NOW OPEN!
From the Editor
It's a new year, but Encore's resolution is the same as it has always been: to bring our readers stories about those whose ingenuity, creativity, determination and compassion make the greater Kalamazoo area the phenomenal place it is. And I'm glad to say our first issue of the year does that in spades.
Our cover story is on Ed Genesis, a musician, educator, poet and social justice warrior who is using the hard lessons of a life on the streets to inspire and motivate others and fight for equity where he sees it is needed. Writer Zinta Aistars gives us a captivating snapshot of this multidimensional, multi-talented man.
We also meet Shannon Milan, who after years building a successful career as a hairstylist and salon owner, made a leap of faith in her 30s to go to college and did so at Kalamazoo College, where she was more than a decade older than her peers. She is now the director of admissions at her alma mater, and how her life has transpired is an interesting tale.
We also visit the Hospital Hospitality House (HHH) of Southwest Michigan, which has two facilities in Kalamazoo to serve patients and their families while the patients require the medical services of area health care facilities. Seventy percent of those who stay at the houses are from out of the area, and these facilities provide comfort for them as they or their loved ones heal.
As you begin this new year, I hope you will also consider making another resolution: Support Encore by becoming a subscriber. Many of you pick up Encore at one of our 200 drop-off locations and it's a bummer when you find our racks empty. (What can I say? Encore is popular.) But for just $36 a year, you will always receive the latest issue delivered right to your mailbox. In addition, you will be doing an important good deed — you will be supporting local journalism in our community and helping to sustain Kalamazoo's longest-publishing community-focused magazine. We make it easy to do — just tear out the subscription card in this issue, fill it out and mail it in or subscribe online at encorekalamazoo.com/subscribe.
Embrace the New Year and all the joys January brings, including the new issue of Encore!
Left to right: Morgan Rogalke-Scime, Charles S. Ofstein, Tyler J. Stewart, Olivia A. Kurajian, William B. Millard
Publisher encore publications, inc
Editor marie lee
Art Director alexis stubelt
Photographer brian k powers
Contributing Writers zinta aistars, jordan bradley, janet ruth heller, john liberty
Copy Editor/Poetry Editor margaret deritter
Advertising Sales janis clark kimberly juwong
Distribution ron kilian robert zedeck
Office Coordinator kelly burcroff
Proofreader hope smith
Encore Magazine is published 12 times yearly. Copyright 2025, Encore Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Editorial, circulation and advertising correspondence should be sent to:
www.encorekalamazoo.com 117 W. Cedar St. Suite A, Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Telephone: (269) 383–4433 Email: Publisher@encorekalamazoo.com
The staff at Encore welcomes written comments from readers, and articles and poems for submission with no obligation to print or return them. To learn more about us or to comment, visit encorekalamazoo.com. Encore subscription rates: one year $36, two years $70. Current single issue and newsstand $4, $10 by mail. Back issues $6, $12 by mail. Advertising rates on request. Closing date for space is 28 days prior to publication date. Final date for print–ready copy is 21 days prior to publication date. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by those interviewed and published here do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Encore Magazine or the official policies, owners or employees of Encore Publications
Zinta Aistars
Zinta penned two stories this month — the cover story on poet, musician, educator and social justice advocate Ed Genesis and our feature on the Hospital Hospitality House of Southwest Michigan.
About her story on Genesis, Zinta says, "Let's be honest — too many of us are quick to judgment. We may think that if you have been arrested, have done time, you must be a dangerous person, unworthy of trust. A person's history cannot be so simply contained. There may be reasons that led to their mistakes, and they may be deserving of compassion. Ed brings his experiences to the forefront and turns them into compassion and
Jordan Bradley
When Encore asked Jordan to chat with Kalamazoo College’s Shannon Milan about her role as the college’s director of admissions, Jordan was intrigued, especially after learning that Milan went to college for the first time in her mid-30s. “Shannon’s story is just so cool,”
sound advice for others traveling similar paths while he works to make a difference in the community."
The Hospital Hospitality House serves loved ones of patients in local hospitals and sometimes patients themselves. Of the kind of situations facing the loved ones, Zinta says she has "known that nightmare — that unexpected call that a loved one is in the hospital trauma center and may not survive. The last thing on your mind at that moment is: Where will I stay? Where will I eat? It would make all the difference to have a warm welcome, a comfortable bed, and folks that focus on you so that you can focus on caring for your loved one."
Zinta is creative director of Z Word LLC, a writing and editing service, and host of the weekly radio show "Art Beat," on WMUK 102.1 FM.
says Jordan, 35, who is also toying with the thought of returning to school. “I loved hearing Shannon’s perspective as a nontraditional student. It’s really apparent how much she cares about the students at K College and their experiences.” Jordan is a freelance contributor to Encore. In her free time, she can be found on cemetery walks with her desert dog, enjoying a book or stretching in a yoga studio.
First Things
Something Inspiring
Lyceum to explore 'A Life Well Lived'
What does it mean to have a life well lived? That question will be explored in a community conversation held by the Kalamazoo Lyceum at the Kalamazoo Public Library.
This free event, set for 2 p.m. Jan. 18, is the fourth in a five-part series of connected events titled "A Life Well Lived — Kalamazoo," which began in October with the aim of inspiring dialogue about living a purposeful and full life.
The series is a collaboration of Western Michigan University’s Center for the Study of Ethics in Society, the WMU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the Kalamazoo Lyceum to encourage more intergenerational relationships, a stronger sense of community, and a shared hopeful vision for the future.
It was inspired by filmmaker Sky Bergman's documentary Lives Well Lived, in which she interviews her 99-year-old grandmother and other seniors about living a full life.
The final event in the series, on March 15 at WMU, will include a talk by Bergman. For more information or to RSVP for either of the events, visit linktr.ee/kzoolwl.
Something Musical Tauk brings tour to Bell's
The progressive rock-fusion group Tauk, a band that has shared the stage with the likes of Umphrey's McGee and Widespread Panic, will give a concert at 8 p.m. Jan. 30 in Bell's Backroom, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave.
Tauk, whose current lineup has been performing together since 2012, has recorded six albums and performed at festivals from Bonnaroo to Electric Forest.
The Jan. 18 show is standing room only, and anyone 17 or under will be admitted only with a parent or guardian. Tickets are $20–$25 and can be purchased at events.bellsbeer.com.
Something Cinematic Festival highlights short films
Short films and music videos by filmmakers from the Great Lakes region will be featured in the Wolf Tree Film Festival, set for 7 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Franke Center for the Arts, in Marshall.
Now in its seventh year, the festival features short films that are set in the Great Lakes region, include themes or topics related to the region, or are the work of filmmakers or musicians who live in or grew up in the region. This year the festival also includes Michigan Music Video Award categories.
Tickets are $19. For more information, visit thefranke.org.
Something Festive Gala welcomes Lunar New Year
You can celebrate the Year of the Snake when the Chinese American Association of Greater Kalamazoo hosts its annual Lunar New Year Gala at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 at Chenery Auditorium.
The Lunar New Year is an occasion with historical and cultural significance that is observed in Asian countries. The local gala will feature food, music, dance and activities to celebrate the occasion.
Tickets are $10. Children 5 or younger get in free. For more information on where to buy tickets, visit cagk.org.
