulated Coco Parka
Photos courtesy of SKEA
Polyester Stretch super water repellant 20K WP
200 grams Thinsulate Insulation
4 zip pockets
Faux fur lined inner collar
Helmet compatible hood with optional fur trim
Removable belt to wear or not with snap down belt loops
Snow skirt
Cinch bottom
Slim fit
The Coco Thinsulate insulated parka sketch and production instructions
Photos courtesy of SKEA
Cosmic Vest is the perfect layering garment. Snuggle into the collar on icy days.
Photos courtesy of SKEA
The SKEA Brit insulated ski suit
Photos courtesy of SKEA
Stay warm in Skea high quality, quick drying polyster knit baselayer’s designed by Melodie Miller
Tennis and Golf for Skea by Melodie Miller
Sierra Design extreme elevation mountain apparel designed by Melodie Miller
Paul Nanawa wearing Sierra Designs designed by Melodie Miller | Mt. Rainier | Photo courtesy of Eric Larsen
Paul Nanawa | Mt. Rainier | Eric Larsen | Both men wear Sierra Designs extreme weather gear designed by Melodie Miller | Photos courtesy of Eric Larsen
Eric Larsen and his team wear yellow and orange Sierra Designs cold weather gear designed by Melodie Miller | Photos courtesy of Eric Larsen
Eric Larsen and his team wear yellow and orange Sierra Designs cold weather gear designed by Melodie Miller | Photos courtesy of Eric Larsen
Eric Larsen attemps to summit Mt. Everest. (Right). Eric Larsens (Center right) expedition team wear orange Sierra Designs cold weather gear designed by Melodie Miller | Photos courtesy of Eric Larsen
Eric Larsen and his team at the South Pole wear orange Sierra Designs extreme cold weather gear designed by Melodie Miller | Photos courtesy of Eric Larsen
Shaun Mauer at the summit of Mt. Rainier wearing Sierra Designs mountain gear designed by Melodie Miller.
Brian Tschider and Shaun Mauer at John Muir as they prepare to ascend Mt. Rainier wearing Sierra Designs mountain gear designed by Melodie Miller. (Right) Shaun Mauer wearing Sierra Designs mountain gear designed by Melodie Miller. (Center Left)
HEXA Custom outdoor apparel designed and developed by Melodie Miller
HEXA Reversible Sherpa Jacket (Photos courtesy of HEXA Custom)
Insulated Camping Blankets 57″ x 75″
HEXA Custom | Men’s Quilted Sherpa Vest | Sketch and Engineering
Academy Sports + Outdoors | Women’s Magellan Waterproof Pant (Melodie Miller | Designer)
Pearl Isumi Triathlon Suit
Dame Flora Duffy, DBE, is a Bermudian professional triathlete (Center) wearing Pearl Izumi developed exclusively for Duffy by Melodie Miller. Duffy won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Bermuda’s first gold medal. She also competed in the Beijing, London, and Rio de Janeiro Olympics. In 2018, she won gold in the women’s triathlon at the XXI Commonwealth Games in Australia.
The Heartbeat of the Powwow returned to the University of Colorado at Farrand Field on Sept. 28, 2024. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Listen to powwow musician Tony Crank at the University of Colorado Farrand Field Sept. 28, 2024. The Colorado American Indian Tribes In-State Tuition Act (CO SB 21-029) was passed to allow eligible students to pay in-state tuition at Colorado public universities and colleges.(Melodie Miller | Photographer)
I went to historic Farrand Field on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder for the 2024 Native American powwow. It was a beautiful bluebird day without a cloud in the sky. The campus was built on the traditional territories and homelands of the Arapaho, the Cheyenne, and the Ute nations. The powwow is part of the universities commitment to continually improving and enhancing engagement with indigenous peoples locally and nationwide. It is the first powwow on campus in 23 years.
Farrand Field was named after Livingston Farrand, the university’s fourth president who served from 1914 to 1919.
After 23 years, the powwow returns to campus as a celebration of faith and tradition for the indigenous peoples of Colorado.
The 2024 CU Boulder Powwow was organized by the Oyate Native American and Indigenous Student Organizations on campus. It was a collaboration between the Center for Inclusion and Social Change (CISC), the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies (CNAIS), the Oyate Native American and Indigenous student group and the native Graduate Student Group and the Theater and Dance Department.
Cultural etiquette was encouraged with guidelines posted as reminders for the audience. The aim was to elevate understanding and sensitivity towards respecting the customs of Native American nations.
Cultural etiquette is a unique set of understandings that guide people when interacting in different societies. At the powwow, these guidelines include not touching the dancers, their regalia, instruments or fallen feathers. “Do no ask for cultural details that are not offered even with good intentions.” Sensitivity and respect for these norms fosters positive cross-cultural understanding and connection.
Grand entry for the powwow. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
After 23 years, the powwow returns to campus as a celebration of faith and tradition for the indigenous peoples of Colorado. The grand entry victory song and two rounds of intertribals.
Saydie Sago told me she went to the last powwow 23 years ago, in 2001 with her parents when she was a small child. We are “bringing some Cheyenne, and Rapaho community from northern Rapajo members, southern Rapaho members, and Cheyenne members to come dance and be a partner. Of course, they were part of one of the many tribes that are historically tied to this part of the land and also Colorado. So we are inviting them back to their ancestral lands,” Sago said.
Saydie Sago, one of the powwow organizers, is a fourth year PhD student here at CU. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
“I know that my parents, I think, have actually been to the powwow 23 years ago. So it’s really nice to see it coming back, Redhorse said. “I’ve been going to powwows ever since I was one of the tiny tots. My mom put me in a jingle dress dance, and I got up on the dance floor. I really hope we can continue this ongoing tradition.”
Shaleen Redhorse is an aerospace engineering student here at CU. She danced powwows when she was younger. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
I spoke with CU graduate Benny Shendo, the vice chancellor of Native American Affairs, about the future for native american students in states outside of Colorado.
“We only have two federally recognized tribes here in the state of Colorado. But then there’s 46 other tribes that have historical connection to the state of Colorado,” Shendo said. Colorado state “passed the law signed by the governor that will allow any students from those tribes to come into state tuition. Not only will this increase our Native American enrollment, both undergraduate, graduate, but also faculty and staff.”
“It’s a new day,” Shendo said. “It’s a new day, you know, it’s for us, and we’re hoping to elevate the presence of our native students at all levels.”
CU graduate Benny Shendo, the vice chancellor of Native American Affairs is a state senator for New Mexico. (Photograph courtesy of Common Ground Rising.org Blog)
Powwow Gallery
Welcome to the 2024 Powwow on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. This event offers an exhilarating experience that spans 200 years of cultural history . Every moment is an opportunity to witness and partake in the spiritual ceremony of the powwow. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. It was founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state. Colorado’s flagship university honors and recognizes the many contributions of Indigenous peoples in the state. The university acknowledges that it is located on the traditional territories of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Ute. It is also on the ancestral homelands of many other Native American nations. The university is dedicated to recognizing and amplifying the voices of Indigenous CU Boulder students, staff, faculty and their work.
The Alienware Lounge at the Colorado Memorial Center on C.U. campus. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
Game in luxury with state of the art Dell software can be found at the University of Colorado, Boulder lounge on the first floor of the Colorado Memorial Center. The gaming lounge is open seven days a week.
The Alienware Lounge features custom designed chairs for long periods of sitting. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
The University of Colorado teamed up with Alienware, a hardware subsidiary brand of Dell in 2023 to build the second collegiate facility in the nation. According to the University, the 1,275-square-foot space inside the UMC was renovated with a $1.2 million donation from Dell Technologies and Intel.
The Alienware Lounge offers numerous games and open seating for up to one hour per session. Watch the Youtube video for a view of the facility. https://youtu.be/Dpi8Z01Gqcg (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
The luxury Alienware Lounge has 19 gaming desktops, three gaming laptops, and a console area that can comfortably seat up to 4 gamers. C.U. students receive 10 free days passes on their first visit.
Adam Pallas, is the senior coordinator for gaming programs at C.U. Boulder. (Melodie Miller / Photographer).
Building a community at Alienware is one goal of the Center for Student Involvement at C.U. “I am full time. I am part of our Center for Student Involvement, which is where our gaming lounge is housed,” Senior Coordinator for Gaming Programs, Adam Pallas said. “I was brought on to the University in August 2023, prior to the opening of the gaming lounge, and I’ve been with it since then.”
