AADL Talks To | Ann Arbor District Library

In this episode, AADL talks to John Hinchey. Since 1980, John has been a part of the Ann Arbor Observer. He spent two decades covering city hall and four decades editing the publication's events calendar. John tells us about how the city and its institutions have changed in his time chronicling it.

In this episode, AADL Talks to Laura Strowe. Laura's art has graced the cover of the Ann Arbor Observer 60 times and counting. She tells us about her start in etching, transition to pastels, how art has effected how she views the world, and the process behind designing sets for the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

In this episode AADL Talks To John Hilton and Patricia Garcia. John and Patricia co-own the Ann Arbor Observer, where Patricia is Publisher and John is Editor. John and Patricia talk about how they were selected for ownership, how the community has changed in their almost 40 years of covering it, and how they weathered the changes in the media industry and the pandemic.

In this episode AADL Talks To Steve Gilzow, a prolific cover artist for the Ann Arbor Observer, retired teacher, and writer. Steve talks about the inspiration behind his art, the people and places captured within his covers, and how his work with the Observer has allowed a deeper understanding of the community.

In this episode, AADL talks to Eve Silberman. Eve has written for the Ann Arbor Observer for over four decades. As profile writer and editor Eve oversaw the Ann Arborites section, which highlights community members. In addition, she has covered and written features on local politics, social services, the city's history, and more.

Women’s rights activists Jan BenDor and Catherine McClary have been working together for over 50 years. Among their many pioneering contributions to regional and national causes are the Women’s Crisis Center, domestic violence reform, and legislation to combat job, housing, and sexual discrimination. Jan, a member of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, is the founder of the Rape Crisis Center movem...

Andrew Sacks is an award-winning photographer and documentarian in the Ann Arbor area. He came to the University of Michigan in the late 1960s to study art and immediately joined the Michigan Daily newspaper, covering a variety of assignments, from sit-ins and student demonstrations to regional and national political campaigns. During this period, he also played jazz piano with various Ann Arbor m...

In this episode, AADL Talks to Nawal Motawi. Nawal tells us about her early years as an artist, how she began Motawi Tileworks, and how the business grew and changed over the years. Nowal also discusses her design processes, and what the future might hold.

John Hieftje is Ann Arbor’s 60th and longest-serving mayor, elected first in 2000, then re-elected for six consecutive terms. John grew up in Ann Arbor and discusses how the student protests of the late 1960s and early 1970s influenced his community activism and helped shape his political career. He also talks about some of the challenges he faced in office, from the Great Recession of the mid-200...

In this episode, AADL talks to Ingrid Sheldon. Ingrid was Ann Arbor's mayor from 1993-2000. She was Ann Arbor's last Republican mayor and is remembered as a politician who did not stick strictly to party lines. Ingrid has also been a long time active member of the Ann Arbor volunteer and philanthropy communities who transitioned to politics after her involvement in the Ann Arbor Jaycees. She tells...

Elizabeth S. Brater is Ann Arbor's first female mayor, serving as a Democrat from 1991 to 1993. Prior to 1991, she was a member of Ann Arbor City Council. As both council member and mayor, Liz focused on housing and environmental issues, causes she continued at the state level when serving as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1995 to 2000, and in the Michigan Senate, where she...

In this episode, AADL talks to Louis Belcher, mayor of Ann Arbor from 1978-1985. In addition to his four terms as mayor, Lou was also a city councilman and successful businessman. He recounts memorable stories from his time in office, including the unusual 1977 mayoral contest with former mayor Albert Wheeler; the time he took the RFD Boys to Germany for a sister city celebration; and the infamous...

Andrea (aka Andye) Fulton-Higgins, is the daughter of Douglas James Fulton, outdoor editor for the Ann Arbor News from 1957 to 1984, and Anna Louise Summers Fulton, an Ann Arbor Public School teacher for 40 years. Andrea shares her memories of coming of age in Ann Arbor during the heady days of counter-cultural Ann Arbor in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She talks about her involvement in the Ann...