Something Hot History of coffee is focus of talk
If you want to know the journey that coffee takes from farms growing coffee beans to your cup, you will have two opportunities to learn this month
Gary Marquardt, associate director of Western Michigan University's Institute for Intercultural and Anthropological Studies and a lecturer in African American and African Studies, will present two talks about the history of the beverage:
• Coffee: Bean to Cup, 10 a.m. Jan. 11 at the Portage District Library.
• Seed to Cup: Coffee Histories, 10:30 a.m. Jan. 18 at the Eastwood Branch of the Kalamazoo Public Library. Marquardt has worked in the coffee industry in cold brew production and roasting and as an educator for La Barba Coffee.
Five Faves
Five reasons to partake in Craft Beverage Week
BY JOHN LIBERTY
Big changes are coming to this year’s installment of Kalamazoo Craft Beverage Week, the weeklong celebration of local craft beverage producers and establishments. Originally launched in 2010 as Kalamazoo Beer Week, this event was one of the first of its kind in Michigan and became an annual winter staple. It recently expanded to include local hard cider, wine, spirits and other beverage options to tempt tastebuds of all sorts. And while the celebration traditionally has been held in January, this year's specials and quirky happenings have been moved to the first week of February, but we're telling you about it this month so you can plan ahead. Here are five good reasons for you to partake in this year's Kalamazoo Craft Beverage Week.
It's not a dry month.
In an effort to give small craft beverage producers more time to catch their collective breath after the Christmas holidays and to avoid the growing popularity of the Dry January movement, during which people abstain from alcohol for a month, KCBW 2025 will be held Feb. 1–8. Organizers and participants believe this change will give participating producers more time to create unique experiences. But you can call it Soaking Wet February if that helps you to remember.
It's a chance to embrace winter.
One of the best parts of KCBW is how thoroughly the craft beverage community builds its events around the finer aspects of winter, with some marquee cold-weather wackiness emerging during the week. Bell’s Brewery’s popular Snow Jog — a combination bar hop/ run/walk and challenge/costume party — sells out quickly. Presidential Brewing Co.’s Beer Olympics gives teams a shot at the ultimate beer-based bragging rights. And that’s just the tip of the, well, you know. It’s February, after all. If the seasonal doldrums start to get to you, KCBW is the perfect way to power through and have some fun doing it.
The industry needs support.
It’s no secret that the food service industry is struggling, and few are feeling it harder than craft breweries and restaurants. Between the rising costs of goods, staffing fluctuations, constant road construction projects and an economy where customers have fewer dollars to spend, several small business owners are holding on as tight as they can. This means KCBW 2025 is as important as ever, and likely more so, to these producers' and restaurants' survival. If you have money to spare, these hard-working, creative business leaders need you.
You can learn something new and be creative.
It never hurts to stretch your creative capabilities or learn something new. A couple sneaky facets of the week combine beverages with artistic opportunities and with knowledgegaining fun. On the arts side, past events have included DIY glassware painting, wreath-making (think floral arrangement-making this year) and wine and canvas painting events. Trivia events are plentiful during KCBW, and it's a great chance to learn about distilling and brewing throughout the week. In addition, several owners make themselves available for facility tours, mixology classes and guided tastings.
The litany of pairings rolled out every KCBW means tons of options are available nearly every night of the week for those looking to eat as well as drink: cheese and wine; beer and bacon; cider and tacos; bourbon and steak boards; chocolate and wine; doughnuts and beer; cocktails and cookies. Several bars and restaurants also present multi-course dinner pairings over the week.
To keep up on all the action of Kalamazoo Craft Beverage Week, follow #KCBW2015 on social media. For more information on all events, go to www.kalamazoocraftbeverageweek.com.
About the Author
A former Kalamazoo Gazette reporter, John Liberty left the world of journalism in 2014 to co-found and manage West Michigan Beer Tours, which closed in 2024. The longtime Kalamazoo resident now provides packaging and production services to craft beverage companies across Michigan. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications from Western Michigan University.
The YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo is so much more than a gym. At the Y, we serve the Kalamazoo and Portage communities through our Youth Development and Healthy Living programming, ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to grow and reach their fullest potential.
Learn more about the Y’s work in our community!
Home Away from Home
Hospitality houses provide comfort for patients, families
BY ZINTA AISTARS
Imagine that phone call out of the blue. A loved one has been hurt in a car crash, a loved one has taken a bad fall, or a loved one has suffered a massive heart attack and is now on life support.
That kind of call is nightmare enough, but for those who live a long distance from a hospital there could also be the unexpected worry of where to stay while visiting the patient.
“Some people in the past (with a loved one who was a patient in Kalamazoo) even had to sleep in their cars or hospital hallways,” says Jim Paparella. “No more.”
Paparella is the executive director of Hospital Hospitality House (HHH) of Southwest Michigan, which has two facilities in Kalamazoo to serve patients and their families while they require the medical services of Bronson Methodist Hospital, Ascension Borgess Hospital, the West Michigan Cancer Center or other health care facilities in the area.
Hospital Hospitality House was created in 1985, and its original facility was a Victorianstyle historic home at 527 W. South St. Now, nearly 40 years later, the organization has two locations: 1800 Henson Ave., just east of Borgess Ascension Hospital, and 828 S. Burdick St., near Bronson Methodist Hospital. The two houses, built by the Home Builders Association of Kalamazoo and designed by the architectural firm Eckert Wordell, replaced the original hospitality house, which was sold by HHH. A $4.8 million capital campaign funded the two new houses, which opened to the public in 2018 and 2019.
Each house has seven guest rooms, each with a private bath. Both locations also offer community kitchens, children’s playrooms, laundry facilities, family gathering spaces, conference rooms, patio and outdoor garden spaces, and easy parking nearby.
“The hospitality houses are one of Kalamazoo’s best kept secrets,” Paparella says. “but that’s mostly because most of the people we serve — about 70% — live outside of Kalamazoo.”
Guests from all over
Paparella points to a map of the United States crowded with colorful pins that mark the residence of a Hospital Hospitality House guest. While most of the pins are in Michigan, many are spread across the entire country.
“Hospital Hospitality House has served people in all 50 states and even from countries overseas,” he says. “In fact, right now we have a guest staying here from Madagascar.”
Other guests may have no home. One such example, Paparella says, was a homeless person from Kalamazoo who had checked into a local hospital for a medical procedure but had nowhere to stay and recover. He was provided with a room and transportation to and from the hospital free of charge.
“No one pays for anything here,” Paparella says. “The houses are completely funded by donations and through our fundraising efforts or capital campaign.”
Rooms are provided based on need. Recommendations mostly come from hospital staff or social workers. The houses are ADA-compliant, with barrier-free access, and guests are provided with food, clothing and incidentals.
Jim Paparella, executive director of Hospital Hospitality House of Southwest Michigan, in the welcoming living area of the organization's facility on Henson Avenue by Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo.
Brian K. Powers
Satisfied with their stays
Recent surveys rate guest satisfaction at 95.4% for comfort, 98.7% for cleanliness, 97.3% for hospitality, and 97.3% overall.
Paparella is proud of those numbers. He took his position as executive director of HHH in 2022, bringing with him 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership. He formerly worked as executive director of Child and Family Services in Lansing; as president and CEO of D.A. Blodgett-St. John’s Home, a children's home in Grand Rapids; and as a nonprofit consultant. He has also managed a shelter for runaway and homeless youth in mid-Michigan.