UCM Alienware Gaming Lounge is open 7-days a week.
Alienware Esports Lounge has ample, custom seating.
Log into your account to play the game of your choice.
Stations accommodate playing with multiple friends.
The lounge has 50 games installed on its PC’s.
The lounge has state-of-the-art Dell gaming stations.
UCM Alienware Lounge entrance. (Melodie Miller / Photographer).
Alienware hosts in person gaming night once per month with free pizza and tonight its Minecraft Bingo. “Minecraft is not normally a competitive game, but we thought we could make it competitive by doing the Bingo competition,” Pallas said.
Mojang Studios, a video game developer based in Sweden introduce Minecraft in May 2009 as a sand-box-style where players could freely explore, interact with others and create. The idea is that people can experiment by playing survival or creative modes. Mojang Studios sold Minecraft to Microsoft Gaming in 2014 for $2.5 billion dollars.
Graphic was designed and developed with Piktochart. (Melodie Miller / Designer).
Minecraft has evolved over the years but it remains a sandbox-style video game that gives players a lot of freedom to explore, interact, and create virtual worlds without following a set objective. It is an environment where players build and explore virtual worlds by discovering and extracting raw materials with craft tools and machines.
Eli Grimm is a sophomore at C.U. majoring in engineering. His favorite game is Minecraft because it is a “creative game to play with your friends,” Grimm said. “Its a great way to connect with people. If you have close friends, but you guys live far away, you could play some games together. It’s something that’s social.”
Eli Grimm, C.U. gamer and engineering major. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
The Alienware Lounge is “sponsored by Dell Alienware. So we have these amazing rigs. These are top of the line computers that would cost several thousand dollars to make on your own,” student gaming event planner, Jesse Helser said.
Jesse Helser is a student gaming event planner at the Alienware Lounge at C.U. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
C.U. student, Colin Stewart, a junior majoring in psychology said, “My goal tonight is to win. This is the second time I’ve been here. I participated in the first event of this semester and I honestly have my own gaming PC in my dorm. But I enjoy coming out here.”
Colin Stewart, is a junior majoring in psychology at the University of Colorado in Boulder. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
Although C.U. offers 50 games, Minecraft has become the best selling video game world wide since its release in 2009. Sales topped at 300 millions copies sold as of 2024 and according to Xbox, there are nearly 170 million monthly players exploring the critically acclaimed virtual worlds.
A C.U. student played a video game as his friends sitting near by joined in the same battle. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
The Alienware gaming lounge is a place created for fun and competition that offers students the opportunity to team build playing on high-tech gaming equipment. They can grow a community of gamers facilitated by the Center for Student Involvement 7 days a week.
The Alienware Lounge is a place of community where friends can join in video games for relaxation and enjoyment. Students will find Alienware hours and coming events on the website.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
I paused along the moss-clad path to Gothtopia’s altar, where worship lingered like incense in the ghostly ruins of Saint Michel’s basilica in Normandy. The damp perfume of aged wood and stone breathed through the centuries, pulling my soul through time’s fragile veil. I stepped first into the monastic refuge of 966 CE—then onward into the cold, stone prison of King Louis XI in 1472.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The spirits of the exiled citizens whispered, “Run away,” yet I pressed forward. In the distance, the unforgiving door stood resolute, its distressed, burnt Tuscan auburn frame glinting beneath a lacquered sheen of blood-red defiance.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
A procession of artifacts drifted down the path, motionless yet advancing, as if carried by memory. Coordinates flickered across the heads-up display of my spectacles—longitude, latitude, fragments of direction. I had left my map on the battlefield, and my phone no longer held a charge. Though I was not truly lost, the world had misplaced me.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The red lacquer door, a relic of a final warning, roared, “Open me!” Its cry rang like swords clashing in the hands of dying warriors. “The end is near,” it whispered in silence, the relic’s cruel souvenir. “The enemy offered no home advantage,” I answered, defiant against its echo.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The unconscious masters ignored the printed enslaved, who begged for release from the fabric that bound them. I saw in the image a colonial warning—a reminder not to forget the past. I thought of the forced integration that tore children from their former lives as they boarded those buses. Their spirits have long since vanished, erased as characters and forgotten by their teachers and the system that failed them.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Along the path, a messiah sat upon a fractured altar, her voice trembling as she called out for an apostle to gather the faithless flock. Her sword and wings—tattered, torn, and trembling—beat helplessly against the cold, mechanical wind of capitalistic dominion that had ruled over Gothtopia.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
As I drew near the altar, the hollow glass candles began to shatter under the prophet’s resonant cries. Razor-edged shards clashed around me. From below, the unfeeling Holy Mother wailed—a menacing summons that chilled the marrow of my faith.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Through the monolithic arches, I saw the basilica—its nave filled with abandoned chairs, now nests for birds that had long forgotten how to fly. The Benedictine monks of 1790 CE were driven from the abbey by the revolutionaries, who also abolished the lettres de cachet, sealing the end of an era in French history.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The altar walls, built from the skeletons of time, stood weathered and decaying beneath the assault of the salt-laden sea air. I knelt before the new god of technology, awaiting the signal that would permit the ritual, the digital incantation demanded by faith’s replacement.
Around me, green moss and a viscera of pollution writhed through the mechanical vastness of the future, twining with the Messiah’s torn wings. Nearby, a self-adoring granite gargoyle hovered mockingly, its once sacred symbol of fertility now a caricature of its conceit.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Razor-sharpened wrought-iron impalers stood in place like sentinels, their blackened stocks recalling the disappeared fallen heads of statesmen. The tattered public servants gazed on from the gallery, trapped in an echo of the past. Their ghosts, condemned to linger in the gallery, watch as history repeats itself. A vessel of broken time, the basilica endures its shattered moments. Her remembrance, reflected in graven images of the memory of Saint Michel and in the minds of the pilgrims.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The vacant wrought-iron bars framed a prophecy: our daily debts are the rations earned through the labors of hope, fragile offerings, easily crushed by a king’s will. Lettres de cachet once sanctioned imprisonment or death without trial within Mont-Saint-Michel’s shadowed Gothtopia. Yet, in bitter irony, this violation of justice preserved the abbey from utter ruin.
Mont Saint-Michel, France (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
As I turned to leave, the narcissistic ghosts gathered—unseen yet impenetrable—blocking the windows and door. They pulsed with vibrations drawn from the basilica’s menacing past, its walls still breathing history. One by one, the apparitions released their lethal cargo of memories upon the living below—those drifting through their holidays, blissfully unaware, unwilling to remember.
C.U. Presents closed its modern vampire love story to a packed house at the University of Colorado Loft Theatre in Boulder.
Director Heather Kelley’s adaption of Jack Thorne’s play “Let the Right One In” completed its run to a sold-out theater on Sunday, Oct. 20, at the University of Colorado Loft Theatre.
The audience waits for the sold out presentation of Let the Right One in to begin. Scenic design by Hyley Delich. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, first love, sexual intimidation, and school bullying transcend the borders of time and space in “Let the Right One In.” Eli, a 200-year-old vampire fixed at the age of 12, befriends Oskar, their 13-year-old neighbor, on the playground where Eli is bullied by schoolmates in 1981 Sweden.
Eli, a 12 year old trapped in the body of a 200 year old vampire is played by Wyleigh Watson. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The childhood friendship between Eli and Oskar is complex, creating “a dynamic narrative that centers on empathy and fighting for each other despite all the blood and scars,” Brosnan Bustamante, the stage manager said.
Oskar, played by Salem Channell, lives next door to Eli the vampire. Eli, played by Wyleigh Watson, contemplates a Rubix Cube. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Let the Right One In ”is a macabre story with a happy ending,” Scenic Designer, Haley Delich, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design, Technology, and Management said. Oskar is “dealing with bullying and first love,” and Eli “is trapped with the body and the mind of a child.”
When Hakan dies, Oskar becomes Eli’s new companion, giving purpose to their lives.
Bullies Jonny, Jimmy and Micke, play by Ian Von Pechmann, Sam Stitt and Cade respectively, threaten to drown Oskar, played by Salem Channell.
Situated in 1981 Blackeberg, Sweden, the playgrond was the setting where Hakan, Eli’s parent figure, killed and procured blood from his victims for the thirsty 12-year-old child.
Roan Cochrane as Hakan (Right) drains the blood from his victim played by Ian McCance (Left). (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The emotional topics of the play demanded that stage manager Brosnan Bustamante, a C.U. student, ensure a smooth production. Brosnan prioritized a supportive environment. He minimized stress to keep the team focused on the performance.
