What Inspires You?

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Published on Wednesday, 10 April 2013 03:00

Written by Heather

If you've been a subscriber or just a newsstand fan, you may be wondering what happened to Chesapeake Taste - the print magazine. After a lot of careful consideration we are making some changes. The first change we are making is to rename Chesapeake TASTE to Chesapeake INSPIRED. We feel that INSPIRED more accurately reflects the concepts we are introducing with the content, videos and stories being presented to readers. As of April 2013, this website will also be branded under the Chesapeake INSPIRED nameplate.

We have decided to move Chesapeake INSPIRED to a digital online edition each week. We’ve found that you want more video, audio, photos and interactivity that we can provide online versus in printed editions. We are excited about the possibilities and will switch to a digital version this April. Digital magazines are at the leading edge of reader engagement offering unparalleled interaction, timeliness and longevity.

A digital edition of the magazine allows us to continue to bring our readers great content plus add videos, more photos and audio interviews. The popularity of ipads and other tablets provides us with a platform that is perfect for the interactivity of our magazine. We hope to keep the digital edition available on a free basis to our former subscribers and our enewsletter subscribers!

 

You can reach us at:
410-263-1641
121 Cathedral Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
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Previous Issues

Submit your Daily Photos to us

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Published on Thursday, 03 January 2013 14:52

Written by Karen Gaspers

We welcome your submissions for consideration in our Photo of the Day. We prefer photos of scenery and people that have been taken in and around the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding land and tributaries in Maryland. Only horizontal images can be used at this time. Photo credit will be given.

Be sure to give your photo a title and, if possible, a little bit about where and what it is. Email your photo to Heather at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Meet the staff

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Published on Monday, 05 March 2012 07:49

Written by Super User

Donna Jefferson, CEO, founded Jefferson Communications in 1990. With the birth of her second child, Donna realized that there was a lack of credible information available for parents in the Maryland area. In response to this need, she founded Chesapeake Family, a monthly magazine offering parents useful information and helpful resources. The company has grown beyond the monthly magazine to include five annual guides, three active websites, and multiple events. As her last child headed off to college the addition of Chesapeake INSPIRED ezine was a natural one. Donna lives in Annapolis with her husband; has two grown children; and likes yoga, skiing, and enjoying nature. Contact Donna at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; and LinkedIn. 

Jeanne Slaughter, marketing director, Co-owner and Acting Editor of Chesapeake Inspired , initiates the inbound and outbound marketing strategies for all Jefferson Communications publications and their companion websites, along with weekly e-newsletters, e-mail campaigns, and social media outlets. She identifies and maintains community sponsorship and partnership opportunities with local businesses and welcomes the opportunity for more. A mother of two adult children and recent first time grandmother, Jeanne lives in Pasadena with her husband, Bobby and dog, Bailey. She enjoys getaways to the beach, cooking, playing games on her iPad, and attending community events. Contact Jeanne at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on LinkedIn.

Jenny Patrick C., art director, is the creative spirit behind Chesapeake Family Magazine and the Chesapeake INSPIRED ezine. With a B.A. from Salisbury University and M.A. from the University of Baltimore, she is the principal design director for all Jefferson Communications publications and is responsible for all creative design found in the publications. Jenny lives on the Eastern Shore with her family and likes painting, photography, great movies, and watching the sunset on the Eastern Shore. Contact Jenny at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Heather Grant, web director, developed the latest Chesapeake INSPIRED website and works to keep it updated and running smoothly. With an MA in Publication Design at University of Baltimore, she is the principal web director for all Jefferson Communications websites. She lives in Talbot County,  MD with her partner and their twins, Ruby and Liam. In her spare time likes cycling, soccer, skiing and reading. Contact Heather at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Hannah Anderson, online editor, is part of the Jefferson Communications editorial team, working as the online editor for ChesapeakeTASTE.com and ChesapeakeFamily.com. She will graduate in May 2013 with a B.A. in magazine journalism from the University of Maryland. She began as an editorial intern with Jefferson Communications in January 2011, and she now helps manage the publications' online content and socia media presence. Hannah lives in Edgewater and enjoys cooking, running, and reading. Contact Hannah at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

About our contributors

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Published on Wednesday, 07 March 2012 09:47

Written by Super User

John Bildahl is an advertising and magazine photographer residing in Annapolis, MD. He is the go-to guy in the Mid-Atlantic for yacht advertising and editorial marine photography. He also photographs corporate events, portraits, and products. With clients across the United States, John's work often requires him to travel the globe, shooting exotic vacation rental properties and scenic settings.