“When I came to this position, I thought about a favorite saying by Steve Farber, a leadership coach: 'Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do.' That’s how I feel about my work here,” he says.
Jessica Blanchard, guest services coordinator at the HHH location on Henson Avenue, echoes that sentiment. A longtime volunteer, she now lives permanently at the house, in an apartment at the end of a hallway.
“That way I can be on call for guests 24 hours a day,” she says. During most daytime hours, she is seated at the front desk, ready
with a warm smile to greet anyone coming through the door.
But during early morning and evening hours, the house buzzes with activity.
“Guests usually have breakfast here or we give them boxed meals to take along, and then they head to the hospital to be with their loved one or to get treatment,” Paparella says. “Then they return in the evening. They can prepare their own meals here or grab something from the community fridge.”
The large, bright kitchen has two refrigerators. One is considered a community refrigerator with food items for the taking. The other holds items guests have purchased on their own.
“We also have volunteers to whom we give Aldi cards so that they can go shopping for the guests,” Paparella says. A food pantry covers basic food needs such as coffee, peanut butter, bread, snacks and more.
The Kemp family, above, stayed at the Hospitality House near Bronson Hospital during a period when a family member needed medical care (photo courtesy of HHH). At right, the houses provide comforts of home, including bright kitchens for meal preparation and dining (top) and a play room stocked with toys and activities for children.
Q:
A:
A sponsor for each room
Paparella walks the pastel-colored hallways of the house, where each door has a plaque with a name on it.
“Each room here is sponsored by someone different,” he says. “Each room has its own color theme, its own style. Some have twin beds. Others have queens or pullout sofas. We can also bring in air mattresses if needed. But all rooms have private bathrooms, and that’s a change from the original house that our guests really appreciate.”
The average stay for guests is more than seven days, and in 2023 HHH served 943 guests, providing stays totaling nearly 7,000 nights. Guests can stay for as long as needed, whether it be for a night or a few days or even months.
“My favorite moments are when guests come back later to thank us,” Paparella says. “People staying here are not just family members of patients — many times these are cancer patients staying close to the hospital for their treatments. We see them when they are feeling their worst. Then they come back later, healthy again, to say thank you, and you almost can’t recognize them. That’s the best.”
As a bene ciary, if my parents are still alive, am I entitled to a copy of their revocable trust?
It depends. If the trust instrument is a revocable trust, under MCL 700.7603, the Trustee's duties are owed exclusively to the settlors of the trust, which would be your parents. erefore, there is no duty owed to inform trust bene ciaries of the trust's existence or to provide you with a copy of the trust.
If the trust instrument is a formerly revocable trust that has become irrevocable, pursuant to MCL 700.7814, a Trustee within 63 days of acquiring knowledge that the trust has become irrevocable, shall notify the quali ed trust bene ciaries of the trust's existence, of the identity of the settlor or settlors, of the court in which the trust is registered, if it is registered, and of the right to request a copy of the terms of the trust that describe or a ect the trust bene ciary's interests.
If the trust instrument is an irrevocable undisclosed trust, pursuant to MCL 700.7409a(2)(b), a Trustee, within 63 days a er accepting the role of Trustee, is required only to notify all nondisclosure correlative right holders and protection power holders (neither of which tend to be the bene ciaries – call your estate planning attorney for more information on these roles) of the acceptance of the court in which the trust is registered, if it is registered, and of the trustee's name, address, and telephone number.
If you have further questions about your status as a trust bene ciary, please contact your estate planning attorney.
Please send your questions to Michael J. Willis, J.D., C.P.A.
Law
Brian K. Powers
Brian K. Powers
'Just Keep Pounding' 'Just Keep Pounding'
Ed Genesis walked a rough road before becoming a musician, educator and social justice warrior
BY ZINTA AISTARS
Recalling his childhood in Gary, Indiana, Ed Genesis refers to it as “tricky.”
In fact, the young Ed would have a hard time imagining the Ed of today — a 49-yearold Kalamazoo musician, educator, social justice warrior, and man on a mission to help youth navigate life's rough roads.
But he says all of his experiences, good and not so good, have played a part in putting him on the path he walks today.
“My father was killed when I was 2 years old,” he says. “He was killed by off-duty police officers of the Gary, Indiana, police department during an unauthorized raid — there was a strong belief that the police were extorting the drug dealers inside. They shot him through a closed door. He was murdered. I didn’t know that story until my history teacher told me in 11th grade."
Along with a sister and two brothers, Genesis, whose given name is Edward Griffin, was raised by his mother, grandmother and an uncle. His step-grandfather, a pastor in the Methodist Church, also had a hand in his upbringing.
But as a teen, Ed took to the streets and hung out with a local gang. Like so many of his peers, he got into trouble, got caught by the police, and found himself wearing handcuffs.
At left: Ed Genesis outside the North Pole Party Store, one of the first establishments to sell his CDs when he started as a rapper in the late 1990s. Genesis, who lives in Kalamazoo's Northside neighborhood, is a staunch supporter and proponent of his community. Above, Genesis' gregariousness is evident in this photo of him as a toddler.
“There’s only so much a single mother can tell you at that age,” Genesis says. “My mother met a man in church and remarried, but then they did drugs together. I always blamed my stepfather — I no longer do. I was at my rebellious stage back then.”
In high school, Ed carried a gun for protection. By then, he was staying with an aunt and attending a different school in a different neighborhood, where a rival gang ruled the streets. The firearm, he believed, meant his survival.
“Enough people knew I had it,” he says. “So I was expelled from all Gary public schools. I had to call my grandmother, the family matriarch, to come get me because she was the most stable person in the family. I was ashamed.”
The expulsion prompted a family meeting. It was apparent to those who loved him most that all the pieces were there for Ed to end up having a fate similar to his father's. To give him a fresh start would require leaving Gary and moving to Kalamazoo, where they had relatives. Ed, his mother and two brothers made the move in the middle of the night so that no one would know when they were leaving or their destination. Their belongings were packed into several garbage bags and dropped into the back of a car parked down the street from their home. It was owned by the great-aunt who had come from Kalamazoo to take them back to her home.
It was 1991, and Ed was just shy of 17 years old.
“It was a fresh start for the whole family. That’s what led us to Kalamazoo. Mama battled with addiction and went to rehab,” he says.
Trouble, however, still followed him, and within a year he found himself once again under arrest.
“I was at the mall with a couple of friends, and we were watching three white guys getting rowdy, jumping around and being rude,” Genesis recalls. “Someone called the police, and when they came, they questioned us. I was just one month shy of turning 18, charged with resisting and obstructing an officer because I yanked my arm away from an officer questioning me. When I said I didn’t do anything, they beat the crap out of us.”
It was his first felony charge. More arrests would follow, with Genesis ultimately spending time incarcerated in the Kalamazoo County Jail.
A great-aunt like an angel
But Genesis had not forgotten his father’s fate, nor would his family let him forget.
“My family would remind me my father was killed by the police,” he explains. “For the next six, seven years I was in and out of jail. My great-aunt would tell me, 'Once you get into that system, it’s very hard to get out.'”
He sank into what he calls a “pity party,” convinced that no one had a life as troubled as his.
