August 26, 2025

Kierstin Gunsberg | Author


Understanding and Respect Among All

June 17, 2023

In a city of nearly 16,000, Traverse City’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) exists to advocate for and protect the human rights of each person who makes up that number. Common in metropolitans like Detroit and Chicago, HRCs may vary slightly in nuance, but their commonalities outweigh t… Read More >>

Island Life

May 20, 2023

Where do northern Michiganders go to get away? The true Up North, that’s where! Stay cool and skip the tropics—you can create that laid-back island life feeling without leaving the state. These three Upper Peninsula islands are brimming with wildlife, eclectic eateries, and enou… Read More >>

50 Years of Feeding a Community

March 25, 2023

The year was 1973. A McDonald’s hamburger was just 28 cents, the Vietnam War was heavy on the hearts of young men and their mothers, and David Bowie’s music was blowing minds across the country. It felt to many that the world was on the cusp.

On the cusp too was American… Read More >>

"Array" of Sunshine

Feb. 25, 2023

When the pandemic paused meetings for the newly-founded Sustainability Club at Petoskey High School (PHS), no one would have blamed the student members for letting the ideas they’d been brainstorming fizzle out.

But, taking into account the urgency of their cause, the students… Read More >>

Crafting a Community

Jan. 28, 2023

Off the beaten path of downtown Traverse City’s beloved restaurants and charming window displays are dozens of little neighborhood gems. There’s the swingset view of West Bay’s moody shades of blue at Darrow park; the summertime food trucks churning out tamales and sushi; … Read More >>

Sleigh Bells Ring: The Horses Know the Way at These NoMi Farms

Dec. 17, 2022

There’s no sound that better represents the joy of the holiday season than the gentle, sweeping rhythm of sleigh bells keeping pace with hooves crunching snow.

It’s this sound that Waneta Cook reminisces about this time of year. Growing up, wintertime was at its most mag… Read More >>

Moving the Needle, a Modern Take on Acupuncture

Nov. 12, 2022

One term you’ve probably heard a thousand times in the last couple of years is “self-care.” From normalizing teletherapy visits and athleisure as acceptable workwear to getting comfortable with home fitness apps and grocery delivery subscriptions, the pandemic has encourag… Read More >>