Savannah Gullett plays Oskar’s Mum (Left). Norah Shuey plays Halmberg, the police commissioner. (Right)(Melodie Miller | Photographer)
“It’s crucial that the stage, cast, and crew are functioning smoothly, especially in a production that is emotionally intense and technically demanding,” Bustamante said.
The menacing play ground of “Let the Right One In.” (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Filled with death, blood and bulling, the setting is ironic as a playground but fitting as a place of horror, where children act as monsters.
Bully Jonny, play by Ian Von Pechmann, talks with Oskar, played by Salem Channell.(Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Delich designed the set to evoke a “bit of the horrors of growing up and outgrowing the playground,” she said.
“Let the Right One In” play ground setting designed by Hayley Delich. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The cast of “Let the Right One In” take a bow at the close of their successful run.
Salem Channell as Oscar (center front) Middle row: Wyleigh Watson as Eli, Charlie Hough as Mr. Avila, Sam Stitt as Jimmy, Pechmann as Jonny. Back row: Roan Cochrane as Hakan, Ian McCance as Dad, Cade Heaton as Micke, Savannah Gullett (far right, back) as Mum. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The minimalistic rusted monkey bar set, designed by Delich, was intended to “mirror the stark lives of the characters,” she said. The characters had outgrown the playground but were emotionally stuck in their childhood experiences where they faced bulling and isolation everyday in “Let the Right One In.”
“Let The Right One In” play ground Scenic design by Hyley Delich. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The 2024 C.U. Presents, “Let the Right One In,” is part of the Artists Series, which spans over 80 years on campus. Kelley is pursuing a PhD in Theatre & Performance Studies at C.U. Boulder.
University Theatre Building, 261 University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302
Humor offers a chance to challenge the narrative of marginalization. This is according to Dallas Goldtooth, Res Ball (film) actor and environmental activist, who spoke on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the University of Colorado Macky Theater. Goldtooth mixed his signature storytelling and humor with advocacy, gaining the audience’s trust.
“Buy American Spirit cigarettes,” he said when asked how non-indigenous allies can get involved.
Dallas Goldtooth of Dakota and Diné heritage speaks at Macky Theater on the Campus of University of Colorado at Boulderof his experience with environmental issues and activism . (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Goldtooth is known for his character William Spirit Knifeman in the FX series Reservation Dogs. He is also the founding member of the 1491’s comedy group. He joked with the Boulder audience and reminded them that solving the climate crisis means acting on a larger scale. The climate crisis disproportionately impacts Indigenous communities and other marginalized groups.
Actor and activist Dallas Goldtooth as William Knife-Man in FX’s Reservation Dogs. (Photograph by Shane Brown / FX)
“I’m sure all of you are really happy about your hybrid car that you’re driving or that you switched your light bulbs to LED lights. It’s great. But we have to remind ourselves as we understand that the causation of climate chaos is capitalism. It also means that the fight to protect this planet is much more than environmentalism,” Goldtooth said.
Activist Dallas Goldtooth encourages the audience to . (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The fight for climate change is a fight for liberation, according to Goldtooth. Many areas affected by climate chaos are marginalized communities. Their citizens often lack the power to influence what happens to the land. They have no voice regarding the water, the air, or their bodies. He encouraged the audience to help lift marginalized voices.
“This will allow us to imagine a future that’s livable for everyone,” Goldtooth said.
Dallas Goldtooth combined humor and inspiration for action with audience at Macky Theater on the Campus of University of Colorado at Boulder. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
“Just bring people together around a common issue and let them talk with one another. You have right-wing ranchers, and you have left-leaning natives,” Goldtooth said, “working together to stop the Keystone XL pipeline to preserve clean water on their lands. I’m happy to say that we won the Keystone XL campaign.”
Dallas Goldtooth joked with the audience at Macky Theater on the Campus of University of Colorado at Boulder. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Goldtooth amplified the importance of the world’s “climate chaos as an issue that we are all dealing with on this planet.” He softened the message with a personalized joke when asked how he began his career as an activist. Goldtooth told the audience, “Well, I was 13 pounds when I was born. So, my mom knew injustice.”
Dallas Goldtooth reminded the audience at Macky Theater on the Campus of University of Colorado at Boulder that the climate crisis affects marginalized communities disproportionately. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Storytelling is a “big part of the organizing effort to make this planet better,” Goldtooth said. Humor provides the “opportunity for you to disrupt the narrative because all of our fields have been impacted” by marginalization. For example, the United States insurance companies secure capitalistic investments. Goldtooth told the audience that “insurance companies are complicit in the destruction of the earth.”
Benny Shendo attended Goldtooth’s speech. He is the vice chancellor for Native American Affairs at the University of Colorado. Shendo is also a member of New Mexico’s Democratic Senate. “I think you will find humor across any country. I mean, it’s not any different in Pueblo or any different in Pani or any other tribe,” said Shendo.
Benny Shendo. University of Colorado alumni speaks to Congress. Members of Congress formally accepted a sculpture of Po’pay, a medicine man from Ohkay Owingeh who led the Pueblo Indian Revolt of 1680, to complete the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall collection. (Photograph courtesy of the C-SPAN 2 Archives)
Phillip Gover is a Tribal Affairs Specialist for the Colorado Department of Human Service. He is an advocate for Indigenous Coloradoans and said, “I think Native Americans have always dealt with tragedy with a sense of humor. Most people would say, ‘What?’ Why would you laugh at that? If I’m not laughing, then I’m crying, and I’d rather be laughing.”
Phillip Gover, a Tribal Affairs Specialist for the Colorado Department of Human Service (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Goldtooth uses joy and laughter to advocate for marginalized Native American communities disproportionately facing climate change.
Dallas Goldtooth shared the stage with students at Macky Theater on the Campus of University of Colorado at Boulder. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
He is descended from the Minnesota Dakota/Diné (Navajo) tribe. He is a member of the Lower Sioux Indian Community. He is also a Dakota language instructor.
Story interpreted by Melodie Miller | Designer | Illustrator
Keawe the Flaming Spirit of the Volcano (Melodie Miller, Illustrator, Adobe Illustrator)
Po the Volcano and the Flames of Many Voices (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
In the beginning there was Po, the all-powerful Volcano.
Keawe the Flaming Spirit of the Volcano (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
And, Keawe, the flaming spirit of the Volcano.
Untimed Infinite Time Passing (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Surrounded by an abyss of empty darkness, together, they were alone.
One day Keawe, speaking his mind said, “Po, it is not good that I am so alone.”
“But we have always been alone together. It has always been our way. We are all powerful. We do not need another.” Po responded.
The Flames of Many Voices (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The Flames of Many Voices living inside Volcano echoed Po’s warning, speaking with crackling and slapping flames, “Yes, Yes, Yes. It has always been our way, way, way. We are all powerful, powerful, powerful. We do not need another, another, another.”
“But Po, I have no one to love.” Keawe said.
“Keawe, what is this word you say, Love?” Po asked.
“What is this word Love? What is this word Love? What is this word Love, Love Love?” the Flames echoed with the innocence of Many Voices, pushing and pulling at the walls of the Volcano.
Time passed.
Na Wahine and Keawe (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Po did not want Keawe to be lonely, so he created Na Wahine for him to love.
“Keawe, I am Na Wahine. I have been waiting, alone for a long time, inside your heart. I am here now to share your love.” she said.
“Why did you not come sooner?” Keawe asked?
“Because you did not call for me.” she answered.
Looking down upon Keawe and Na Wahine, Po said, “Together you will rule. And, it is good.”
Then with a rumbling of the Volcano, Po commanded, “From your love, bring forth life to help you govern the heavens and the earth; bring forth beauty and all things will be good.”
The god princes and goddess princess of Hawai’ian legend (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Through Na Wahine, Keawe brought forth four sons.
Kane the God Prince of Sky (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The first son was Kane, the god of the sky and all that it is.
Ku the God Prince of War and Peace (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The second son was Ku, the god of war and peace; and Kanaloa, the god of all things in and of the ocean;.
Kanaloa the God Prince of Ocean (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The third son was Kanaloa, the god of all things in and of the ocean.
Lono the God Prince of the Land (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The fourth son was Lono the god of the land and that which it brings forth, the harvest and its bounty.