But his great-aunt Doris Gilbert told him he “had a chip on his shoulder" and that it was allowing him to stay angry, ready to pick a fight with anyone who might challenge him.
“She told me that at the end of the day I would end up with a lot of nothing,” Genesis says. “I didn’t know what she meant for a long
time. She was very wise. She was instrumental in what I call nursing me back to health. I thank God, because she was like my angel."
In 1995, Genesis was placed in KPEP (Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program), a residential program in Kalamazoo that gives former inmates a chance at going straight, offering a more structured form of probation than usual.
“When I ended up in KPEP, I said to myself, 'I don’t want to get into trouble anymore. I want to take my life a little more seriously,'” he says. “That’s when I changed my name to Genesis.
“My name is Edward Griffin — that’s my father’s name,” Genesis explains. “We had the Genesis Convention Center in Gary that was the concert hall. There was a chemical spill when I was in the fourth grade, and everyone had to go to Genesis. It was where people went in times of trouble."
Music as a tool for change
With a new name, Genesis began to ponder how to move forward in life. Rap music had long been a passion for him, as was drawing. In 1999, Genesis started gained notoriety on the streets of Kalamazoo when one of his songs appeared on a compilation CD of hip-hop circulating through the city. He had written the song while incarcerated, inspired by a passage he'd read on how to chip away at a boulder — “just keep pounding” — and that became the title of his song.
“People who had never heard of me were beginning to ask, 'Who is that guy?'” Genesis says. “When my great-aunt told me she was proud of me, I said, 'I’m not making any money on this.' She told me that doesn’t matter. 'You are doing what you want to do,' she said. And that’s what the streets started to tell me — you have something special, you sound different.”
Genesis felt an obligation to live the message of "Just Keep Pounding" in his own life. To that end he enrolled at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. But every path has its curves and bends, and Genesis still had to address that chip on his shoulder.
“I had that toxic masculine personality,” he says. “I was angry with this guy, and I went into his house and got charged with home invasion. Yeah, I was super embarrassed. It was like déjà vu from Gary. They came to my class at KVCC to get me out. When the officers came in, I knew they were there for me, and it got me expelled.”
Thinking he might go to prison, Genesis quickly put the finishing touches on a new CD and published it. The CD came out as he learned he would not be doing time in prison after all.
“Everybody was coming to get the CD. It sold out,” he says. “I made it to MTV. I went around Kalamazoo and Gary with it, and I met a woman, an organizer, who asked me if I had heard about mass incarceration, about the school-to-prison pipeline. I had not. She told me my voice would do so much more if I would learn about these things.”
Genesis did and at last found his way to a life on the right side of the law. With his music as a tool for change, Genesis began selling more of it, and several of his songs were placed on television shows, including Forensic Files and The George Lopez Show. His songs today
can be heard on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Music, SoundCloud and other streaming platforms.
He also started We Active!, a community organization fighting against mass incarceration and the school-to-prison pipeline. The group has been recognized by the state of Michigan for its work on criminal justice reform in the Kalamazoo community.
Becoming a family man
His involvement in causes for social change also brought romance into Genesis’ life. He met and married Patrese Griffin, who was Kalamazoo's vice mayor from 2019 to 2021 and now directs Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care (CoC), an organization working to reduce homelessness. The two have raised two sons and a daughter.
Griffin is also well known in the Kalamazoo community for her activism, including her efforts to eliminate discriminatory housing practices that deny people housing based on prior criminal convictions or evictions. It's a personal cause for her — the couple was temporarily homeless after being evicted from their rental home on the Northside when it was unexpectedly condemned. The couple believe Genesis' criminal record made it difficult for them to find another home, facing discrimination for his past actions even though Genesis had turned his life around.
“We still live in the Northside,” Genesis says.
Fired up about social justice
Along with using his music to raise awareness for social causes, Genesis in 2018 founded the BLOCKS Club, which offers programs that teach youth "adulting" and economic skills and hosts healing circles to address trauma in the Black community. BLOCKS stands for Building Leadership Organizing Communities for Keys to Succeed.
“We use hip-hop as a tool for community organizing,” Genesis says. “We advocate for
Top: Genesis, second from right, with his family, from left, grandson Princeton Griffin being held by his dad and Genesis' son Ed Griffin Jr., daughter Genesis Griffin, son Rider Griffin and Genesis's wife, Patrese Griffin (far right). Bottom: Genesis performing as a rapper (left) and with Speak It Forward partner Gabriel Giron. Courtesy photos.
economic development as well as decreasing mass incarceration. One of our biggest things is working on anti-gun violence. I got training for this through Michigan United (a civil rights advocacy group). (At the) BLOCKS Club, there were only two of us, unpaid, for the first three years, but I got sent to every kind of training you could think of.”
Genesis traveled to Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C., and attributes much of what he knows about community organizing to these trainings. After one such training on equity, Genesis returned home armed with new knowledge.
“I had thought equity was just about what banks do,” he says. “I learned equity is about my life.”
His first foray into social equity began with a fight about unfair parking enforcement practices. While moving furniture into his Northside home, he was told by law enforcement officers that he could not park in front of his home and was charged with a misdemeanor. Yet Genesis found he could park in front of a friend’s
home in Portage with no problem. He saw it as an issue of equity and, after researching the legality of the No Parking signs posted in the Northside neighborhood, was able to get them removed in 2019.
At the same time, Genesis was tapping even more into his creative power. In 2018, he hosted the annual Kalamazoo Poetry Festival, which he did for six consecutive years. He performed at the Black Arts Festival and at the National Day of Racial Healing, an annual event presented by the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation program, formerly part of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. He created Poetic Justice, a monthly open-mic event for poets that was originally held at the Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, in the Edison neighborhood, and is now held on the second Saturday of each month at the Northside Association for Community Development.
Genesis speaks to students at Fennville High School. Courtesy photo.
And in 2017 he became co-director and community engagement director for Speak It Forward, an organization of outreach to youth that uses spokenword entertainment. Genesis had met the group's founders, Kirk Latimer and Gabriel Giron, many years before at a summer program where he and they were performing and the three connected.
“I jumped in, and I absolutely fell in love with it because I saw so many people who were like me when I was growing up,” Genesis says.
Speak It Forward has not only performed and offered workshops locally at the former Lakeside Academy, Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home, Starr Commonwealth and other sites, but also travels to locations nationwide.
When the Speak It Forward team was brought into some of these facilities, Genesis immediately made it known that he did not approve of the use of the term “at-risk youth.”
“No youth is born at risk, unless we are talking about their community or their school or their house, but we’re not talking about that," he says. "I get what they are saying about youth slipping through the cracks, but it sounds different when you are the youth receiving
that label. Let’s just call them what they are — young people.”
Genesis has made efforts to connect with younger kids as well. In 2022, he created The 4 Elements of Hip Hop, a coloring and activity book about the hip-hop music movement and its connection to social justice issues. The book has been used by libraries, schools and other organizations for outreach and education. Now he's a teacher too
Ever expanding his reach, Genesis in 2021 added college instructor to his resume, teaching his own curriculum in a Kalamazoo Valley Community College class titled "A Look at Social Justice Through a Hip Hop Lens."
