Contributors

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Marie Lee

Marie, the editor of Encore, was awed by the individuals she met while working on stories for this month’s issue: Sid Ellis, a longtime and active fixture in the arts community who now heads the Douglass Community Association, and partners Emily and Matt Deering-Caruso and Matt and Walker Chrisman, the 20-something entrepreneurs who are embarking on an ambitious business expansion of popular craft-cocktail bar The Stamped Robin.

“Sid Ellis just loves life and what he’s doing,” says Marie. “It’s so obvious when you talk to him. He makes an impact for so many people through his work and his art, and it gives him true joy.”

For the Deering-Carusos and Chrismans, she kept thinking of one word: “wunderkind.” “They have experienced a lot of challenges as young entrepreneurs,” she says. “To see how they used their foresight, creativity and drive to deal with circumstances from Covid-19 that could have killed their business and aspirations is not only inspiring, but encouraging.”

Lisa Mackinder

We are happy to see Lisa, a frequent Encore contributor, back on the pages of this issue. Lisa, a Portage-based freelance writer, penned this month’s cover story on Belle Meade, the area’s first “pocket neighborhood,” under development in Texas Township. Lisa spent time with Dave and Shari Groendyk, who were the impetus behind the development, as well as with several of the residents. “They were all great to speak with, very friendly and funny and absolutely in love with where they have chosen to live,” Lisa says. “The way the houses are situated around a common area and how the development is planned really puts the neighbor back in neighborhood.”

Julie Smith

Creative spirits cannot help but create. Julie was inspired to learn about the career progression of local children’s author and illustrator Emmy Kastner, who is a former teacher. “When teaching high school science, Emmy had her students create picture books to demonstrate what they learned in her class,” Julie says. Like Emmy, Julie worked in a handful of non-publishing careers before becoming a writer, and she was happy to meet a kindred spirit. “Late bloomers need to stick together,” she says. Following a brief stint in local news reporting, Julie, now a Kalamazoo-based freelance writer, worked as a crime victim advocate, local business owner, and municipal and educational marketer before returning to writing full time.