Write Up The Coast – Step-In! Stories
Write Up The Coast – Step-In! Stories brings community voices to life — recorded live in the moment. At its heart is the mobile Step-In! booth, a small traveling space where people pause amid the noise of daily life to share a thought, a memory, or a feeling. Beyond the booth, Step-In! also meets people where they are — on the street, at events, or in quiet one-on-one conversations — capturing the same spirit of openness and spontaneity wherever it happens. Season 1: Write Up The Coast — curated conversations and reflections that explore the meaning of community through storytelling. Season 2: Step-In! — spontaneous recordings from public spaces and personal exchanges that reveal real voices, real moments, and real connection. Created and hosted by Mark Sanford Gross, Step-In! invites us all to pause, listen, and remember: every story matters.
Episodes
In this episode, I sit down with Lynn Hershman Leeson, an Art:21 honoree, for a conversation that moves well beyond a traditional art interview.
Recorded live in the studio, the discussion unfolds naturally—guided less by chronology or critical frameworks than by curiosity and presence. We talk about memory, identity, personas, technology, resilience, recognition, and the long arc of a creative life, allowing the conversation to fol...
On New Year’s Day—the first day of 2026—Write Up the Coast set up the Step-In Story Booth at The Sea Ranch Lodge, on the rugged northern edge of California’s Sonoma Coast.
Set at the entrance to the Lodge, the booth drew people in by curiosity rather than invitation. Some were gently nudged to step in; others arrived entirely on their own. One at a time, they recorded a two-to-three-minute, stream-of-consciousness response to a...
This episode is a tribute to Claudia Altman Siegel, recorded live on the night of the gallery’s closing celebration at Altman Siegel in San Francisco on November 20th, 2025.
Amid the noise of the evening, a quiet space was carved out. Through the Step-In Story Booth, voices stepped in to speak — offering reflections, stories, and sentiments shaped by years of shared attention, conversation, and care. The voices are left unnamed, not...
A straightforward conversation with Vanessa Ignacio, founder of Ignacio Health Services here on the Mendonoma Coast. In this no-frills episode, we talk honestly about the urgency of understanding your health-care options for 2026, what decisions need to be made now, and how to stay focused in a system that can feel overwhelming.
Vanessa breaks down the essentials—what to watch for, what to prepare, and how to navigate your coverage—...
This premiere episode of Write Up The Coast Writers begins with a simple idea: what happens when people pause—just for a moment—and follow the nudge to say something from the heart?
Fifteen voices from around the world responded to the prompt “The thank-you that lingers.”
No overthinking. No polishing. Just two minutes, a spark, and whatever rose to the surface.
You’ll hear reflections from Hong Kong to Budapest to California. S...
Date: October 27, 2025
Recorded live at Surf Market in Gualala, this Step-In! episode captures spontaneous stories from shoppers and passers-by at the meeting point of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.
Step-In! set up just outside Surf Market, where Sonoma and Mendocino counties meet on the Mendonoma Coast in Northern California — a place you won’t find clearly marked on any map.
On the hing...
Date: October 11, 2025
Recorded live at the Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco, this premiere Step-In! episode captures the project’s debut — visitors stepping forward to share spontaneous reflections surrounded by art and community.
Step-In! begins its journey at the Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco — a space already alive with creativity, dialogue, and attentive listening. Inside th...
Date: October 22, 2025
Recorded live inside The Record in Point Arena, this Step-In! episode invites locals to pause between aisles and share their stories, blending everyday moments with honest reflection.
Thank you to Paul, Kim, and Mak at The Record — located at 265 Main Street in Point Arena — for opening both their space and their spirit to the very first Step-In! gathering held there.
And thank you to everyone who stepped ...
Date: October 18, 2025
Recorded live at the No Kings Rally in Gualala, this Step-In! episode gathers voices from the crowd — neighbors, riders, and wanderers pausing amid celebration to speak from the heart.
Step-In! is a roaming, pop-up recording booth gathering everyday voices in everyday places--the grocery store parking lot, the farmers market, a gallery opening, a quiet restaurant courtyard, or a town sidewalk. Peopl...
