Ginger Dehlinger is a native Oregonian who writes about a wide variety of topics. Much of her writing reflects her love of nature. She has published two novels. Her first, BRUTE HEART, set in Oregon, is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story that grapples with the consequences of alcoholism and assisted dying. Her second novel, NEVER DONE, was inspired by the life of her great-grandmother who lived in Colorado when the West was still wild.
In addition to her two novels, she has self-published an anthology of short stories, poems and essays (GINGER SNAPS: TASTY MORSELS OF POETRY & PROSE) and a middle-grade children's book (THE GOOSE GIRL'S NEW RIBBON).
The author has received several awards for her writing. Her short story "Francine" was first runner-up in the 2022 Saturday Evening Post's Great American Fiction Contest. "Last Ride," a nature essay starring a tumbleweed, won first prize in the 2011 Rising Star contest for Pacific Northwest writers. Another essay ("Brown, Anyone?") won best creative non-fiction in the 2017 Central Oregon Writer's Guild annual writing competition.
Although Ginger doesn't refer to herself as a poet, over two dozen of her poems have been published in journals, online magazines and print anthologies. She received a Writer’s Digest honorable mention in 2010 for her poem, “A Bar Stool’s Lament."
An active member of the Central Oregon Writer's Guild, Ginger shares advice with as well as learns from fellow writers at monthly meetings. She has made formal presentations to the group, acted as a poetry judge and given several readings. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, reading, and travel.
Born and raised in Klamath Falls, Oregon, Ginger Dehlinger (nee Virginia Kay Leaming) attended the University of Oregon where she majored in history, minored in English. She graduated from the U of O with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Phi Beta Kappa key. A few years after graduation she went bi-coastal, living in New York City, Connecticut, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon. She now lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband Dick.