Stephen Buchanan has been into photography since he was 14. He was working at 7-Eleven stocking shelves when he spotted the label on the back of a roll of Kodak film. "Take this film to your Kodak processor or develop it yourself using Kodak chemistry." "You mean you can do that?" he asked, and was hooked from there.

Margaret Rose Caro writes about hospitality, including food & beverage and design. She was formerly editor-in-chief of Hotel F&B, managing editor of Lodging, and contributor to Hospitality Design. She lives in Epping Forest.

Temple Cone is an associate professor of English at the U.S. Naval Academy and the author of three books of poetry: "That Singingˮ (March Street Press, 2011); "The Broken Meadowˮ (Old Seventy Creek Press, 2010); and "No Lonelinessˮ (FutureCycle Press, 2009). Among the honors for his work are the Anne Arundel Country Arts Council "Annie" Award in Literary Arts and two Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards in poetry.

Pamela Cowart-Rickman is an award-winning designer and illustrator. For more than 20 years, she has created illustrations and graphic design for print and web, including books, magazines, and advertising materials. Her photography is available on iStock.com. She is also proud to have been the original sculptor of the popular Dalen Co. Great Horned Owl.

Kimbra Cutlip is a freelance writer living in South County. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, and Disney Family Magazine, among others. She is a former science writer for the Smithsonian Institution and editor for Weatherwise magazine. She is the recipient of a New Horizons fellowship from the Council for the Advancement of Science writing, and winner of a silver award for excellence by the Washington Educational Press. She was a 2011 nominee for the Pushcart prize in short fiction.

Fran Severn is a Baltimore native who traveled the world with her Air Force husband before returning to Maryland. She settled on the Eastern Shore. When she's not riding her horses, playing with her dogs, or sharing the kitchen with her foodie husband, she enjoys exploring the region and meeting the people who make the Chesapeake special. Her website is franstravels.wordpress.com.

Desiree Smith-Daughety writes about business, health, and lifestyles. She was formerly a managing editor at Agora Publishing's health division, and contributor to Corridor Inc. and The Herb Quarterly.

Don Dement is an Annapolis-area photographer, instructor, and co-founder of the Digital Photography Club of Annapolis. He provides real estate photography services and teaches many digital photography subjects at Anne Arundel CommunityCollege, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, at senior centers, and on the Eastern Shore, as well as provides individual instruction. See more of his work on his website, nonlinearart.com.

Keren Dement is a writer and advocate for the arts and historic preservation who finds joy in meeting and writing about the people who contribute to the vitality and charm of Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay region. Moving to Annapolis from her native Los Angeles some 40 years ago, Keren and her husband, Don, are avid explorers of the natural and cultural worlds of the Bay watershed.
She is an active member of the Mitchell Gallery of St. John's College where she coordinates the volunteers who support Mitchell Gallery educational programs.

Meredith Davies Hadaway is the author of two poetry collections, "The River is a Reason" (2011) and "Fishing Secrets of the Dead" (2005). She has received two Pushcart nominations and two fellowships from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, as well as a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award. She is vice president for college relations & marketing at Washington College in Chestertown.

Emilie Eastman is a freelance writer from Annapolis. She is currently a graduate student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism in College Park. In her free time, Emilie enjoys yoga, cooking, and salsa dancing.

Allison Eatough is a freelance writer and former Annapolis resident who currently calls Ellicott City home. She has more than 15 years of writing experience for local and national publications, including USA Today's "Guide to Kids' Health," Howard Magazine, Chesapeake Family Magazine, The News & Record and The Capital. She especially enjoys writing about health, education, children, and families.

Paul French is an English major at the University of Maryland: College Park. He can be found enjoying the fine arts, flexing his creativity through prose, and gawking at the Food Network. If he were to be in an accident, he would be survived by the love of his life, his Bengal, Nala.

Lisa A. Lewis is a freelance writer who lives in Annapolis. She holds a B.A. from Kent State University and has written numerous articles for both newspapers and magazines. Her work has appeared in Chesapeake Family, Waterfront Living, Taste of the Bay, Southwest Georgia Living and edge magazine. In addition to writing, she enjoys reading, fashion and playing with her puppy, a pug named Kingston.