“I have teamed up with Communities in Schools to present the class to several schools in the area, and I have also taught it to some of the inmates at the Kalamazoo County Jail," he says, noting that he hopes to teach the course at other colleges and locations.
With so many irons in so many fires, Genesis considers for a moment what has been most important in his life. “I have changed the narrative of my life,” he says.
Lewis Reed & Allen P.C. attorneys
Front row, center: Richard D. Reed
Middle Row (L-R): Wesley J. Todd, James M. Marquardt, Michael A. Dombos, Stephen M. Denenfeld, Lana M. Escamilla, Jennifer Wu, Owen D. Ramey, Kimberly L. Swinehart, Vernon Bennett III
Back Row (L-R): Christopher D. Morris, Jonathan J. Vander Horst, Joseph W. Vander Horst, David A. Lewis, Ronald W. Ryan, Michael A. Shields, Thomas C. Richardson
TheArts
FortheLove ofMusic
Jan. 4
All Ears Theatre
Set in the year 2085, this all-audio theater play written by local author and frequent Encore contributor Robert M. Weir explores what happens when a radio wave from intelligent extraterrestrial creatures is discovered.
The production will be staged at 6 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition (First Baptist Church), 315 W. Michigan, and is free. For more information, visit allearstheatre.org.
SunsetBaby
Jan. 16–19
Face Off Theatre
Face Off Theatre teams up with the Kalamazoo College theater department in this production that examines how a former Black revolutionary and political prisoner seeks to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16–18 and 2 p.m. Jan. 18 and 19 at the Dungeon Theatre, 139 Thompson St., on the Kalamazoo College campus. Tickets are $20 and available at faceofftheatre.com.
TheArts
is published in partnership and funding provided by
Well
Jan. 17–26
Kalamazoo Civic Theatre
This exploration of a relationship between a mother and daughter and what it means to be sick versus well will be staged in the Carver Center Studio Theatre, 426 S. Park St.
Written by Michigan native and Kalamazoo College alum Lisa Kron, this autobiographical production will feature Courtney Stewart in the role of Lisa and Laura VanOrman as her mother, Ann.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17–18 and 24–25 and 2 p.m. Jan. 19 and 26. Tickets are $17–$32 and available at kazoocivic.com or by calling 343–1313.
DirtyRotten Scoundrels
Jan. 31–Feb. 1
Center Stage Theatre
This musical about two con men who compete to swindle a wealthy woman will be staged at Comstock Community Auditorium, 2107 N. 26th St.
Show times are 7 p.m. Jan. 31, Feb. 1 and 2, and 2 p.m. Feb. 1. Tickets are $12–$15 and available at kzoocst.com.
AlltheNatalie Portmans
Jan. 31–Feb. 16
WMU Theatre
This play follows the 16-year-old Keyonna, who is too smart, “too gay” and too lonely to fit in, so she escapes from reality into rom-coms, red carpets and all the iconic characters played by her muse, Natalie Portman.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31, Feb. 1, Feb. 6–8 and 13–15 and 2 p.m. Feb. 2, 9 and 16 at York Arena Theatre, on the Western Michigan University campus. Tickets are $7–$24 and available at wmich.edu/theatre or by calling 387–6222.
TippingPoint and Tierraskinland
Opening Jan. 14
Richmond Center for Visual Arts
VISUAL ARTS
Works by two local art professors will fill the galleries of Western Michigan University's Richmond Center for Visual Arts, starting this month.
The appetite for carbon-based energy sources and its impact on the environment and global climate change will be the focus of Tipping Point , an exhibition by Kalamazoo College art professor Tom Rice. He works primarily in drawing, painting and installations. This exhibition will run through Feb. 8 in the Albertine MonroeBrown Gallery.
Migration and displacement related to political unrest, violence and climate change is the focus of Tierraskinland , a video installation in the Netzorg-Kerr Gallery by Patricia Villalobos Echeverría, a WMU professor of print media. The source material for the works was recorded in Nicaragua, Iceland, Japan, Michigan and Hawaii. The exhibition runs through Feb. 13.
A reception for the artists will be held from 5–8 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Richmond Center. For more information, visit wmich.edu/art/galleries/exhibitions
Ongoing Exhibitions
Aimee Lee: This Bast Is a Lattice a Matrix a Dialect , through Jan. 17, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center
Powerful Forces: Legends, Rituals & Warriors in East Asian Art , through Jan. 19, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Points of View Exhibit , through Jan. 29, Black Arts & Cultural Center
Legendary Voices: Art for the Next Century , through Feb. 16, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Michael Delaware
Jan. 21
Portage District Library
Crimes of a heinous nature that occurred more than a century ago in this area will be the focus of a talk by this Battle Creek author at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21.
Delaware is the author of Victorian Southwest Michigan True Crime (The History Press, 2024) as well as other fiction and nonfiction books. He is also the host of the podcast Tales of Southwest Michigan's Past. Registration to attend his talk is required at portagelibrary.info.
MUSIC
WMU School of Music Throughout the month
Various venues
The school starts the new year off with a handful of performances this month. They will be in the Dalton Center Recital Hall and, unless otherwise noted, are free:
• Concerto Competition Finals, 1 p.m. Jan. 11.
• Tuba and Euphonium Day with the All Star and Mass Ensembles, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 12.
• Sophie Tang, violinist, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15, with pre-concert talk at 7 p.m., $5–$15.
• Horn Day, featuring the Mass Horn Choir, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19.
• Robert DiLutis, clarinetist, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22, with pre-concert talk at 7 p.m., $5–$15.
• Burdick-Thorne String Quartet and pianist Lori Sims, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29, with pre-concert talk at 7 p.m., $5–$15.
• James Box, trombonist, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31, $5–$15.
To purchase tickets or for more information, visit wmich.edu/music/events.
LITERATURE
Dianna Higgs Stampfler
Jan. 30
Kalamazoo Public Library
From Derek Jeter to Gene the Pumpkin Man, this local author will discuss some of the 50 notable figures in Kalamazoo's history that are highlighted in her new book, Kalamazoo County Characters
Stampfler's talk will begin at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30 in the Central Library, at 315 S. Rose St.
Her new book will be released by The History Press on Jan. 21. Stampfler is also the author of two other Michigan-oriented history books: Michigan's Haunted Lighthouses (2019) and Death and Lighthouses on the Great Lakes: A History of Murder and Misfortune (2022).
For more information, visit kpl.gov.
Tierraskinland
PERFORMING ARTS
THEATER
Plays
Sunset Baby — A former Black revolutionary seeks to reconnect with his estranged daughter, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16–18, 2 p.m. Jan. 18–19, Face Off Theatre Company, Kalamazoo College's Dungeon Theatre, 139 Thompson St., faceofftheatre.com.
Well— A mother and daughter explore sickness and wellness, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17–18 & 24–25, 2 p.m. Jan. 19 & 26, Carver Center Studio Theatre, 426 S. Park St., 343-1313, kazoocivic.com.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels — Two swindlers compete in this Center Stage Theatre production, 7 p.m. Jan. 31, Feb. 1 & 2, 2 p.m. Feb. 1, Comstock Community Auditorium, 2107 N. 26th St., kzoocst.com.
All the Natalie Portmans — On the brink of eviction, 16-year-old Keyonna escapes into a world of rom-coms and characters played by Natalie Portman, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31, Feb. 1, 6–8 & 13–15, 2 p.m. Feb. 2, 9 & 16, York Arena Theatre, WMU, 387-6222, wmich.edu/theatre.