The Flames of Many Voices (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Along the walls of the Volcano the envious Flames of Many Voices became angry and agitate. The Flames of Many voices felt alone because Keawe was not alone.
“Call for me. Call for me. Call for me,” the Flames of Many Voices echoed.
But Keawa did not answer.
Time passed.
“Four daughters will be yours,” Po said.
Laka the Goddess Princess of the Hula (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Your first-born daughter, Laka, will bring the hula, the language of the heart.” Po said. “Laka will keep the story; abide by her words.”
Hina the Goddess Princess of Sanctuary (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
“Your second daughter Hina will give you sanctuary from danger, stand on her as a rock when in need.”
Kapo the Goddess Princess of the Lost (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
“Your third daugher, hot tempered Kapo will govern furiously with her brother Kanaloa. Be remembered by Kapo when you are hungry and lost, she will feed you and lead you home.”
Papa the Goddess Princess of Nature and its Beauty (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The fourth daughter, Papa, “will rule all of nature with beauty beyond words. Anyone who looks upon her, even in her rage, will feel her power.” Po said.
Papas natural beauty will overpower the gazers senses, and none will find the strength to resist her.
“Once the beauty of Papa is gazed upon, she will enchant their heart forever,” Po said.
The Flames and the Goddess Princess of Nature and its Beauty (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The Flames of Many Voices gazed upon Papa and were stricken with love for her natural beauty, which was beyond challenge, thus they were lonely no more, They were enchanted.
To this day, anyone who looks upon the nature of Papa and the beauty of the Islands, will not have the strength to resist her love. Hawai’i will live in their hearts for eternity.
This is the creation story of the enchanting lands of Hawai’i, her captivating love and irresistible beauty.
Mountains northeast of Durango brings fourth-highest harvest of mountain lions
By Colorado Student News Service
Friday, Nov 1, 2024 11:00 AM Updated Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 5:59 PM
Records from Colorado Parks and Wildlife shows 2,600 hunters killed 502 mountain lions in 2022-2023, the most recent period for which statistics are available. (Courtesy of the National Parks Service, via The Colorado Sun)
In the early morning chill of Colorado’s rugged wilderness, the rhythmic panting of hounds echoes through the trees as they close in on their elusive target, a mountain lion.
For hunters, the video from a Durango outfitter, shows a moment steeped in tradition and survival skills, but such moments may soon disappear from the Colorado landscape. On Nov. 5, voters will decide the fate of mountain lion and bobcat hunting in Colorado, with Proposition 127 seeking to ban the practice entirely.
The group “Cats Aren’t Trophies” gathered about 188,000 signatures to put a measure on the November ballot.
While the group’s name references “trophies,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife considers trophy hunting to be illegal in Colorado. Hunters are expected to eat and use what they kill, based on a hunting brochure from the state agency.
Public records from the state agency show a highly regulated hunting environment where 2,600 hunters killed 502 cats in 2022-2023, the most recent period for which statistics are available.
The fourth highest number of mountain lions killed – 11 – came from an area in the mountains northeast of Durango and La Plata County. The rest of the mountain lions killed around the state were in the single digits, mostly in remote, mountainous areas.
The 21 mountain lions killed in a remote area northeast of Meeker in 2022-2023 was the largest number for any area in Colorado, based on public records provided by Kara Van Hoose, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman. The next largest number of mountain lions killed were in a mountainous southern part of the state near Interstate 25, where 16 were killed in one Colorado Parks and Wildlife statistical area and 15 were killed in the neighboring area. Colorado Parks and Wildlife maps do not follow county lines around the state but are numbered by region.
Van Hoose declined to comment on specific questions related to Proposition 127 so as to remain neutral during the election period. She declined to comment on how current legal hunts affect the economy or how banning mountain lion hunts could affect wildlife and cattle, among other things. Colorado Parks and Wildlife started regulating hunting licenses for mountain lions in 1965 after the mountain lion population declined, according to information on the state agency’s website.
Van Hoose said that Colorado Parks and Wildlife surveys wildlife populations by helicopter, among other things, to decide how many licenses will be available to hunters every year.
“We set licenses depending on a lot of different factors. There are environmental factors and external factors,” Van Hoose said.
The most emotional part of the hunting discussion appears to be how some Colorado outfitters use GPS-collared dogs to track and hunt mountain lions. Hound hunting is legal in Colorado.
Some 88% of Colorado residents disapprove of hunters using dogs to help with hunting and 78% disapprove of “trophy hunting” of mountain lions, according to an August Colorado State University study published in the Society for Conservation Biology journal.
Kelly Maher, a Colorado hunter, said she teaches her children to honor the animals that the family hunts “by consuming and using every part of the animal.” She said proponents of Proposition 127 don’t like the hound hunting, “but the cat needs to be stationary to identify its sex and status.”
The people who gathered signatures to get Proposition 127 on the ballot feel that hunting mountain lions with GPS-equipped dogs “gives our hunters a bad name for violations of fair chase,” according to Mark Surls, the volunteer and outreach coordinator for the group.
A group supporting continued mountain lion hunting is called Colorado’s Wildlife Deserve Better, which includes funding help from the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and the Colorado Wool Growers Association. And the Board of Mesa County Commissioners in Grand Junction unanimously approved a resolution opposing Colorado Proposition 127 on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife requires hunters to take an exam and buy a license to hunt mountain lions. About 3,800 to 4,400 mountain lions live in Colorado, according to the state agency, but most people never see them because they’re active at night.
About the Colorado Media Project
The University of Colorado journalism program has a $10,000 grant from the Colorado Media Project, as you know, and we’re working with eight newsrooms this semester in rural and underserved communities mostly around the Western Slope, including The Journal, Ark Valley Voice, Aspen Times, Bucket List Community Café, Colorado Newsline, Denver Urban Spectrum, Rio Blanco Herald Tribune, Sopris Sun/Sol del Valle and Enterate Latino.
Readers can the Colorado Media Project and the class by contacting Elizabeth Potter and the students at elizabeth.potter@colorado.edu.
Colorado Media Project | Courtesy of Colorado Media Project
Common Sense Institute Colorado, a nonpartisan group interested in protecting Colorado’s economy, reports that Proposition 127, if passed, would cause an overall “$4 million to $6.2 million in lost Colorado Parks and Wildlife revenue.”
Of the total, the Common Sense group says there would be a direct loss of $410,000 from mountain lion and bobcat hunting licenses. The group estimates that Colorado Parks and Wildlife would lose a separate $3.6 to $5.8 million in elk and deer hunting permit revenue because the increased mountain lion population would keep the elk and deer population down.
Reporting by Adair Teuton, Bella Hammond, Caniya Robinson, Jackson Jupille, Lincoln Roch and Melodie Miller.
It was early morning on a crisp, cold, sunny Sunday in November on the 55-acre Sunflower Farm. Founder John Roberts fed wood to the crackling campfire to warm the Farmfest guests. Community members of all ages come to the sustainable farm to roam among the magical forest and farm animals.
The farm is a healing “resting place for the community,” Roberts said. You can come as a family “to mingle with others that you never would have otherwise met.” The farm creates connections and an “intertwining of community that I think is beneficial.”
Roberts earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Colorado Mesa University. He taught at a primary school in Moshi, Tanzania, Africa. While in Moshi, he observed the benefits of outdoor-based learning. “The students plant seeds in the spring. By the end of the summer, they see the benefits of their participation in the farm. “
The children spend more than half their learning time out of doors. They play with the worms in the dirt and “begin to understand where their food comes from,” Liz Napp, the executive Sunflower Farm and Sunflower Farm Acres, said.
The farm is like an outdoor living room where Roberts introduces his guests to over 100 farm animals. “When I lived in Washington D.C., I realized that spaces are important,” Roberts said. “Over the last 25 years, I’ve created spaces for visitors to experience different things,” while enjoying the farm.
In 2024, Sunflower Farm became a production farm with an educational vision to immerse children in nature, land conservation and farming. Jacob McGuire, operations manager of Sunflower Farm Acres, said the children are “getting more than just the curriculum” as they navigate the property. They are “participating in preserving nature.”
As a conservation easement, Sunflower Farm is “required through contract to preserve much of the nature that exists,” McGuire said. This means no new structures can be built on the farm, so the preschool cannot grow.
But there are other ways the farm can grow its contribution to the community. Healthy soil grows nourishing food, so Roberts is committed to working with aspiring local farmers.