Jane McConnell is a photographer and regular feature contributor to regional publications. She is a chronic traveler with an affinity for birding, hiking and scuba diving. She lives in Talbot County, Maryland "where the Tred Avon meets the Choptank" and enjoys the opportunity to meet and highlight the areas' artists and artisans. View her work on her website, jmccphotography.com.

Vicki Meade lives in Annapolis and has 25 years of experience in writing and communications on the subjects of health care, business, and technology. Her work has appeared in Chesapeake Life, Baltimore Magazine, the Washington Post, and many other publications. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and is an adjunct instructor of writing at UMBC.

Christine Middleton is a wife and a full-time mother of four living in Arnold. A self- taught photographer, she says, "My favorite subject to photograph is life as I see it in motion. I enjoy exploring new places and photographing real life as it moves around me." Her first place winning photo in our first annual Cover Photo Contest, which graces our front cover, was taken from the Kent Island Yacht Club. "We were boating with friends for the day this past summer," says Christine. Her camera of choice is the Nikon D300 with a 18-200mm lens. "No flashes or other special equipment," she explains. "It's just me, my camera, and my eye."

Doug Miller is a former editor for the community newspapers of Patuxent Publishing Co. He is an avid home cook and the lead singer in the Glen Burnie-based band, Replaced By Robots. He lives in Columbia.

Roger Miller has been a commercial and editorial photographer for the last forty years. Permanent installations of his work include BWI Airport, the University of Maryland at Baltimore and UMBC. He has published 36 books over the years, most notably on Annapolis, Maryland, Delaware, West Point, and the Naval Academy. He also leads workshops in digital photography in Annapolis.

Barbara Klein Moss is the author of "Little Edens," a collection of stories and a novella (W.W. Norton, 2004). Her story, "Rug Weaver," was selected for Best American Short Stories 2001. Among the honors for her work are a fellowship in fiction from the National Endowment for the Arts, two Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards in fiction, MacDowell and Bread Loaf fellowships, and the Anne Arundel County Arts Council "Annie" Award in Literary Arts. She lives in Annapolis with her husband Stewart and is at work on a novel.

Heather Oland is a freelance, certified Spanish-to-English translator specializing in legal, business, and general texts. In addition to background acting, she is active with several community theaters. Heather lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with her architect husband, Kevin Shertz, and their dog, Harley.

Kristen Page-Kirby is a writer and editor living in Shady Side with her son, husband, and two very fat cats. She is the former editor of Chesapeake Family magazine and is now a senior arts editor for the Washington Post Express.

Christopher Patrick is an Annapolis native whose writings have been published in both scientific journals and the mainstream media. Holding a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Notre Dame, he currently works as an ecologist for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater.

Monica Resa has been a professional writer and editor for more than twelve years, writing features and columns for magazines and promotional material for businesses. A native of the South, she spends the bulk of her time as mom to Dylan, 11, and Hannah, 9. However, she finds enough time for the occasional swim, nap, and chat with her husband. She currently resides in Severna Park.

Carol Rizzoli is the author of the award-winning memoir, "The House at Royal Oak: Starting Over and Rebuilding a Life One Room at a Time," from which her Writer's Block essay is adapted. Previously, she served as a publications editor for the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, as a book editor for The Washington Post, and as an assistant professor at Boston University. She and her family moved to Maryland's Eastern Shore ten years ago and live in Royal Oak.

Lucia St. Clair Robson has written nine historical novels and has received numerous awards. Her first book, "Ride the Wind" made the New York Times bestseller list and was included in the 100 best Westerns of the 20th century. Her fifth, "Mary's Land" is the story of the early settlement of Maryland. Western Writers of America awarded her latest novel, "Last Train from Cuernavaca," the 2011 Spur for Best Western long novel. She has lived in Anne Arundel County since 1975.

Roger Rosenblatt is the author of 15 books, including national bestsellers "Rules for Aging," "Making Toast," and "Children of War," for which he won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His essays for Time and "The NewsHour" on PBS have earned him two George Polk Awards, a Peabody, and an Emmy. A distinguished professor of English and writing at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y., he lives with his family in Bethesda, Md., and Quogue, N.Y.
Roger will be discussing his latest book, "Kayak Morning," on Nov. 4 at St. John's College as part of the Meet the Author's Fundraiser, produced by the Caritas Society. Two other authors, Corban Addison and Chris Pavone, will also be speaking. Find excerpts from "Kayak Morning" in our Writer's Block section. For more information about the event, visit
ChesapeakeTaste.com.

