The Jefferson Exchange

Stories of Southern Oregon: Commune Life Remembered

Diana Coogle reading tarot cards at a commune, 1975.

Southern Oregon Digital Archive

The voice may sound familiar: Diana Coogle delivered audio essays on JPR News for years.

Now she's back to talk about her own life story, as it involves a commune, Houkola, in the Colestin Valley by the state line.

That story is the focus of this month's Stories of Southern Oregon, compiled and curated by Maureen Flanagan Battistella. Diana and Maureen come to the studio to share the story.

Geoffrey Riley

Geoffrey Riley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has hosted the Jefferson Exchange on JPR since 2009. He's been a broadcaster in the Rogue Valley for more than 35 years, working in both television and radio.

See stories by Geoffrey Riley

Maureen Flanagan Battistella

Maureen is on the Sociology/Anthropology faculty at Southern Oregon University. Her research interests are the Southern Oregon wine industry, heritage agriculture, and the “culture of kitchens.” She has a Rutgers University master’s in library and information science, which prepared her for a career in technology services, medical education and a lifetime of learning, thinking, and writing. She lives in Ashland.

See stories by Maureen Flanagan Battistella