Claire Swedberg and Rita Hupy conducted hundreds of interviews to investigate what role a community plays in the arts, and what the arts can bring to a community. The result is In the Valley of Mystic Light, the first book to chronicle the unique story of the La Conner art scene, while exploring, on a personal level, what it means to be a Northwest artist. This remarkable story provides an illustration of the universal creative process as told by the mystic artists of the Northwest and the townspeople who provided them with support and inspiration.