My name is Gabi Clayton. I’m an artist, web designer, book publisher and editor (writer too), retired therapist, wife/mother/grandmother/sister, red diaper baby, f/Friend, atheist Quaker, PFLAG member, and pescetarian. My pronouns are she/her.
I was born in New York City and have lived in Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Vermont, and Mississippi. I’ve been in Olympia, Washington since 1988. That is longer than I had ever lived anywhere!
I’ve always been an activist one way or another. My parents were left-wing progressives, and I grew up on picket lines and protest marches. My dad was a member of the Communist Party – making me what is called a ‘red diaper baby’ – so our house was watched by the FBI when I was a child. If you want to know more, read my essay, “Encircled By My Heritage.”
I’ve been married 50-odd (very odd) years to my husband, Alec. We met at an organization called Everything for Everybody in the fall of 1973. It was an amazing way to start a relationship and our life together. You can read about that in this piece that Alec wrote: “Everything for Everybody.”
Our friend Lauri Efordham started a series, “South Sound Love Stories,” on Thurston Community TV. Alec and I were honored to be the first couple interviewed. Here it is, filmed in February 2015. Lauri did a great job interviewing us – otherwise we would not have talked about so much.
I’m mother of two sons, Noel and Bill, mother-in-law, step-mom, grandma and even great-grandma to a passel of folks, some of whom I haven’t even met yet. I have a sister and brother and their families, and recently reconnected with an almost-long-lost step brother as well.
My life is full and complex and anything but boring.