NONFICTION
Date of publication: January 31, 2013
Many ecologists believe in the value to "leave no trace" on the environment. But what does that say about us if we subscribe to that? Are humans part of nature, or separate from it?
Date of publication: September 19, 2012
Given the economic climate, and given a choice, why would someone stay in Michigan? Part memoir, part travel essay, part book-review, this article looks widely and finds opportunity and creativity in times of trouble.
Date of publication: May 11, 2012
The straits of Mackinac span five miles. To cross them is to be reminded of one's vulnerability. It takes a constant cycle of work to keep a bridge — and those who cross it — from succumbing to the forces of nature.
Date of publication: April 12, 2012
Does Pittsburgh have a signature sound? Maybe not, but the city certainly has a rich musical history, from Stephen Foster to Christina Aguilera to Girl Talk. In the end, maybe what matters is less a certain sound than the promise of something worth listening to.
Date of publication: November 28, 2011
A mother traces her history of Christmases past and present — tales of too much drink, divorce, snowmobiles, and a missing ex-boyfriend obsessed with the apocalypse — and wonders what the festival will hold for her blended family.
Date of publication: Nov. 17, 2011
A writer searches for the details of a family secret, discovering connections to the Chicago Mafia, a 1930s gangland assassination, and a great-grandfather's sense of obligation to a friend.
Date of publication: September 13, 2011
The ways we react in the Great Lakes to the Asian carp issue tells us a lot about our identity. If we measure our identity by our environment, then often who we'd like to be is different from who we actually are.
Date of publication: September 13, 2011
The Asian carp has been vilified in the press. While the carp seem to pose a real threat, so does the use of overblown rhetoric, which can inflame prejudicial attitudes and encourage shortsightedness.
Date of publication: September 13, 2011
If we demand that government act in response to the Asian carp issue, then we should be prepared to deal with the results of that action. In this case, the cure might be as bad as the disease.
Date of publication: February 12, 2011
How we sound often speaks volumes about where we're from. Pittsburgh residents have long taken an off-kilter pride in their city's unusual dialect. But is local pride enough to keep "Pittsburghese" alive?