Lynn Schwartz's plays have been performed in Atlanta and New York City, including Lincoln Center. Her stories have appeared in literary journals and she has authored numerous lifestyle features. She founded the Temple Bar Literary Reading Series in New York City and received an Individual Artist Award in Fiction from the Maryland State Arts Council. She teaches at St. John's College, The Writer's Center, and offers private coaching through her company Writer's Wordhouse.

Julie Shearer was a family practice physician until 2005, when she decided to become a stay-at-home mom. She has always loved literature and writing, and is currently combining these interests with her previous career to work as a freelance writer. She lives in Annapolis with her husband and two children.

Eric Smith is a former staff editorial cartoonist and columnist for the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis and author of "Not by the Book" (Ballantine/Ivy Books, 1993), a memoir about his Vietnam tour as an army intelligence officer in 1968 and 1969. A longtime Annapolis resident, he has freelanced for a variety of publications, including: Washingtonian magazine, Baltimore magazine, the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings and Naval History magazines, Fodor's Travel Guides, and Army Times.

Marcia Talley is the Agatha and Anthony award-winning author of eleven mysteries featuring survivor and sleuth, Hannah Ives. Her first mystery, "Sing It To Her Bones," won the Malice Domestic grant and was nominated for an Agatha award. Several of her subsequent books are Independent Mystery Booksellers Association bestsellers. Her latest book, "The Last Refuge," is set in the historic William Paca house in Annapolis when Hannah Ives joins the cast of a television reality show. Marcia is immediate past president of Sisters in Crime, serves on the board of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, and is a member of the Authors' Guild and the Crime Writers Association. She divides her time between Annapolis and living aboard an antique sailboat in the Bahamas.

Kathryne Taylor is the blogger for Fresh Vegetarian. She also has her own blog page over at Cookie and Kate. Kathryne is a self-taught photographer and cook living in Okahoma. Her mission is to eat locally grown and in season produce. She possesses a creative talent for turning vegetables into works of art while making dishes that look and taste good at the same time. She is currently a finalist for the Savier food blogger of the year.

Patricia Taylor is a passionate Latina mother, educator, and artist. Her most recent local credits involve painting costumes for "Max & Moritz," a cartoon children's NY Opera Society production at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and teaching first-third grade art at St. Mary's Elementary School in Annapolis. Patricia's paintings and photos have been shown in collective exhibitions in Brooklyn, Denver, and Philadelphia. Her long-studded career has included work with CBS; MSNBC; American Ballet Theatre; Santa Fe Opera; Chicago Lyric Opera; Tommy Hilfiger; Saks 5th Ave.; Shakespeare in the Park; independent films;, and Broadway productions. Patricia loves to cook spicy Caribbean dishes with the herbs and vegetables from her husband's organic garden in Severna Park, where they live with their daughter and a rotten spoiled ShiTzu.

Genevieve Torri is a freelance writer who began immersing herself in the Chesapeake Bay area arts community 14 years ago, after relocating from Michigan to Maryland. Upon moving to Eastport, she soon found a place on the local music scene, helping to promote local songwriters and booking showcases for them to play. Due to her husband's current job as a production manager for a touring country artist, Genevieve manages her time between the Nashville and Maryland art scenes. She is the mother of two daughters and a 6-month-old son.

Donna Whicher is a freelance writer living in Chestertown. She enjoys riding her bicycle and working out at the gym. She has more than six years of experience writing for regional and national publications. She holds a BA from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, and an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.

Wendi Winters is a freelance writer living on the Broadneck Peninsula whose byline is familiar to readers in this area. She writes regularly for Capital-Gazette Communications, and has written for Waterfront Living, Wash Trends Magazine, InsideAnnapolis Magazine, Details Magazine, Associated Press Special Features, Copley News Service, Post-Newsweek Media, and others.

Renee Houston Zemanski is an award-winning writer with more than 26 years of experience writing for national and local publications. Originally from Pittsburgh, she has been a resident of Annapolis for 17 years, and has published more than 6,000 online and print articles. In addition to writing, her passions include home decorating, creating art, and sports.