ella's inkwell

About

Ella’s Inkwell

ella heydenfeldt’s portfolio & blog

Recently from the Blog:

  • Years in Service

    I tend to write about the glamorous parts of my life, the exciting otherworldly parts. Hell, who wouldn’t want to read that?  I am now going to write about something else, less glamorous, but…

  • Surf City, Safe Streets, Sick Dictator

    Originally published: Jan 14, 2026 Also known as: Surf, Skate, Papusas: El Salvador I went to El Salvador in December with two friends and no expectations beyond surf all day everyday with no wetsuits.…

  • I need my cottage.

    Originally published: Nov 30, 2025 I think about my cottage a lot. Not like a Santa Barbara-style “cottagecore” backyard studio with exposed beams and lemon trees. This is much more cottag-y than that. Much…

  • A Reporter versus A Journalist

    Originally Published: Nov 28, 2025 Well the website worked. I am now a journalist. What I no longer have the bandwidth for, is to write creatively on my own website. Oh irony, you taste…

  • An Ode to the South

    Originally Published: Sept 12, 2024 *Prior to reading my poem, here is a little more contextual information about me: My mother hails from Atlanta, Georgia; my father from the San Francisco Bay Area. I…

  • The Club that Changed my College Experience

    Originally Published: Aug 4, 2024 Since I’ve been at UC Santa Barbara, I have had one group of people, one club, dominate most of my time. It’s been the sun around which my college…

  • Divergent Paths in Conservation: Maori Co-governance and Native American Genocide

    Originally published: Jan 15, 2024 My study abroad occurred as a six week backpacking program through New Zealand. We studied island ecosystems, which allowed me to explore and contrast sustainable practices and conservation efforts…

  • A New List: How Southeast Asia Changed my Views on Addressing Climate Change

    Originally Published: Jan 14, 2024 Maneuvering down steep sandstone steps to the Balinese beaches on the island of Nusa Penida, I could see dark smoke wafting up from the green canopy bordering the ocean…

  • Striking Landscapes, Striking Interactions: Vietnam

    Originally Published: Jan 10, 2024 Location: Ha Long Bay Our first couple of days in Vietnam were spent living in a post card. Sailing through the pearl farm waterways of Ha Long Bay on…