In this episode, AADL Talks to Ken Pargulski and Lisa Tuveson. Ken and Lisa were both long-time employees of Espresso Royale. When the company closed in 2020 they carried on the legacy and lessons they had learned by opening M-36 roasters in Whitmore Lake and their own cafe on South U. They tell us about the coffee house culture of early Espresso Royale, the company’s expansion, and its community...

In this episode, AADL Talks To Domenico Telemaco. Domenico tells us about his experiences owning and operating NYPD in downtown Ann Arbor for the past 27 years. He discusses how the business began, changes and expansions over the years, and reflects on popular menu offerings that withstood the test of time.

In this episode AADL Talks To John Woodford. John is a veteran journalist whose work has been published nationally. Upon moving to Ann Arbor John found work with the Ann Arbor Observer and went on to become executive editor of Michigan Today for two decades. John talks about his career trajectory, the many changes he has experienced in the journalism industry, and the continuing curiosity that fue...

In this episode, AADL Talks To Jay Cassidy. Jay is a Hollywood film editor known for his work on dozens of feature films, including Into the Wild, Silver Linings Playbook, and A Star Is Born. He's won several awards, including an Academy Award for Best Documentary Editing for the 2006 film An Inconvenient Truth. Jay came to the University of Michigan in 1967 and was a photographer and editor for t...

In this episode, AADL Talks To Peter Sparling. Peter is a lecturer, poet, essayist, dancer, and filmmaker. He is the Rudolf Arnheim Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Dance at the University of Michigan. Peter talks with us about his career, from his start as a member of the José Limón Dance Company and principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company through his time in Ann Arbor as...

In this episode, AADL Talks To Dianne Baker. Dianne is a prolific songwriter who began writing children’s songs in the 1960s after coming to the University of Michigan to attend nursing school. She has collaborated with teachers, educators, and health professionals and has been recognized nationally for her commitment to the therapeutic effects of music. Baker has performed at Hill Auditorium, the...

In this episode, AADL Talks To Steve Culver. Steve first visited Ann Arbor in his early 20s, and soon began his publishing career in Ann Arbor at the Ann Arbor News. In 1990, he released the first issue of his LGBTQ-focused publication Ten Percent, which later became the Michigan Tribune and finally Out Post. Steve reflects on 34 ½ years of covering Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan’s queer communi...

In this episode AADL Talks to Michael Kondziolka. Michael, who retired in 2023, served for 30 years as the director of artistic programming and production for the University Musical Society. Michael talks with us about the thrill of bringing performers to Ann Arbor; how he and the UMS team responded to the changes and challenges of the late 1990s and how he helped reshape UMS’s aesthetic and took...

In this episode, AADL Talks To Stephen Cain. Stephen, now retired, was an award-winning investigative journalist for the Detroit News, Ypsilanti Press, and Ann Arbor News. His stories from his fascinating career in southeast Michigan include hair-raising undercover operations; exposing corruption in the newspaper, labor, and criminal justice system; reversing wrongful death row convictions, and in...

In this episode, AADL Talks To Zeke Mallory. Zeke studied Fine Art and Commercial Design at Eastern Michigan University, worked at Mr. Flood’s Party, and has been a successful graphic artist since starting his career in Ann Arbor in the 1970s. Zeke talks about some of his signs and murals around town, his experiences working as an artist, and some of the influential people in his life.

In this episode, AADL Talks To Rick Ayers. Rick is faculty emeritus at the University of San Francisco where he was an associate professor of education focusing on English language arts and teacher education. In the late 1960s, Rick followed his older brothers to the University of Michigan and was soon radicalized by the civil rights and anti-war movements, participating in protests and demonstrat...

In this episode AADL Talks To Laurie Blakeney, founder of the Ann Arbor School of Yoga. Laurie came to Ann Arbor in 1971 to study at the University of Michigan. Intent on running her own business, she tuned pianos for 25 years. During that period she also studied and taught the Iyengar method of yoga. She had the good fortune to study with B.K.S. Iyengar and has taught the Iyengar method to thousa...