This week we speak with Kelly Damien who is a long-term resident, teacher and writer. Damien gained notoriety (and a lot of hate mail) when she started writing for Bakersfield Life Magazine. She penned her first essay about her mixed feelings on Bakersfield. Damien wrote that it was a tough place to arrive as an outsider. She shares her honest journey in our city and what it’s like after 14 years in the central valley.