Denise Woods  |  Transcribed the West of Lincoln Project interviews

Denise was raised by her mom in Topanga and, later, in the rural Sierra Foothills – but she spent all her summers growing up in Venice: the beach and boardwalk; the canals; her dad and stepmom’s house on Rialto Avenue; his classroom and garden at Venice High. After high school in Grass Valley, Denise returned to southern California for college (B.S. Biology, UCLA) where she split her time between campus and the family house on Rialto. Denise later earned her M.S. studying Venice seabirds. She began her career at WWF in Alaska, then returned to northern California. Denise got sober in 2011. Today she lives on a ranch with her husband and two kids and writes science papers. Her second home is in Venice, still. Meeting Ruth Chase and writing for the WOLP integrates Denise’s belief in art-as-activism, her preoccupation with ruined beauty, and her devotion to the substance and spirit of Venice.

Humungous thanks to Denise who has given much of her time for free to painstakingly transcribe each and every audio interview, love you Denise, – R