Dave Algase has reported on more than 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.
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].
Erica Hobbs is a freelance journalist specializing in arts, culture and travel. In addition to the Ann Arbor Observer, she is a regular arts contributor to the Detroit News and a theater critic for Midbrow Detroit. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Reuters, AAA, Fodor’s Travel, DAC Magazine, WDET and with the Solutions Journalism Network, among others.
She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Italian from the University of Michigan. Passionate about theater, she spends much of her free time attending or performing in shows. She’s also an avid traveler, whose travels include living in Italy, England, and Malaysia and spending a year solo backpacking throughout Asia.
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
Trilby MacDonald is a journalist, nonprofit strategist, and grant writer advancing community‑led environmental solutions, equitable food systems, and land access across Michigan. Trilby was founding editor of the Ann Arbor Observer’s weekly news publication a2view, served as chief editor and staff writer for Current Magazine, and writes for the Ecology Center’s online environmental newsroom. She also supports community climate action as a technical assistance provider for the Michigan Healthy Climate Community Accelerator. Trilby cofounded the Michigan Flower Growers’ Cooperative and Michigan Farm Link and previously ran a four‑season farm.
Before settling in Ann Arbor, Trilby worked in documentary film and international nonprofit coordination in Brazil. A native New Yorker, she has made her home in Washtenaw County since 2010 and lives in Webster Township with her partner and two children. Trilby enjoys taking walks in the woods with her dog Oscar and cat Maple.
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.
Nicole Ray is an illustrator with a whimsical line of art prints and paper goods under the name Sloe Gin Fizz. From quirky animal and vegetable characters to cozy, nostalgia-filled interiors and calming views of nature, Nicole’s hand-drawn scenes are highly accessible, infused with a playful sense of humor and a strong narrative quality. Find more of her work at sloeginfizz.com or make it a Sloe News Day by signing up for her monthly newsletter.
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.