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.
Antonio Cooper is a freelance journalist from Detroit, Michigan. A multi-time winner of E-Current Magazine’s “Best Journalist of Washtenaw County,” his coverage of music festivals, local government, and interviews with local celebrities has appeared in the Detroit Metro Times, XXL Magazine, High School Sports Illustrated, the Ann Arbor Observer, and Pop Magazine.
Julie Halpertis an Ann Arbor–based freelance journalist with more than three decades of experience writing for dozens of national publications, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, AARPParents and the Atlantic. She is also a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, where she writes inspiring stories about those who have switched to new careers in retirement. A self-described foodie, one of her favorite beats was serving as the Ann Arbor News restaurant reviewer for eight years. An Ann Arbor resident since 1990, she’s been writing for the Ann Arbor Observer for over a decade, and she relishes the chance to cover issues that matter to those in her community. She also coteaches an environmental journalism class at the University of Michigan. Julie cofounded the suicide prevention nonprofit, Garrett’s Space, with her husband, Scott and is passionate about supporting young adults with mental health struggles. She enjoys spending her spare time nourishing both her body and mind in a variety of pursuits, including yoga, swimming, hiking in nature, participating in book groups and traveling with her husband and two daughters.
Beth Kirschner is a writer and pilot who has lived in Ann Arbor longer than any other place in her travels. Her first novel, Copper Divide, chronicles one woman’s story of friendship tested by a society torn apart by the 1913 labor strike and Italian Hall Disaster in Calumet, Michigan. You can find out more on beth-kirschner.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].
Jenn McKee spent more than a decade working as a staff arts reporter/critic at the Ann Arbor News (in its various iterations). Since then, she’s published pieces in the Washington Post, AARP, Good Housekeeping, Shondaland, Well+Good, the Writer, American Theatre, Scary Mommy, the Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, and more. Jenn met her longtime Ann Arborite husband, Joe Grekin, while playing trombone in the Michigan Marching Band and earning her degree from U-M’s Residential College; she then went on to earn an MA in English (UGA) and an MFA in Creative Writing (PSU). These days, Jenn has two teenage daughters, regularly contributes book reviews to the online mag Midbrow, and works part-time as an event planner and used books curator for Road Less Traveled Books in Farmington.
Timothy Monger is a musician and writer living in Ypsilanti, Michigan. His music ranges in style from pastoral folk and chamber pop to harmony-driven indie rock. In addition to his work as a solo singer/songwriter, he is the bandleader of Timothy Monger State Park, cofounder of folk-rock cult heroes Great Lakes Myth Society, and curator of the experimental multimedia project Log Variations. He is also a freelance graphic designer, habitual runner, and intermittent birder.
As a pup, he worked at local record stores like Schoolkids’ and Encore, where hipster elders taught him about the Shaggs, Scott Walker, and Fairport Convention. A subsequent career writing about music was inevitable. As a Senior Content Editor at Xperi, Monger’s work can be read at AllMusic, Apple Music, Spotify, and other notable industry outlets. He also authors the blog (and Substack) Is This Something?, which compresses observations about creativity, work, and neighborhood minutiae into digestible weekly servings. His home on the internet is timothymonger.com.
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.
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.
Michelle Yang is an advocate whose writings on the intersection of Asian American identity, body image, and mental health have been published in NBC News, CNN, InStyle, and Reader’s Digest. Michelle has also been featured on NPR, the Washington Post, and the Seattle Times for her advocacy. Phoenix Girl: How a Fat Asian with Bipolar Found Love, from Fifth Avenue Press, is her debut memoir. When not writing, Michelle loves exploring new parts of her new home state of Michigan with her family and smoking up the kitchen with spicy recipes. You can find her on michelleyangwriter.com or on Instagram @michelleyangwriter.