Recorded live at The Sea Ranch Lodge, this special episode features acclaimed writer Paul Lisicky in conversation with host Mark Sanford Gross. Against the breathtaking backdrop of where redwoods meet the ocean, Paul reflects on his latest book, Song So Wild and Blue: The Music of Joni Mitchell, and on what it means to be a writer — and a human — in today’s world.
Recorded live July 9, 2025, The Sea Ranch Lodge, Californi...
Recorded live amid the music and laughter of Chief Sullivan’s Irish Bar in San Francisco, this episode captures an unforgettable evening with The Irish Newsboys. Host Mark Sanford Gross joins the band for a spirited conversation woven through song, story, and community — a celebration of art, joy, and the shared rhythm that connects us all.
Recorded live June 28, 2025, San Francisco, California
Episode Description
As co-ho...
In this special crossover episode, Write Up The Coast joins forces with KGUA-FM’s benchmark program, “Peggy’s Place,” hosted by the First Lady of Native Radio, Peggy Berryhill. Together, Peggy and Mark Sanford Gross talk about the evolving influence of AI and the enduring power of community storytelling as “Peggy’s Place – The Podcast” prepares to launch.
Recorded live March 26, 2025
Episode Description
Peggy’s Place has l...
Join Write Up The Coast host Mark Sanford Gross and San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Tara Duggan for an unscripted conversation that flows from the page to real life. Part of the “In Discussion” series, this episode explores how journalism, community, and everyday stories intersect along California’s coast and beyond.
Recorded live March 16, 2025 in Gualala, California
Episode Description
In this installment of Write U...
The Writers Episode series opens a new chapter in the Write Up The Coast project — a space where everyday people write, share, and connect through spontaneous creativity. Hosted by Mark Sanford Gross with guest co-host Cris Vail, this first installment captures stories sparked in real time: from planned gatherings to pop-up encounters on the Mendonoma Coast.
Recorded live March 4, 2025
Episode Description
The Writers Episo...
Planning for “what happens to us and where we go” can be one of the greatest gifts we leave our loved ones — yet many of us avoid the conversation. In this gentle, reflective episode, Mark Sanford Gross visits Better Place Forests in Point Arena, California, and speaks with Forest Memorial Manager Gillian Nye about the choices, meanings, and environmental care behind this living memorial landscape.
Recorded live February 4, 20...
Inspired by the artist-led organization For Freedoms and its national campaign on civic imagination, this episode explores how art sparks conversation and connection across distance. Hosted by Mark Sanford Gross, it links The Corcoran School of Art installation in Washington D.C. to a Write Now! writing session at The Sea Ranch Lodge, where participants responded to the same provocative prompts that hung on oversized canvases in th...
Recorded live during the November Write Now! gathering at The Sea Ranch Lodge, this special episode honors the late Dorothy Allison — author of Bastard Out of Carolina — whose words continue to inspire truth and courage in storytelling. Hosted by Mark Sanford Gross with guest writer and co-host Pam Powell, the episode features original works written on the spot in response to one of Dorothy’s own prompts — a celebration of writing,...
Ever had a simple “Hey, did you hear about…” turn into something you didn’t expect? This episode captures those unpredictable moments — spontaneous conversations on the Mendonoma Coast where a casual greeting can open a door to reflection, humor, or surprise.
Wind, waves, and real voices make this one raw and real.
Recorded live November 5, 2024
Chats that start innocently enough—just a friendly, "Hey, did you hear ab...
When Write Up The Coast stepped out into the streets, the question was simple — What matters most?
The answers, gathered in real time from friends, neighbors, and passers-by, reveal the heart of the Mendonoma Coast: honesty, reflection, and community, one voice at a time.
Recorded live October 12, 2024
In Episode #2, Write Up the Coast hits the streets to ask local community members, spontaneously and unplanned, in di...
Season 1, Episode 1 — “Marking Time” with Peggy Berryhill
A heartfelt reunion between two coastal storytellers — reconnecting on air to reflect on community, creativity, and the journey from KGUA Writers to Write Up The Coast.
Recorded live September 28, 2024
"Marking Time" produced and hosted by Mark Sanford Gross is a grass-roots podcast series that’s part of The Write Up the Coast Project created by Mark. Join...
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