Ann Arbor, Etc.

From the outside, the building looks ordinary and, except for the continuous flow of people entering and leaving, there is little indication that it is special. However, it is truly a “third place,” which is neither “home” nor “workplace,” neither “public” nor “private,” but both and more.   It is a center to which people come and go as they please, meet others, and build community.

Written on January 25, 2026, for a community event in Ann Arbor. Some edits made in the wake of the recent loss of Tommy York, cofounder, visionary, and familiar face of YORK.  On Friday night in January, I learned something new...

It’s been nearly sixty years since my Ferndale High School classmates—Nick, Jeff, and I—set off on three very different paths during the Vietnam War. 

On a bench outside Pizza Bob’s, two ancients (Class of ’74), watched, fascinated, a stream of U-M students cutting out early from the season’s first football game. Lots of maize and blue, of course, but more specific fashion codes also ruled. 

We often think we need to become someone important in order to leave our mark on humanity, to be remembered for something meaningful we’ve done. That’s why we chase recognition, try to make a name for ourselves, and aim to...

Omowale: African in origin, from the Yoruba, Meaning ‘The Son Has Come Home.’  Nov 7 2024  …And now our dear friend Omowale John Sinclair has come home. So much has been said and written about his varied life I...

The late Douglas J. Harvey Jr., Washtenaw County’s sheriff from 1964 to 1972,, debuted with an inauspicious moment as a rookie cop in the Ypsilanti Police Department. Doug was a US Navy veteran, and one of his many...

  Mary Frances Berry is Eastern Michigan University’s keynote speaker for Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 20th, 2025. One of America’s most visible and respected activists in the cause of civil rights,...

Mel was released from the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in June 2024 after completing a two-year sentence. In this essay, she talks about art–and specifically a print-making class–that helped her express what she...

Last Friday night’s Dancing in Summer showcase brought modern and contemporary works to the stage from various choreographers and companies across the country. Ypsilanti’s Riverside Arts Center space created an intimate space...

    The last time Michigan won the Rose Bowl, New Year’s Day 1998, it had been a dazzling season for the undefeated Wolverines. It had also been a spectacular football season for my then three-year-old son and me, but in a very...