Musicals
Disney’s The Lion King — A musical based on the animated film, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29–Feb. 1 & Feb. 4–8, 1 p.m. Jan 30, Feb. 2 & 9, 2 p.m. Feb. 1 & 8, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 2 & 9, Miller Auditorium, millerauditorium.com.
Other
For the Love of Music — An all-audio theater production with a script written by Robert
M. Weir, 6 p.m. Jan. 4, Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition (First Baptist Church), 315 W. Michigan Ave., allearstheatre.org.
MUSIC
Bands & Solo Artists
Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Concerts — Steppin’ In It, Jan. 10; Hot Like Mars, Jan. 18; Sean Rowe, Jan. 24; Tauk Winter 2025 Tour, Jan. 30; all shows at 8 p.m., 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 382-2332, bellsbeer.com.
Irish Pub Night — Featuring Blackthorn, 8 p.m. Jan. 11, Franke Center for the Arts, 214 E. Mansion St., Marshall, thefranke.org.
Means of Entry, People I Know … — Several bands take the stage, including Snowbirds, Silven, People I Know and Means of Entry, 7 p.m. Jan. 17, Dormouse Theatre, 1030 Portage St., dormousetheatre.com.
Orchestra, Chamber, Jazz, Vocal & More
Concerto Competition Finals — 1 p.m. Jan. 11, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, wmich.edu/ music/events.
The Birdseed Salesmen — Jazz string music in the French “manouche” style, 2 p.m. Jan. 12, part of free monthly 2nd Sundays Live! series at Parchment Community Library, 401 S. Riverview Drive, 343-7747, parchmentlibrary.org.
Tuba and Euphonium Day — Featuring the All Star and Mass Ensembles, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 12, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/ events.
Sophie Tang — Violinist, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15, Dalton Center Recital Hall, with pre-concert talk at 7 p.m., wmich.edu/music/events.
Crescendo Academy of Music Student Recital — 2 p.m. Jan. 18, First Congregational Church, 345 W. Michigan Ave., 345-6664, crescendoacademy.com.
Horn Day — Featuring the Mass Horn Choir, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich. edu/music/events.
Robert DiLutis — Clarinetist, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22, Dalton Center Recital Hall, with pre-concert talk at 7 p.m., wmich.edu/music/events.
Burdick-Thorne String Quartet and Pianist
Lori Sims — 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29, Dalton Center Recital Hall, with pre-concert talk at 7 p.m., wmich.edu/music/events.
James Box — Trombonist, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/ events.
COMEDY
Let’s Laugh Together Comedy Workshop — Comedian Janice Rigel Henriquez leads an interactive workshop on finding comedic potential in our own stories, 6 p.m. Jan. 23, First Presbyterian Church of Richland, 8047 Church St., richlandlibrary.org.
VISUAL ARTS
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
314 S. Park St., 349-7775, kiarts.org
Exhibitions
PowerfulForces:Legends,Rituals&Warriors in East Asian Art — Themes of power & legend intrinsic to East Asian heritage, through Jan. 19.
Legendary Voices: Art for the Next Century — Artwork celebrating the KIA's centennial year, through Feb. 16.
Events
Sunday Tours — Docent-guided tours included with admission: Legendary Voices, Jan. 5 & 19; Permanent Collection, Jan. 12; Highlights of 100 Years, Jan. 26; all at 1:30 p.m.
Gallery Gathering — Discussion of Roscoe Hall’s With Great Intent to Leave It All for You and Tylonn Sawyer’s American Woman: Columbia, paired together in the exhibition Legendary Voices: Art for the Next Century for their shared focus on Black American experiences, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 9; register online.
ARTbreak — Program about art, artists & exhibitions: Ekphrastic Showdown, a joint talk by artist Mary Hatch and poet Elizabeth Kerlikowske, Jan. 15, also livestreamed on YouTube; Black Ash Basketry: A Story of Cultural Resilience, film screening, Jan. 29; both sessions begin at noon in the KIA Auditorium; registration requested for in-person attendance.
Book Discussion — Get the Picture: A MindBending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See, by Bianca Bosker, 2 p.m. Jan. 15; registration requested.
Movement in the Museum — Wellspring/ Cori Terry & Dancers present an improvised interpretive dance inspired by the exhibition Legendary Voices: Art for the Next Century, 6 p.m. Jan. 16; registration requested.
ArtBridges Access for All — Free general admission, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Jan. 23.
Richmond Center for Visual Arts Western Michigan University, 387-2436, wmich.edu/art
TippingPoint— Works by Tom Rice focusing on the environment and climate change, Jan. 14–Feb. 8, Albertine Monroe-Brown Gallery.
Tierraskinland — A video installation by Patricia Villalobos Echeverria dealing with displacement connected to political unrest, violence and climate change, Jan. 14–Feb. 13, Netzorg-Kerr Gallery.
Other Venues
Aimee Lee: This Bast Is a Lattice a Matrix a Dialect — American hanji paper art, through Jan. 17, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Suite 103A, 373-4938, kalbookarts.org.
Points of View Exhibit — Artwork by people from various walks of life, through Jan. 29, Black Arts & Cultural Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 102, blackartskalamazoo.org.
LIBRARY & LITERARY EVENTS
Comstock Township Library 6130 King Highway, 345-0136, comstocklibrary.org
CTL Writers — Group writing discussion, 10 a.m. Fridays.
State Rep. Matt Hall Listening Hour — Converse with the representative’s staff, noon Jan. 15.
Pride Book Club — Discussion of Hugh Ryan’s When Brooklyn Was Queer, 4 p.m. Jan. 17, inperson & online; registration required.
Adult Book Club — Discussion of Abigail Pesta’s The Girls: An All-American Town, a Predatory Doctor, and the Untold Story of the Gymnasts Who Brought Him Down, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 30; registration required.
Kalamazoo Public Library 553-7800, kpl.gov
Critchlow Alligator Encounters — Meet animals from the Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary, 1–2 p.m. & 2:30–3:30 p.m. Jan. 3, Oshtemo Branch, 7265 W. Main St.; 6–7 p.m. Jan. 8, Central Library, 315 S. Rose St.; 4:30–5:30 p.m. Jan. 23, Eastwood Branch, 1112 Gayle Ave.; registration required.
Kalamazoo Writers Disorganization — Discussion of Kalamazoo Poetry Fest, 4–6 p.m. Jan. 7, Central Library.
No Shelf Control: A Graphic Novel Book Club — Discussion of Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, 6 p.m. Jan. 7, Central Library.
Music & Memories with Fiddlehead Music Therapy — How music moves us & brings up memories, 11 a.m. Jan. 13, Oshtemo Branch.
Page Turners Book Club — Discussion of Scott Alexander Howard’s The Other Valley, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 13, Oshtemo Branch & online; registration required for online access.
GLAMA Acoustic Slow Jam — Great Lakes Acoustic Music Association members lead a jam for acoustic stringed instruments, 5:30–7:30 p.m. Jan. 14, Central Library.
Reading Race Group —Discussion of Etaf Rum’s A Woman is No Man, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 14, Central Library.