We are “planning to expand educational internships focusing on regenerative farming practices,” McGuire, who has a master’s degree in international human rights from the University of Denver, said.
Roberts bought the homestead in 2002. It had a rundown farmhouse. However, Robert’s four children and their friends loved the place. Roberts, a master builder, improved the property, created the community spaces, and formed a preschool.
Roberts goal was to preserve the open space of the farm. He built winding pathways for visitors to explore a hay maze, a grain silo, and a twin-engine airplane. Guests can wander between hand-split wood enclosures where friendly goats and ponies greet everyone.
The farming and animal setting creates an “easy learning environment for kids to participate and they are eager to participate,” Roberts said. While planting pumpkin seeds, the children count and improve their “dexterity, and they’re also learning.”
Looking to the future, Roberts said, “You know, I don’t think there’s going to be another Sunflower Farm. The business model does not financially support” the preschool.
“I was raised poor, so money is not a motivating factor for me. Otherwise, I would have sold this farm years ago and retired.” Roberts said. “But I’ve made a commitment of myself to do this for the community. This is my purpose.”
Visitors are welcome at the Sunflower Farm in Longmont Colorado with reservations.
The SKEA Elsa down filled ski parka with matching fur ruff.
Photos courtesy of SKEA
Nylon Ciré – Ciré is a highly glazed wax finish that creates a water resistant barrier.
Down filled insulation throughout
Underarm ventilation zips.
Interior sleeve cuff with thumb holes.
Interior snow-skirt
3 zipper pockets
Fixed collar and hood
Optional snap-on real/faux fur trim
An athletic fit with room to move
Unleash your skiing flair with the SKEA Elsa Jacket. This jacket is not just breathable and hydrophobic, but effortlessly shifts from the slopes to the streets. Filled with down, it offers unbeatable warmth and adaptability for your mountain adventures. The Elsa parka combines purpose and femininity, and comes in a range of colors to match your taste.
Photos courtesy of SKEA
The SKEA Elsa down filled parka sketch and production instructions
SKEA photo shoot at Loveland Pass, Colorado
Photos courtesy of SKEA
The SKEA vintage ski-wear inspired Thinsulate insulated Coco Parka
Photos courtesy of SKEA
Polyester Stretch super water repellant 20K WP
200 grams Thinsulate Insulation
4 zip pockets
Faux fur lined inner collar
Helmet compatible hood with optional fur trim
Removable belt to wear or not with snap down belt loops
Snow skirt
Cinch bottom
Slim fit
The Coco Thinsulate insulated parka sketch and production instructions
Photos courtesy of SKEA
Cosmic Vest is the perfect layering garment. Snuggle into the collar on icy days.
Photos courtesy of SKEA
The SKEA Brit insulated ski suit
Photos courtesy of SKEA
Stay warm in Skea high quality, quick drying polyster knit baselayer’s designed by Melodie Miller
Tennis and Golf for Skea by Melodie Miller
Sierra Design extreme elevation mountain apparel designed by Melodie Miller
Paul Nanawa wearing Sierra Designs designed by Melodie Miller | Mt. Rainier | Photo courtesy of Eric Larsen
Paul Nanawa | Mt. Rainier | Eric Larsen | Both men wear Sierra Designs extreme weather gear designed by Melodie Miller | Photos courtesy of Eric Larsen
Eric Larsen and his team wear yellow and orange Sierra Designs cold weather gear designed by Melodie Miller | Photos courtesy of Eric Larsen
Eric Larsen and his team wear yellow and orange Sierra Designs cold weather gear designed by Melodie Miller | Photos courtesy of Eric Larsen
Eric Larsen attemps to summit Mt. Everest. (Right). Eric Larsens (Center right) expedition team wear orange Sierra Designs cold weather gear designed by Melodie Miller | Photos courtesy of Eric Larsen
Eric Larsen and his team at the South Pole wear orange Sierra Designs extreme cold weather gear designed by Melodie Miller | Photos courtesy of Eric Larsen
Shaun Mauer at the summit of Mt. Rainier wearing Sierra Designs mountain gear designed by Melodie Miller.
Brian Tschider and Shaun Mauer at John Muir as they prepare to ascend Mt. Rainier wearing Sierra Designs mountain gear designed by Melodie Miller. (Right) Shaun Mauer wearing Sierra Designs mountain gear designed by Melodie Miller. (Center Left)
HEXA Custom outdoor apparel designed and developed by Melodie Miller
HEXA Reversible Sherpa Jacket (Photos courtesy of HEXA Custom)
Insulated Camping Blankets 57″ x 75″
HEXA Custom | Men’s Quilted Sherpa Vest | Sketch and Engineering
Academy Sports + Outdoors | Women’s Magellan Waterproof Pant (Melodie Miller | Designer)
Pearl Isumi Triathlon Suit
Dame Flora Duffy, DBE, is a Bermudian professional triathlete (Center) wearing Pearl Izumi developed exclusively for Duffy by Melodie Miller. Duffy won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Bermuda’s first gold medal. She also competed in the Beijing, London, and Rio de Janeiro Olympics. In 2018, she won gold in the women’s triathlon at the XXI Commonwealth Games in Australia.
The Heartbeat of the Powwow returned to the University of Colorado at Farrand Field on Sept. 28, 2024. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
Listen to powwow musician Tony Crank at the University of Colorado Farrand Field Sept. 28, 2024. The Colorado American Indian Tribes In-State Tuition Act (CO SB 21-029) was passed to allow eligible students to pay in-state tuition at Colorado public universities and colleges.(Melodie Miller | Photographer)
I went to historic Farrand Field on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder for the 2024 Native American powwow. It was a beautiful bluebird day without a cloud in the sky. The campus was built on the traditional territories and homelands of the Arapaho, the Cheyenne, and the Ute nations. The powwow is part of the universities commitment to continually improving and enhancing engagement with indigenous peoples locally and nationwide. It is the first powwow on campus in 23 years.
Farrand Field was named after Livingston Farrand, the university’s fourth president who served from 1914 to 1919.
After 23 years, the powwow returns to campus as a celebration of faith and tradition for the indigenous peoples of Colorado.
The 2024 CU Boulder Powwow was organized by the Oyate Native American and Indigenous Student Organizations on campus. It was a collaboration between the Center for Inclusion and Social Change (CISC), the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies (CNAIS), the Oyate Native American and Indigenous student group and the native Graduate Student Group and the Theater and Dance Department.
Cultural etiquette was encouraged with guidelines posted as reminders for the audience. The aim was to elevate understanding and sensitivity towards respecting the customs of Native American nations.
Cultural etiquette is a unique set of understandings that guide people when interacting in different societies. At the powwow, these guidelines include not touching the dancers, their regalia, instruments or fallen feathers. “Do no ask for cultural details that are not offered even with good intentions.” Sensitivity and respect for these norms fosters positive cross-cultural understanding and connection.
Grand entry for the powwow. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
After 23 years, the powwow returns to campus as a celebration of faith and tradition for the indigenous peoples of Colorado. The grand entry victory song and two rounds of intertribals.
Saydie Sago told me she went to the last powwow 23 years ago, in 2001 with her parents when she was a small child. We are “bringing some Cheyenne, and Rapaho community from northern Rapajo members, southern Rapaho members, and Cheyenne members to come dance and be a partner. Of course, they were part of one of the many tribes that are historically tied to this part of the land and also Colorado. So we are inviting them back to their ancestral lands,” Sago said.
Saydie Sago, one of the powwow organizers, is a fourth year PhD student here at CU. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
“I know that my parents, I think, have actually been to the powwow 23 years ago. So it’s really nice to see it coming back, Redhorse said. “I’ve been going to powwows ever since I was one of the tiny tots. My mom put me in a jingle dress dance, and I got up on the dance floor. I really hope we can continue this ongoing tradition.”
Shaleen Redhorse is an aerospace engineering student here at CU. She danced powwows when she was younger. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
I spoke with CU graduate Benny Shendo, the vice chancellor of Native American Affairs, about the future for native american students in states outside of Colorado.
“We only have two federally recognized tribes here in the state of Colorado. But then there’s 46 other tribes that have historical connection to the state of Colorado,” Shendo said. Colorado state “passed the law signed by the governor that will allow any students from those tribes to come into state tuition. Not only will this increase our Native American enrollment, both undergraduate, graduate, but also faculty and staff.”
“It’s a new day,” Shendo said. “It’s a new day, you know, it’s for us, and we’re hoping to elevate the presence of our native students at all levels.”
