Sharla Paul will be the Red Barn Studio Artist-in-Residence from July 28th to August 6th, 2026.
Sharla is a writer originally from Nebraska, though she has spent many years living in the South Side of Chicago. Her early career was in journalism, which eventually found its way into her current interest in creative nonfiction. Sharla wrote for the University of Chicago Magazine, exploring various themes such as economics, archaeology, and medicine. She finds that research has become an integral part of her craft, laying the foundations of exploration and story-telling in nonfiction.
During the residency, Sharla hopes to continue to work on her full-length essay project, which explores a family story of loss and reconciliation, told through the genealogy of Midwestern homesteaders. Sharla hopes to be inspired by the landscape of the Plains and connect with the wildlife and beauty of the prairie, as a sense of place plays a major role in her work.
As the landscape of the prairie is important to her work, so too are the people! Sharla is looking forward to serendipitous encounters and inspiring conversations with strangers while at the Red Barn, so if you’re in the neighborhood, drop by the studio to meet her and see how her project is progressing.