Dungeons & Dragons Game Night — For adults, beginner to experienced levels, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 15, Central Library; registration required.
Classics Revisited — Discussion of Jane Austin’s Mansfield Park, 2:30 p.m. Jan. 16, Central Library.
Seed to Cup: Coffee Histories — Gary Marquardt discusses the history of coffee, 10:30 a.m. Jan. 18, Eastwood Branch.
Kalamazoo Lyceum: A Life Well Lived — Discussion of living a purposeful and full life, 2 p.m. Jan. 18, Central Library.
A Glimpse into Deep Space: Discovering Black Holes, Exoplanets and a New Frontier — Air Zoo personnel talk about the latest equipment astronomers are using, 6 p.m. Jan. 21, Oshtemo Branch.
Senior Citizens’ Breakfast — Breakfast & opportunity to ask health care questions, 10:30 a.m. Jan. 24, Eastwood Branch.
Friends of KPL's Bag of Books Sale – Gently used books for sale by the bagful, 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Jan. 25, Van Deusen Room, Central Library, 315 S. Rose St., kpl.gov/category/friends-of-kpl.
Coffee & Connections — A community gathering with library staff, 9 a.m. Jan. 28, Central Library; light refreshments served.
Notable Figures in Kalamazoo Area History — Talk by Dianna Higgs Stampfler, author of Kalamazoo County Characters, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30, Central Library.
Parchment Community Library 401 S. Riverview Drive, 343-7747, parchmentlibrary.org
Parchment Book Group — Discussion of Amor Towles' Table for Two: Fictions, 6 p.m. Jan. 13.
Mystery Book Club — Discussion of Anthony Horowitz's Daniel Hawthorne Series: The Word is Murder, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21.
Silent Book Club — Bring a book to read in companionable silence, 1:15 p.m. Jan. 22 and 5:15 p.m. Jan. 27.
Portage District Library 300 Library Lane, 329-4544, portagelibrary.info
Muffins & The Market — A discussion of stock market trends, 9 a.m. Jan. 2 & 16.
Chocolate Making with the Candy Lady — Make chocolates using molds and barks, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 7; registration required.
Cooking Demonstration with Gretchen —
Registered dietitian Gretchen Kauth creates a Mediterranean-type dish, 6 p.m. Jan. 8; registration required.
International Mystery Book Discussion — Lucy Foley’s The Paris Apartment, 7 p.m. Jan. 9. Documentary & Donuts — Viewing of Bad Axe, about an Asian American family in rural Michigan during the Covid pandemic fighting to keep their restaurant alive in a divided community and dealing with white supremacists, followed by discussion, 10 a.m. Jan. 10.
Coffee: Bean to Cup — Presentation by Gary Marquardt, 10 a.m. Jan. 11.
Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society — Open to anyone interested in genealogy, 7 p.m. Jan. 20.
Michael Delaware — Talk by the author of Victorian Southwest Michigan True Crime, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21; registration required.
Saturday Sound Immersion — Wind Willow Consortium members share information and play instruments for relaxation and a well-being experience, 10 a.m. Jan. 25; registration required.
Light Lunch & Literature — Discussion of Henry James’ Daisy Miller, noon Jan. 27; registration required.
Richland Community Library 8951 Park St., 629-9085, richlandlibrary.org
Bridge Club — Noon–3 p.m. Tuesdays.
Richland Area Writer’s Group — Open to new members, 10 a.m. Jan. 11 & 25, in person & online.
Cookbook Club — Discussion of Kathryn Pauline's Piecemeal, 6 p.m. Jan. 14.
Richland Genealogy Group — Open to new members, 10 a.m. Jan. 16, in person & online.
RCL Book Club — Discussion of Michael Leviton’s To Be Honest, 6 p.m. Jan. 16.
Team Trivia Night — For teams of two to five people, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 29; registration required.
Become part of a network of members that share a similiar respect and passion for the arts! New added benefits reach even further to connect you with the community. Each Arts Council membership includes:
• Unlimited event listings on the arts calendar
• Promotional opportunities through select media channels
• Waived application fees for Grants & Art on the Mall
• Rental discount rates at partner organizations
• Membership at Public Media Network
• And much more!
Membership has its benefits.
Vicksburg District Library
215 S. Michigan Ave., 649-1648, vicksburglibrary.org
Bridge Club — 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays.
Book Club for Adults — 9:30 a.m. Jan. 2; this month’s book at the circulation desk.
Writer’s Motivational Group — Set goals & report progress, 4:30 p.m. Jan. 23.
Other Venues
Rootead’s Poetry Night — Monthly evening of healing through spoken word, for young adults ages 18 and up, with a featured artist, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2, Rootead Studio, 505 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Suite 3, rootead.org.
Adult Book Club — 5:30 p.m. Jan. 15, Van Buren District Library's Antwerp Sunshine Branch 24283 Front St., Mattawan, 668-2534, vbdl.org
MUSEUMS
Air Zoo
6151 Portage Road, Portage, 382-6555, airzoo.org
Winter Break Family Fun Days — Crafts, games, guest visitors and interactive demonstrations: Air Zoolympics: Winter Games, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Jan. 2; North Pole Mystery, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Jan. 3.
Kalamazoo Valley Museum 230 N. Rose St., 373-7990, kalamazoomuseum.org
Mystery & Benevolence: Masonic & Odd Fellows Folk Art — Carvings, textiles & regalia of the Freemasons & Independent Order of the Odd Fellows, through Jan. 5.
Collecting Black History: Murphy Darden's Legacy — A mini-exhibit of artifacts from the Black history collection of the late Kalamazoo artist, through Jan. 5.
Kalamazoo State Hospital: 165 Years of Psychiatric Care — The history of Michigan’s longest-operating mental hospital, through Jan. 19.
NATURE
Kalamazoo Nature Center 7000 N. Westnedge Ave., 381-1574, naturecenter.org
Music Morning — Orchestra Jammbo’laya performs, 11 a.m. Jan. 11.
Returning & Reskilling Series — Learn how fire cider, an age-old folk remedy loaded with antioxidants for immune support, is made and take a bottle home, 10 a.m. Jan. 18, DeLano Homestead, 555 W. E Ave.; registration required.
Other Venues
Shoe Year’s Hike — An out-and-back hike of either 2 or 4 miles, 11 a.m. Jan. 1, Long Lake Outdoor Center, 10370 Gun Lake Road, Middleville, with 10:30 a.m. registration and $10 off new memberships to Chief Noonday’s North Country Trail Chapter, northcountrytrail.org/ events.
Online Viewing Session — Utilizing the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society's remote telescope in Arizona, 9 p.m. Jan. 18 on Zoom (cloud date, Jan. 25); register at kasonline.org.
Audubon Society of Kalamazoo — Talk on Birding and Hawk Watch in Belize, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20, People’s Church, 1758 N. 10th St., kalamazooaudubon.org.
MISCELLANEOUS
Black History Is American History — Learn about Black heroes in Kalamazoo, Jan. 1–Feb. 28, Northside Association of Community Development, 612 N. Park St., kpl.gov/event/ black-history-is-american-history.
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — An exhibition honoring his life and legacy, open during business hours, Jan. 1-31, Portage City Hall Atrium, 7900 S. Westnedge Ave., portagemi. gov/calendar.
