Dave Algase has reported on nearly 400 local businesses since returning to community journalism in 2022 after a hiatus of twenty-eight years. The Kenyon College alumnus is also an independent information professional, a Jeopardy! champion, a devoted dad, and a fan of the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Browns.
Annie Comperchio is an artist and photographer who lives in Leelanau County and coaches seasonally for Ann Arbor Rowing Club. Annie has been working as a photographer for 20 years, specializing in portraiture. She formerly put down roots in the agricultural side of food systems in Leelanau, growing produce for local chefs. During the summer months, you’ll find her on the Huron River alongside rowers. You can see her work at anniecomperchio.com or on Instagram @a.comperchio
Shelley Daily is a freelance writer who’s lived with her family on Ann Arbor’s west side for twenty-five years. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, she’s fallen in love with Ann Arbor and its people, and especially enjoys writing profiles for the Observer. A favorite day for her is a hike at the Arb, a visit to the University of Michigan Museum of Art, and a bite to eat in a window seat at Old Town Tavern. You can find her work at writingbyshelley.com and you can reach her at [email protected].
Carlina Duan is a poet, educator, and scholar from Ann Arbor. She is the author of the poetry collections I Wore My Blackest Hair (Little A, 2017), and Alien Miss (University of Wisconsin Press, 2021). Carlina is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she teaches poetry in the creative writing program. You can learn more about her and her work at www.carlinaduan.com.
Alex Kourvo is a book editor and writing instructor who co-runs The Emerging Writers Workshop at the Ann Arbor District Library, where she teaches monthly classes for fiction writers. When she’s not reading and writing, she walks dogs, avoids football traffic, and eats key lime pie whenever possible. You can find more about her at AlexKourvo.com
Micheline (Micki) Maynard is a born-and-raised Ann Arborite who has lived in six different parts of town. She remembers buying candy at Drake’s, and one of her first jobs was as a gift wrapper at Jacobson’s. As a grown-up, she’s written six books and reported for publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Fortune. She has two Substack newsletters, CulinaryWoman and Intersection: Everything That Moves. You can also follow her on Threads and Instagram @michelinemaynard and TikTok @CulinaryWoman, or email her at [email protected].
Davi Napoleon is a theater historian and freelance writer. Although she specializes in the arts, she has written about a variety of subjects for local and national magazines and loves diving in and learning new things. She grew up in New York City and came to Ann Arbor to study at U-M. After doing her doctorate at NYU, she returned to the town she missed. She’s lived here for over 45 years and has contributed to the Observer for almost that long. You can read more about her here.
Drew Saunders used to be one of the kids who grew up in Whitmore Lake desperately looking for any excuse possible to go to Ann Arbor. Now an adult, Saunders is a business and environmental journalist with an M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Last year, he won an environmental journalism award from the Detroit chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Bree Stilwell grew up in the sister cities of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. After spending fifteen of her post-college years in Chicago, Las Vegas and Northern California, she finally relented and returned to the city that at some point calls us all back… if we ever left.
During that time and since, she’s studied poetry in Prague, worn every possible hat in the Napa Valley wine industry, rehabbed a brewery loft in Detroit’s Eastern Market, and was the project manager for the restoration of The Dixboro Project.
She’s a creative entrepreneurship mentor by day, and the author of Caravan by night—a Substack newsletter about culture, art-making and the evolving human experience. Bree lives with her husband, son, stepsons on the northwest side, and can be found at just about any AADL event, nursing her oat flat while working remotely at Dozer, or enjoying all four glorious seasons on the B2B Trail.
You can read more at breestilwell.com or drop her a line at [email protected].
Jill Stefani Wagner is a professional artist, painting in oil and pastel. She creates outdoors and in the studio, always focusing on the “light” and how it affects the scene. She is a designated Master Pastelist in both the Pastel Society of America and the International Association of Pastel Societies. She’s an avid plein air artist, inspired by the American and Italian landscape. Jill’s work is in collections in the U.S. and Europe and has been featured in Plein Air Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, and Pastel Journal. A U-M graduate with a BFA in Art, she lives in Saline, MI. Her paintings are represented by 5 art galleries in Michigan.
Patti Smith is a long-time Ann Arborite, once described as the city’s biggest fan. Patti is a former legal aid lawyer turned special education teacher. She is a storyteller and public speaker who has written four traditionally published history books about Ann Arbor. She lives in a condo with her husband, Ken Anderson, and their dog, Pugsley.