Ren Brabenec | Author

The Legacy of Student Activism

April 12, 2025

“It’s a physical letter to your representative,” Alex Tank says when asked to define the word “protest.”

As the director of the Traverse City International Affairs Forum (IAF), Tank and a group of students on the IAF Student Leadership Team have been wo… Read More >>

Fighting Forever Chemicals

April 5, 2025

No state is completely safe from pollution-related health risks. However, Michigan, surrounded by water and boasting some 11,000 inland lakes, thousands of miles of rivers and streams, and hundreds of billions of gallons of groundwater, is unique in its risk factors.

That’s wh… Read More >>

Fly Fishing in the Mitten

April 5, 2025

The Au Sable and Manistee rivers are known for their high water quality, beautiful scenery, and superb cold-water fisheries. The Au Sable is also home to an annual canoe marathon that has earned international acclaim, while the Manistee attracts anglers and landscape photographers alike to … Read More >>

Two Brothers, Two Worlds

Jan. 25, 2025

American history books are filled with the names of people who won battles, invented things, advanced society (or impeded it), and otherwise did something notable to earn their place in the historical record. Unfortunately, less attention is paid to the everyday folks of decades and centuri… Read More >>

Finding Mental Health Support This Winter

Jan. 4, 2025

Just about everyone who’s grown up in northern Michigan has uttered this refrain at least once: “You like it here now, but wait until you experience our winters.”

It’s not just a Midwestern joke or colloquial quip. It’s real advice, because most people … Read More >>

Raising Deaf Dogs

Dec. 7, 2024

When I slammed the door of my Jeep and stepped onto the path leading to my friend’s house, the first thing I noticed was that the dogs on her porch didn’t wake at the sound of my car door.

Then I remembered. Katie’s dogs are deaf.

Katie Bott, who lives with… Read More >>

When to Listen to Your Inner Voice

Nov. 9, 2024

We all have a voice in our heads. The one that tells us right from wrong. That cheers us on…or puts us down. That remembers (and replays) the good and the bad. Sometimes that voice helps, and sometimes it hurts.

Dr. Ethan Kross, an award-winning psychologist and the director … Read More >>

We're Here to Deliver Democracy

Oct. 19, 2024

The first Tuesday of November is an important day: Election Day.

Yet, despite the cultural significance Americans attach to the day, voter turnout in even the nation’s most-attended elections (presidential elections) hovered between 49-57 percent from the 1970s through the 201… Read More >>

Drag Is a "Celebration of Being"

Sept. 21, 2024

Drag shows have become a central feature in modern discourse, but most Americans would be hard-pressed if asked to define the term. According to celebrated drag queen Jay Jackson (stage name: Laganja Estranja), “Drag stands for ‘Dressing-as-a-girl.’ That’s where the … Read More >>

We Speak for the Water

Aug. 17, 2024

One need only glance at a map to understand Michigan’s unique connection to water. The state’s legal boundaries extend far into Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior, giving the Great Lakes State 40,000 square miles of water, 40 percent of the state’s total “land&rdquo… Read More >>

Mashup Rock & Roll Musical Wants to "Celebrate and Question" Society

Aug. 3, 2024

Weird, wacky, inclusive, creative, committed, and collaborative. Describing Mashup Rock & Roll Musical in a sentence is no small feat, as the organization has created a unique and irreverent theater experience that would leave even the most conservative Broadway critic super-glued to hi… Read More >>

The Women Rangers of Isle Royale

June 22, 2024

John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt. Everett Townsend and Walter Fry. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Richard Proenneke, and Ansel Adams. Since the inception of the national parks in the late 1800s, the men who carried the banner of wilderness preservation also wrote the history of their movement, … Read More >>

Free Books for Every Child

June 22, 2024

Dolly Parton has enjoyed the title “The Queen of Country Music” for decades, but she also goes by another name. Young people worldwide know her as “The Book Lady” because Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) has mailed free books to millions of children ov… Read More >>

Supporting Small and Doing Right

June 1, 2024

May 18, 2024, marked the 10th anniversary of the opening of My Secret Stash, Traverse City’s retail hub for all things Pride. We caught up with Karen Roofe, owner and founder of My Secret Stash (MSS), to talk about the last 10 years, the next 10 years, and what it means to create a sa… Read More >>

Tracking the U.P. Wolf

May 18, 2024

The term “unforgettable” has lost some of its significance due to overuse in a modern-day culture where corporate advertising labels everything from a new automobile to body wash as “unforgettable.” But unforgettable moments in life do still happen. For Denise Amo, a… Read More >>

Will a National Lawsuit Affect Northern Michigan Real Estate?

Feb. 10, 2024

A recent $1.8 billion real estate lawsuit made national headlines, raising the question of whether the way real estate transactions are carried out may change.

Though the suit is being appealed, the initial judgment in Sitzer v. The National Association of REALTORS® (NA… Read More >>

Writing in Pursuit of Meaning

Jan. 27, 2024

The human race faces infinite unknowns. Every time a question is answered and a mystery is solved, another reveals itself. And while some mysteries are new, others are questions humans have asked themselves since the dawn of civilization. What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? What d… Read More >>

U.P. Winter Adventures Await

Dec. 16, 2023

How do we know that a significant part of our state is an undiscovered gem? A running joke (and statement of pride amongst Yoopers) is that, occasionally, a cable news segment, weather forecast, textbook, or even the History Channel will display a map of the United States…without the… Read More >>

A Safe and Sober Holiday Season

Nov. 18, 2023

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, at least 20 million Americans meet the criteria for a substance use disorder. That means nearly one in 10 U.S. adults struggle with drugs, alcohol, or a combination of the two.

Because addiction is widespread and can affect an… Read More >>

"Together, We Can Be Really Powerful"

Oct. 28, 2023

What started as a humble effort to create a safe space for teens in Leelanau has become a county-wide movement.

Leelanau Investing For Teens (LIFT) is an organization whose mission is “dedicated to empowering local youth to discover their strengths by investing in their evolut… Read More >>