CU graduate Benny Shendo, the vice chancellor of Native American Affairs is a state senator for New Mexico. (Photograph courtesy of Common Ground Rising.org Blog)
Powwow Gallery
Welcome to the 2024 Powwow on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. This event offers an exhilarating experience that spans 200 years of cultural history . Every moment is an opportunity to witness and partake in the spiritual ceremony of the powwow. (Melodie Miller | Photographer)
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. It was founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state. Colorado’s flagship university honors and recognizes the many contributions of Indigenous peoples in the state. The university acknowledges that it is located on the traditional territories of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Ute. It is also on the ancestral homelands of many other Native American nations. The university is dedicated to recognizing and amplifying the voices of Indigenous CU Boulder students, staff, faculty and their work.
The Alienware Lounge at the Colorado Memorial Center on C.U. campus. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
Game in luxury with state of the art Dell software can be found at the University of Colorado, Boulder lounge on the first floor of the Colorado Memorial Center. The gaming lounge is open seven days a week.
The Alienware Lounge features custom designed chairs for long periods of sitting. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
The University of Colorado teamed up with Alienware, a hardware subsidiary brand of Dell in 2023 to build the second collegiate facility in the nation. According to the University, the 1,275-square-foot space inside the UMC was renovated with a $1.2 million donation from Dell Technologies and Intel.
The Alienware Lounge offers numerous games and open seating for up to one hour per session. Watch the Youtube video for a view of the facility. https://youtu.be/Dpi8Z01Gqcg (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
The luxury Alienware Lounge has 19 gaming desktops, three gaming laptops, and a console area that can comfortably seat up to 4 gamers. C.U. students receive 10 free days passes on their first visit.
Adam Pallas, is the senior coordinator for gaming programs at C.U. Boulder. (Melodie Miller / Photographer).
Building a community at Alienware is one goal of the Center for Student Involvement at C.U. “I am full time. I am part of our Center for Student Involvement, which is where our gaming lounge is housed,” Senior Coordinator for Gaming Programs, Adam Pallas said. “I was brought on to the University in August 2023, prior to the opening of the gaming lounge, and I’ve been with it since then.”
UCM Alienware Gaming Lounge is open 7-days a week.
Alienware Esports Lounge has ample, custom seating.
Log into your account to play the game of your choice.
Stations accommodate playing with multiple friends.
The lounge has 50 games installed on its PC’s.
The lounge has state-of-the-art Dell gaming stations.
UCM Alienware Lounge entrance. (Melodie Miller / Photographer).
Alienware hosts in person gaming night once per month with free pizza and tonight its Minecraft Bingo. “Minecraft is not normally a competitive game, but we thought we could make it competitive by doing the Bingo competition,” Pallas said.
Mojang Studios, a video game developer based in Sweden introduce Minecraft in May 2009 as a sand-box-style where players could freely explore, interact with others and create. The idea is that people can experiment by playing survival or creative modes. Mojang Studios sold Minecraft to Microsoft Gaming in 2014 for $2.5 billion dollars.
Graphic was designed and developed with Piktochart. (Melodie Miller / Designer).
Minecraft has evolved over the years but it remains a sandbox-style video game that gives players a lot of freedom to explore, interact, and create virtual worlds without following a set objective. It is an environment where players build and explore virtual worlds by discovering and extracting raw materials with craft tools and machines.
Eli Grimm is a sophomore at C.U. majoring in engineering. His favorite game is Minecraft because it is a “creative game to play with your friends,” Grimm said. “Its a great way to connect with people. If you have close friends, but you guys live far away, you could play some games together. It’s something that’s social.”
Eli Grimm, C.U. gamer and engineering major. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
The Alienware Lounge is “sponsored by Dell Alienware. So we have these amazing rigs. These are top of the line computers that would cost several thousand dollars to make on your own,” student gaming event planner, Jesse Helser said.
Jesse Helser is a student gaming event planner at the Alienware Lounge at C.U. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
C.U. student, Colin Stewart, a junior majoring in psychology said, “My goal tonight is to win. This is the second time I’ve been here. I participated in the first event of this semester and I honestly have my own gaming PC in my dorm. But I enjoy coming out here.”
Colin Stewart, is a junior majoring in psychology at the University of Colorado in Boulder. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
Although C.U. offers 50 games, Minecraft has become the best selling video game world wide since its release in 2009. Sales topped at 300 millions copies sold as of 2024 and according to Xbox, there are nearly 170 million monthly players exploring the critically acclaimed virtual worlds.
A C.U. student played a video game as his friends sitting near by joined in the same battle. (Melodie Miller / Photographer)
The Alienware gaming lounge is a place created for fun and competition that offers students the opportunity to team build playing on high-tech gaming equipment. They can grow a community of gamers facilitated by the Center for Student Involvement 7 days a week.
The Alienware Lounge is a place of community where friends can join in video games for relaxation and enjoyment. Students will find Alienware hours and coming events on the website.
Fiona’s paintbrushes leaned at an eighty-degree angle inside the utility jar that sat on the easel shelf. The paintbrush’s heights were uniform, made of dark blond, smooth bamboo spindles. The bamboo spindles stood eight inches tall with a diameter of seven millimeters. A dark black, copper-clad ferrule circled the top of each spindle, holding the bristles in place.
The tip of one spindle was wrapped with a 2-millimeter open loop attached inside a small hole, glued to the moon-shaped head of the brush. Each outer bristle was made of soft mink belly hairs and the core was made of firm hairs taken from the spine of a wild boar.
Printed on the original paintbrush packaging the manufacturer guaranteed the bristles would produce “smooth, dynamic strokes when both light or heavy pressure was applied.”
The bristles were clean and still damp from washing and pointed to the ceiling like boot camp soldiers falling out of rank. The name YASUTOMO BAMBOO CALLIGRAPHY BRUSH was engraved in a manually burned branding method at the lower third of the spinal. The engraving was coarse-looking and ruff to the touch, emblematic of Fiona’s temperament.
*************
Sara reached inside the bronze-colored storage shelf labeled ‘B.’ The box was wrapped in newsprint paper that was faded on the corners. Handwritten in black felt tip pen was the name ‘Fiona Xi, 2018, Evidence.”
Artwork created with Microsoft Copilot by Melodie Miller
“The Strange Kingdom” is intended as an anthology series that includes various genres of fantasy, science fiction, suspense, horror, drama, and psychological thrillers. However, all episodes have macabre and unexpected twists that tend toward amoral and antisocial themes where the anti-heroes and villains usually succeed.
In the pilot episode, The Magical Mountaintop acts metaphorically as an imaginary world. Mindy has lived there since she retired from ski racing because of an injury. The concept of a magical mountaintop alludes to a castle concept. This concept might be found in knight’s tales. Examples include Marie de France’s “The Lais of Marie de France” and Chrétien de Troyes’ “Arthurian Tales.” In these stories, knights find damsels in distress to rescue them. However, in this episode, Mindy is unknowingly attempting to rescue herself. None of the characters have altruistic natures or ambitions.
The Magical Mountaintop is inspired by Tennessee Williams’ play titled Magical Tower. In the play, two young, newly married lovers try to make a go of it. However, the hardships of life prove more potent than their love.
The Elbow Room is a situational comedy series set in 1984 at the birth of tech in Seattle, Washington. The Elbow Room is a fictitious bar on a Washington State Ferry where young commuters hang together during their battle to and from Bainbridge Island to their jobs in Seattle. Their friendships exist only inside the world of their commute and every effort is made to keep their personal lives separate from their ferry boat adventures.
When did higher education become the enemy? This is a fictional breaking news release that relays the satirical course syllabus at a fictitious Marxist business school. This satire is written in response to commentaries claiming that Marxist culture is prevalent on U.S. college campuses.
BREAKING NEWS: Underground Marxist School of Business syllabus discovered in bike satchel of arrested political dissident. Mother claims “Literary Theory and Critical Thinking studies are turning my child into a monster.” Infiltration of Marxism on college campuses proven.
Course Syllabus
MBAC 61984 Business Strategy – Innovative Management of “Profit and Means of Production”
Restricted to The Vanguard members and Master of Business Administration Candidates dedicated to overthrowing the bourgeoisie capitalist class.