John Daley Memorial One One Run 2025 — A walk/run to raise money for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kalamazoo, 1–3 p.m. Jan. 1, Spring Valley Park, 2600 Mt. Olivet Road, runsignup.com/race/ MI/Kalamazoo/OneOneRun.
Mascot Madness — Skating with local mascots Mr. Crispy, Slappy (K-Wings) and Porter (Kalamazoo Growlers), 1 p.m. Jan. 11, Millennium Park Ice Rink, 280 Romence Road, portagemi. gov/calendar.
Kalamazoo Reptile & Exotic Pet Expo — 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Jan. 12, South expo area, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St., kalamazooreptileexpo.com.
Themed Skate Night: Smells Like Team Spirit — Wear gear from your favorite sports team, 5–9 p.m. Jan. 17, Millennium Park Ice Rink, 280 Romence Road, portagemi.gov/calendar.
Kalamazoo Outdoor Sports Expo — Fishing gear, paddle sports, RVs, ATVs & more, 8 p.m. Jan. 17, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Jan. 18, 10 a.m. –4 p.m. Jan. 19, North, South & Main expo areas, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, kalamazoooutdoorexpo.com.
Traditional & Classic Archery Tradeshow — Archery supplies and demonstrations, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Jan. 24, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Jan. 25, 9 a.m.–noon Jan. 26, North Expo Area, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, kzoobowworks.com.
The Harlem Globetrotters — World-famous basketball team offering magic and tricks, 7 p.m. Jan. 24, Wings Event Center, 3600 Vanrick Drive, wingseventcenter.com/events.
2025 Lunar New Year Gala — The Chinese American Association of Greater Kalamazoo’s annual celebration, 6 p.m. Jan. 25, Chenery Auditorium, 714 S. Westnedge Ave., cagk.org/ events.
2025 Midwestern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships — Teams compete, Jan. 29–Feb. 1, Wings Event Center, usfigureskating.org.
KAARC Winter Auto Swap Meet — Kalamazoo Antique Auto Restorers Club event with 200 vendors, 2–6 p.m. Jan. 31, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Feb. 1, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, kaarc.org.
Small Business Hub and Incubator Kitchen For all Entrepreneurs
Cantatrice
For Sarah
Your music-loving parents never dreamed they’d give birth to a pint-sized dramatic soprano.
In a lyrical mood, you specialize in love scenes, hugging every parental inch with songs of ecstasy.
But when Mother says “No!” you shriek like a Valkyrie, and when Father commands a nap, you wail like Aïda.
At a restaurant, your babbling resembles the notes of Berg’s Marie.
Your parents’ consolation, little prima donna, is that you have no agent or salary.
— Janet Ruth Heller
Heller is the past president of the Michigan College English Association and taught literature, creative writing, linguistics and women’s studies. She has published four poetry books; a middlegrade chapter book about sibling rivalry, The Passover Surprise; and a children’s picture book about bullying, How the Moon Regained Her Shape, which has won four national awards. This poem is dedicated to the daughter of one of Heller's friends.
Shannon Milan (continued from page 30)
nagging feeling of “Gosh, I wish I would have gone to college.” My brother-in-law at the time, unfortunately, had cancer and passed away. It was one of those things in life where you reassess and realize that life is very short. So I thought, “I’ll dabble. I’ll try a class or two at KVCC and see how I do.”
I fell in love with it. When I was considering transferring to Western Michigan University to pursue a bachelor’s, a KVCC professor suggested Kalamazoo College. My first response, I kid you not, was, “I’m way too old.” He laughed and said, “There’s no age limit there” and suggested I meet with someone at K’s admissions office. I met with then-Admissions Director Suzanne Lepley, and she and I really hit it off. I had a wonderful visit and applied and was accepted.
At the time, she was very honest and said, “This isn't going to be easy. You're going to be a full-time student and do all the things that any other K College student is expected to do” while I would also still be working at the salon. I started in 2013 as a sophomore and graduated in 2016 with a degree in psychology. Then I went to grad school for school psychology at GVSU. When I graduated from there in 2019, there was an opening in the admissions office at K College. The place holds a special place for me, so I applied and started as an admissions counselor in the fall of 2019.
I was in the position for three years and started to feel that I wanted to work on the other side of the desk as a school psychologist. In 2022 I went to Portage Central High School as a school psychologist and thoroughly enjoyed it. Then, as fate would have it, K College’s director of admissions position came open. I applied and started in this role on Aug. 1.
What was it like as a nontraditional student at Kalamazoo College?
I was scared and had imposter syndrome for a while. K College doesn't have a lot of nontraditional students — we actually only have one right now who is in his mid-30s — but the students were amazing.
They were super helpful, very inclusive and treated me like any other student when we would get together for study groups and things like that. Granted, they wanted to meet at 10 p.m., and I'm like, “Can we do 10 in the morning?” (She laughs.)
It was perfect for me. At 18, I wasn't ready for college; I needed to go through all my things. I think you're more focused when you're a bit older. You know more of what you want. You have life experiences. For me, that really helped. You look at it so differently, and your relationships with your professors are a little bit different — which only was beneficial for me.
What advice do you give incoming college students — both traditional and nontraditional?
This can be a nerve-wracking chapter, especially if the prospective students are in high school when they're making this decision. I tell them to go with your heart, trust your instincts, really explore all the options you have and ask as many questions as you can. After you've done all the research and gotten all the answers, it comes down to what it felt like for you to be on campus, what it felt like to interact with the people that you met on the campuses that you visited. I tell students their heart and instincts usually will lead them where they need to be and that no matter what they choose, they will land where they're supposed to land. Sometimes 17- and 18-year-old students feel it's a very big life decision and are concerned about making a wrong choice. I say, “There's not going to be a wrong choice for you. Go where you think you will be the happiest and where you will thrive and where you know your interests are leading you.”
With regard to nontraditional students, I say what somebody told me: The time will pass no matter what. Those years are gonna go by whether you're in school or not, so you might as well just go for it. If you have even a little bit of interest and you're curious, you might as well just go for it and see what happens.
— Interview by Jordan Bradley, edited for length and clarity
Shannon Milan Director of Admissions, Kalamazoo College
Shannon Milan admits her career path “was definitely not a straight line.”
Before her career in education, Milan was a successful hair stylist — you may even have been to her and husband Jason’s salon, Milan: The Style Shop, which first opened on Burdick Street in downtown Kalamazoo in 2004 before moving to the Kalamazoo Mall in 2008. But in 2012, in her mid-30s, the Gull Lake High School graduate and lifelong Southwest Michigander enrolled part time in classes at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. She loved it so much she went on to Kalamazoo College and then to earn a master’s degree from Grand Valley State University. And now Milan is the director of admissions for her alma mater, Kalamazoo College — an unexpected turn in her journey, but a cherished one nonetheless.
“I’m so excited about this upcoming fall semester,” says the 47-year-old, who has held the top admissions position at K since August.
“One of the joys of this job is that I get to read every single student’s application. I get to lay eyes on everybody who applies, read their essays and look at the amazing things that they’re doing. They have so many amazing stories to tell and are doing really cool things at such a young age. It truly gives me hope.”
How did you get to where you are today?
In 2008, a space became available for sale downtown on the Kalamazoo Mall and my husband and I fell in love with it and purchased it. Within that time, I'd had this
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