Kierstin Gunsberg | Author

Fall Foodie Calendar

Oct. 18, 2025

Whether you’re looking to sample gourmet bites along one of NoMi’s wine trails or just want to feast on some good ol’ BBQ while taking in fall’s fleeting colors, these October and November foodie happenings promise plenty of opportunity to gather, graze, and go back … Read More >>

Second- and Third-Act Entrepreneurs

Oct. 4, 2025

In the last decade, northern Michigan has grown its reputation as an entrepreneurial hub for college grads and their startups, thanks to events like the TCNewTech pitch competitions and incubators like 20Fathoms and Grove Community Incubator. But twenty-somethings aren’t the only ones… Read More >>

Great Lakes, Great Plants, and Great Ideas

Sept. 20, 2025

Summer’s winding down, but for the green-thumbed, that just means it’s time to start plotting next year’s gardens. And at this year’s Great Lakes, Great Plants symposium, five horticulture experts are ready to load you up with ideas on the best—and perhaps most… Read More >>

Meet the Students and Grads of Interlochen's Singer-Songwriter Program

Aug. 30, 2025

It was the early aughts when, thanks to a little luck and a whole lot of talent, Courtney Kaiser-Sandler’s demo landed in the hands of John Mellencamp. The “Jack & Diane” singer was so impressed with Kaiser-Sandler’s vocals that he invited her to be one of his ba… Read More >>

Sharing Is Caring at the Library

Aug. 23, 2025

With more than 400,000 books, movies, games, and curious finds (ukuleles! weaving looms!) available across the Traverse Area District Library (TADL) system, the six-branch network has almost everything.

But for what it doesn’t have, there’s the Michigan Electronic Librar… Read More >>

40 Women Over 40: A Photo Series

Aug. 16, 2025

They say age is just a number. But when the big 4-0 started creeping around the corner, Traverse City photographer Jamie Kirschner (owner of Crackerjack Photography) felt an impending feeling that she wouldn’t exactly label as excitement. After all, cultural perception hasn’t al… Read More >>

Step Into the Frame

Aug. 16, 2025

On the surface, custom framing may seem like a calm, quiet career where picking the just-right shade of cream matting to accentuate a favorite childhood photo is the gist of the gig.

But, as Jane Garrett, manager of Traverse City’s Fusion Fine Art Framing and Gallery (located … Read More >>

Buzz Kill?

Aug. 2, 2025

It’s been a summer of bummer news for our pollinator friends, from scientists reporting the presence of microplastics in bee brains to stats showing that this year’s commercial honeybee population saw mass die-offs nationally.

And bad news for the bees is bad news for us… Read More >>

More Room to Pour

July 19, 2025

As millions of visitors make their way through Traverse City’s summer maze of road construction and traffic jams, Scott Stuhr is hoping some of those visitors veer to the West Side.

That’s where he and his wife and business partner, Leah, recently opened their newest Sil… Read More >>

10 Finds at Mullaly’s 128 Studio & Gallery

July 5, 2025

School’s out and so is the sun! For a cool and creative reprieve, grab the kids and hop on over to Mullaly’s 128 Studio and Gallery in downtown Elk Rapids. (Seriously—you’ll see why below.) That’s where owner Barb Mullaly has been welcoming visitors of all ages… Read More >>

What Comes After the Pines?

June 21, 2025

As the morning commute rushed by on May 7, streams of yellow caution tape outlined the woods off West Eleventh Street and Division in Traverse City. After years of debate over how to respond to the growing number of unhoused people living in those woods in an encampment nicknamed “The… Read More >>

ActionGlow on the Go

June 7, 2025

Ask most twenty-somethings what their dream summer looks like, and chances are it’s not loading into a 40-foot bus with their brother for an extended cross-country work trip.

But Garret and Dakota Porter aren’t most brothers.

At just 13 and 16 years old, the Trav… Read More >>

Camp Greilick Gears Up to Welcome Back Outdoor Enthusiasts

May 24, 2025

After several dormant years, 196 acres of parkland just south of Traverse City is set to begin opening to the public late this summer.

For over a century, Camp Greilick has been a base for outdoor adventure, first as a Rotary youth retreat, then a Boy Scout camp, and more recently, … Read More >>

Banking on Communities

May 17, 2025

From crunching numbers to pinpointing a target market, launching and running a business can feel like a fresh experiment every day. But one thing most seasoned entrepreneurs will tell you is it’s all about who you know.

That’s how Nick Olson connected with Venture North,… Read More >>

Powering Down? Not Exactly.

April 19, 2025

Between charging our phones, running appliances, and keeping the lights on, the average U.S. household burns through about 30 kilowatt-hours of electricity daily. And while it may feel like warm weather is never coming, eventually temps will rise and air conditioners will be humming on, add… Read More >>

Too Young to Scroll?

March 22, 2025

The human brain is a magnificent thing, capable of unconsciously processing millions of bits of stimuli every second—the cool glow of overhead fluorescents, a teacher’s shoes clicking against linoleum, and the woody aroma of a freshly sharpened pencil.

What the brain isn… Read More >>

What It Means to Grow Up "ALICE" in Northern Michigan

Feb. 1, 2025

Winter Up North can be a magical time for kids—sledding adventures, snowball fights, and crossing their fingers for a snow day.

For their parents, on the other hand, it’s a season of juggling heating bills, replacing outgrown boots and coats, and stocking up on cold medi… Read More >>

Bracing for Winter Tourism

Jan. 11, 2025

November and December had northern Michigan’s tourism and hospitality leaders watching the skies with fingers crossed.

“We have hundreds of miles of great snowmobile trails,” says Kathy Morin, executive director of the Cadillac Area Visitors Bureau. “Of cours… Read More >>

Home Is Where the Vet Is: Vetr Plans to Expand into Northern Michigan

Dec. 7, 2024

“She’s like 80 punds but thinks she’s a lap dog,” jokes Rachel Berkal of her four-year-old goldendoodle, Penny Lane.

Named after Kate Hudson’s Almost Famous character, the caramel-colored pup was Berkal’s inspiration to create the in-home… Read More >>

Clubhouse International Is Meeting the Mental Health Need

Nov. 9, 2024

Whether they’re sharing jokes over homemade holiday meals or heading to the store to stock up on essentials for the week, members of northern Michigan’s Clubhouse International affiliates spend their days creating a sense of community and looking out for each other.

Focu… Read More >>