Location: “SIBERIA, Gulag 13,” in the Basement of Hellems Arts and Science Building Class Time: 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM Instructor: Ivan T. Errible Office Hours: Mondays after dark Email: commi@KMSB.edu
Instructors Statement: Class struggle between the bourgeoisie capitalist and the worker stands as an iconic representation of human existence as illustrated by the continuous battle concerning the owners of the means of production and the labor power. Marx tells us that “work, thrift and greed are […] (the capitalists) three cardinal virtues,”[1] and hording is their primary goal. Workers do not own the tools or means of production. Therefore, this is an essental element in gaining control of both the labor time and surplus labor time, stripping the bourgeoisie of charms of creating profit out of nothing.
When the KMSB graduate worker emerges into the capitalistic business world, it may be difficult to find comrades in arms who will join the movement against the exploitation of the proletariat. However, as a future “leader” of the Vanguard,[2] it will become increasingly important to recognize the exploited workers through group meetings and demonstrate the opportunities by which the means of their profit can be reclaimed. This class intends to teach student comrades how to infiltrate privately owned enterprises, furthering the initial stage in the Vanguard movement.
Upon graduation from this course, students will have the skills to influence workers actions by guiding them through the process of reclaiming the “Surplus Value” of their labor through transitioning privately owned tools and factories, to a lasting state-run, ruling proletarian party with nationalized ownership of the means of production
This class intends to teach student comrades how to infiltrate privately owned enterprises, furthering the initial stage in the Vanguard movement. Upon graduation from this course, students will have the skills to influence workers actions by guiding them through the process of reclaiming the “Surplus Value” of their labor through transitioning privately owned tools and factories, to a lasting state-run, ruling proletarian party with nationalized ownership of the means of production.
[2] The Vanguard: the non-profit corporation of the KMSB proletariat movement, dedicated to avoiding taxes and operating with the use of free labor, donations from guilt ridden capitalists and state supported educational funding.
You may find, at times, that the origins of your ivy league social class lingers and unduly attempts to influence your path, however, do not let these past systems of thought conflict with the goals of the Vanguard. The Vanguard recognizes that the organization of capitalism, as Marx tells us is “vampire-like ,(and) lives only by sucking living labor,”[1] therefore it seems to muddle the socialists thinking. Believe me when I say your role in the movement will put a stake through the heart of capitalism by expanding democratic centralism and rule by all.
Additionally, through service to the philosophy of Marxism and the dictatorship of the proletariat, students in pursuit of eliminating growth and profit from the corporate structure will find this class leads to a full understanding of how to take control of the means of production by the newly established worker run apparatus.
Course Description: This course introduces students to the techniques of understanding reality, thoughts and emotions through the philosophy of Dialectical Materialism and the understanding of nature as a whole. Student struggles will be observed by the classroom collective and will be discussed in a joint ownership atmosphere with other students.
This course may not be taken concurrently with MBAC 71984 or 81984 and may not be repeated. A grade of “D” or higher in MBAC 61984 is a prerequisite for subsequent advancement in the Vanguard movement.
Required Texts and Materials:
Karl Marx, Das Kapital (1867),Engles, Marx, Communist Manifesto (1848),Kim Jung-un, Perfect Brilliance: How to Starve the Populus to Garner Loyalty
Office Hours: 1:30 am -4:30 am on Mondays located in Gulag 14, Hellems Basement (go down the east-west stairs until you reach the basement and turn left and walk in a circle until you hit the brick wall at the end of the hall). If you cannot make these hours, remember that increases in productivity results from cooperation, therefore these hours work for everyone.
Agitating Workshops: Probably the stuff you’re here for. We will perform agitating workshop readings, followed by play acting on a daily basis. You shall learn the exact words to use to gas light a crowd and cause law abiding citizens to act against their better judgement.
Each workshop will be done in groups where individuals will receive constructive critique of their power of persuasion and each round’s requirements will be provide on the day of practice. The grades for these practice trainings will be based on how quickly a student can agitated another student.
Participation / Dissent: You are required to do three participation and dissent activities and you will be given a chance to lead your own agitation rally. The length and location of the rally will be determined by the instructor. Whether the rally concerns disrupting the state apparatus or boycotting labor factories, dig in and try to find out what makes descension work. Do your best to be analytical. Outside academic cited sources should be used and are required.
Book Burnings: Most homework in this class will take the form of book burnings, particularly texts on democracy, freedom of speech, property ownership and voting rights. The specific book burnings will pertain to a counterrevolutionary piece we read that day. Your instructor may give you a creative prompt, something analytical to provide a catalyst for that day’s discussion and inspiration to begin the bonfire activities. I grade these activities on the basis of satisfactory completion of a collection of citywide book burning results.
Recruiting Activities: At times we’ll practice recruiting activities in class, to mainly test a few strategies and get us into the mood for the next event. Occasionally you will be asked to take home and flesh out your strategies, in which case they ought to be planned in great detail and executed in secrecy.
Final Portfolio: You will construct a final protest rally plan and recruit participants.
Attendance, Punctuality and Late Work: Successful work in the K. Marx School of business is dependent upon regular recruitment of comrades to support the plight of the proletariat worker. Students who are unavoidably absent should make arrangements with the collective to make up the time missed. Failure to attend class and activities regularly may result in receipt of an F in a course and food sanctions for you and your family.
Plagiarism: Everything you will need to know will be read in Das Kapital and the Communist Manifesto whose texts are well known. Plagiarism is not possible when only two books exist.
Policies,Accommodations for Disabilities: If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, do not bother submitting an accommodation letter because it has already been predetermined that accommodations based on documented disabilities in the revolutionary environment automatically disqualify comrades from leading teams.
Religious Holidays: God does not exist.
Honor Code: All students enrolled in a KMBS course are responsible for knowing and adhering to the Honor Code of Das Kapital and the Communist Manifesto. Violations of the policy may include: praying, reading other books, thinking your own thoughts, lying about your thoughts, not accepting a bribery offer, refusing to threaten new noncompliant recruits, unauthorized access to alternative reading materials, dishonest clicker fraud, executing the same or similar agitation rally’s in more than one city without permission from the course instructors and most importantly, an unwillingness to inform on personal friends who own the means of production.
All incidents of misconduct will be reported to gulag guards who have a sixth-grade education and who happily bully any and all human beings, including women, children and infants.
Students who are found responsible for violating the Das Kapital and the Communist Manifesto integrity policies will be subject to death by poison.
Discrimination & Sexual Harassment: The KMSB remains committed to fostering intolerant acts of misconduct on the bourgeois class which includes assault, harassment, and stalking owners of means of labor. Individuals who believe they have been subject to retaliatory actions from a bourgeois owner of means of labor should report the incident to the Institutional Institute of Impartiality and Obedience (IIIO) and punitive action will be taken secretly in the dark of night.
Class Schedule Subject to change based on classroom progress. Changes will be noted in class.
Week One M. 8/27 – Introduction/Syllabus – Read syllabus out loud and sign a pledge of silence
W. 8/29 – Direct Struggle Have Read: Marx Das Kapital, Section 1 (all), Section 2 (all) + Marx “Letter from Marx to Engels” (1867). + Anonymous Proletariat’s “Grief and How to Project Your Failings onto Others”
F. 8/31 – Division of Labor Have Read: “Ford and the Assembly Line,” Chapter 3 (pg. 55-61) (Canvas) + Gehring, “The Use of Force and Dogma” + Stalin, “How to Talk to a Worker”
Week Two M. 9/3 – LABOR DAY, NO CLASS, “The instrument of labor (in) the form of a machine […] becomes a competitor of the worker,”[1] therefore, burn a factory today.
W. 9/5 – Production, Distribution and Consumption Have Read: Henry Ford’s, People as Machines, Chapter 6 (pg. 167-175) + Walt Disney, Building a Psychological Utopia, (How to fool all the people all of the time.) + Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Ch. 1 (How to recruit the unwilling with false promises.)
F. 9/7 – Consumption Have Read: George Wallace’s “Incarnations of the Burned Worker” (179-181) + Poe’s “Tell Tale Heart,” (How to hide victims of book burnings.)
Week Three M. 9/10 – The Antithesis of Use Value and Exchange Value Have Read: Hapsburg “The Czar’s Ghosts and their Jewels” (Lessons in how to use the trappings of the bourgeois to fund propaganda and agitation.) + Marx “The Poverty of Philosophy” (1847)
W. 9/12 – Democratic Centralism Have Read: Das Kapital, Section 1 and 2, (again), (This is the most important page in the book.) + Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” (Lessons in how to drive bourgeois friend’s mad.)
