Detroit art is vital. Cranbrook, as a degree-granting institution, is at the center of art and design excellence. Now it is also at the center of controversy, according to my student discussions. Heavy-handed self-righteousness arrived on campus ten days ago. On November 4th, the Cranbrook administration, which is largely Jewish, had campus police go through…

Ahh yes, we wanted to put the cloudy Michigan winter doldrums behind us. It felt great for this pair of adventurous boomers to get out early for spring break. We wanted to take this trip to see family and attend to familial matters, and nicely, we did. We wanted it to go well in terms…

Up River, a collection of moving poems by Cecil Rupnaraine, is a remarkable way to celebrate poetry and a remarkable poet. April is, after all, poetry month. I am lucky that Cecil recently shared a last remaining copy of his poems from a first partial attempt to publish; a couple are reproduced here. While getting…

Autumn 2022 was quite a VanLife roller coaster for my partner and I. It was a great and eye-opening experience for us as relatively new van adventurists. We learned a couple of important lessons and saw the power of flexibility in van travel. Plus, it was a great reminder of northeast America’s autumn beauty. We…