F. 9/14 – Workshop Preparation (Wear clothes and shoes you are willing to burn.) Turn in: FIRST BOOKBURNING REPORT
Week Four M. 9/17 – Religion and Wives Tales (Reasons to not waste time reflecting on spiritual ideals.) Have Read: Moscow Institute of Scientific Atheism, Chapter 9 (Pg. 1)
+ Lenin’s “How Religion Deprives People of “I” (Canvas)
Week Five M. 9/24 – Group Agitation Workshop (Bring tools of disruption, e.g. baseball bats, hammers.) Have Read: Das Kapita,l Chapter 1, (again)
+Kim Jong-un’s Propaganda and Misinformation Handbook Turn in: Agitation and Propaganda Rally Agenda, first draft
FINALS WEEK Submit Agitation and Propaganda Rally Operation, final Time/Place TBD.
Click these links to understand how Marxism and Marxist terms are used in the media.
A reimagining of Chris Marker’s Junkopia, short film shot in the Emeryville Mudflats of northern California. Story written by Melodie Miller.
I walked with hesitation down the path towards the Junktopia Alter, a place of worship that guarded The Great Bridge.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
A montage of artifacts walked the pathway without moving a muscle. The longitude and latitude flashed transparently in the heads-up display of my spectacles.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
I imagined the smell of lavender hovering in the bay.
From Junkopia- A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
In the distance the Bridge stood colorless, in need of recognition of its emptiness.
From Junkopia- A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
The memory hurled me to the day The Great Bridge almost collapsed.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
The eyes of the unconscious biplane looked oppositionally at the myopic cockatoo that sat on my shoulder.
From Junkopia- A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
My bird recognized the fascist symbol painted on the wheel of the biplane as a warning to go no further.
From Junkopia- A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
My amygdala said “Run!” but I persisted onward.
In the distance the Junktopia Alter remained its original color of distressed and burnt Tuscany auburn; looking like it was primed for a top coat of blood red paint.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
I thought of Catch 22 and its airplane that flew detached from the war without Yossarian on board who was long dead as a character and forgotten by middle school teachers and students.
Along the path, a false messiah perched in a lifeless tree called to me longingly, beckoning for an apostle to gather a flock of followers.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
Her fuchsia and dark black mesh wings, torn and ravaged, desperately flapped in the turbine powered mechanical wind of capitalistic rule dominating the newly formed nationless state of Junktopia.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
In the distance, the lime, swampy grasslands filled with abandonment stood as shelter for the birds that no longer could fly. The decibels soaring from the speakers increased, projecting the vibrational reminiscence of the biplanes menacing history preparing to drop its deadly cargo on the unsuspecting living things resting below.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
I approached the alter and the vacant, ornamental glass bottles that guided the unlighted path began to shatter from the sonic sounds spilling overhead, the speakers positioned ubiquitously on the bridge.
Jagged fragments threatened my jugular while the unsympathetic marsh called to me with a menacing howl.
One, razor sharp, ragged edge of a fragmented bottle neck hung from the bridge rafters by a wire hangman’s noose; its rusted metal screw top like a decapitated democratic statesman, his fellow, screw top public servants looked on from the gallery.
From Junkopia- A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
I had abandoned my map on the battlefield and my cell phone no longer recognized a charged. I felt lost although I was not.
From Junkopia- A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
The Republic now rests as fragments of shattered glass reflected as graven images in the birds eye.
From Junkopia- A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
The fascist symbol painted on the tail of the biplane, a relic of the final war, roared: “the number twelve,” with the sharpness of two major league football helmets cracking in collision. “The twelfth man,” it called out silently, a rhetorical souvenir of the war. “The fans did not offer a home advantage,” I shouted back.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
The weathered alter walls made of wooden fish bone skeletons were rotted from the salt sea air. I bowed down to the god of technology. The empty tin-soup-can minarets stood as apostates and a reminder that rations must be earned by the labors of my cellophane hope.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
I waited for the signal to perform the requisite incantations. The white whisker entrails of the metallic stork swimming in the expansive future flapped in the mechanical breeze along with the Messiah’s wings. The five-feet tall, hand-made paper stork hovering nearby narcissistically mocked its own self-absorbed symbol of fertility.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
No one knew how or when the Kangaroos had arrived in Junktopia.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
But, like the nationless human inhabitants, they were there to stay, because no one else wanted them.
From Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
Junkopia – A short film by Chris Marker | Screenshot courtesy of Criterion and Youtube
Story interpreted by Melodie Miller | Designer | Illustrator
Keawe the Flaming Spirit of the Volcano (Melodie Miller, Illustrator, Adobe Illustrator)
Po the Volcano and the Flames of Many Voices (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
In the beginning there was Po, the all-powerful Volcano.
Keawe the Flaming Spirit of the Volcano (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
And, Keawe, the flaming spirit of the Volcano.
Untimed Infinite Time Passing (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Surrounded by an abyss of empty darkness, together, they were alone.
One day Keawe, speaking his mind said, “Po, it is not good that I am so alone.”
“But we have always been alone together. It has always been our way. We are all powerful. We do not need another.” Po responded.
The Flames of Many Voices (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The Flames of Many Voices living inside Volcano echoed Po’s warning, speaking with crackling and slapping flames, “Yes, Yes, Yes. It has always been our way, way, way. We are all powerful, powerful, powerful. We do not need another, another, another.”
“But Po, I have no one to love.” Keawe said.
“Keawe, what is this word you say, Love?” Po asked.
“What is this word Love? What is this word Love? What is this word Love, Love Love?” the Flames echoed with the innocence of Many Voices, pushing and pulling at the walls of the Volcano.
Time passed.
Na Wahine and Keawe (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Po did not want Keawe to be lonely, so he created Na Wahine for him to love.
“Keawe, I am Na Wahine. I have been waiting, alone for a long time, inside your heart. I am here now to share your love.” she said.
“Why did you not come sooner?” Keawe asked?
“Because you did not call for me.” she answered.
Looking down upon Keawe and Na Wahine, Po said, “Together you will rule. And, it is good.”
Then with a rumbling of the Volcano, Po commanded, “From your love, bring forth life to help you govern the heavens and the earth; bring forth beauty and all things will be good.”
The god princes and goddess princess of Hawai’ian legend (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Through Na Wahine, Keawe brought forth four sons.
Kane the God Prince of Sky (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The first son was Kane, the god of the sky and all that it is.
Ku the God Prince of War and Peace (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The second son was Ku, the god of war and peace; and Kanaloa, the god of all things in and of the ocean;.
Kanaloa the God Prince of Ocean (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The third son was Kanaloa, the god of all things in and of the ocean.
Lono the God Prince of the Land (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The fourth son was Lono the god of the land and that which it brings forth, the harvest and its bounty.
The Flames of Many Voices (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Along the walls of the Volcano the envious Flames of Many Voices became angry and agitate. The Flames of Many voices felt alone because Keawe was not alone.
“Call for me. Call for me. Call for me,” the Flames of Many Voices echoed.
But Keawa did not answer.
Time passed.
“Four daughters will be yours,” Po said.
Laka the Goddess Princess of the Hula (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
Your first-born daughter, Laka, will bring the hula, the language of the heart.” Po said. “Laka will keep the story; abide by her words.”
Hina the Goddess Princess of Sanctuary (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
“Your second daughter Hina will give you sanctuary from danger, stand on her as a rock when in need.”
Kapo the Goddess Princess of the Lost (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
“Your third daugher, hot tempered Kapo will govern furiously with her brother Kanaloa. Be remembered by Kapo when you are hungry and lost, she will feed you and lead you home.”
Papa the Goddess Princess of Nature and its Beauty (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The fourth daughter, Papa, “will rule all of nature with beauty beyond words. Anyone who looks upon her, even in her rage, will feel her power.” Po said.
Papas natural beauty will overpower the gazers senses, and none will find the strength to resist her.
“Once the beauty of Papa is gazed upon, she will enchant their heart forever,” Po said.
The Flames and the Goddess Princess of Nature and its Beauty (Melodie Miller, Illustrator)
The Flames of Many Voices gazed upon Papa and were stricken with love for her natural beauty, which was beyond challenge, thus they were lonely no more, They were enchanted.
To this day, anyone who looks upon the nature of Papa and the beauty of the Islands, will not have the strength to resist her love. Hawai’i will live in their hearts for eternity.
This is the creation story of the enchanting lands of Hawai’i, her captivating love and irresistible beauty.
Melodie Dawn Miller 