Zinta Aistars's Blog, page 11
February 15, 2015
Revisiting my interview with Philip Levine
by Zinta Aistars
Revisiting my interview with recent U.S. poet laureate Philip Levine from 2012 for WMUK's Arts and More program. Levine, who also won a Pulitzer Prize for his work in poetry, has passed away at age 87.
Philip Levine, the most recent poet laureate, was born in Detroit. Some of his most famous poems are about his time working for General Motors, a job he says he didn't like very much.Levine recently ended his term as the 18th U.S. poet laureate. He says the poet laureate positio...
Revisiting my interview with recent U.S. poet laureate Philip Levine from 2012 for WMUK's Arts and More program. Levine, who also won a Pulitzer Prize for his work in poetry, has passed away at age 87.
Philip Levine, the most recent poet laureate, was born in Detroit. Some of his most famous poems are about his time working for General Motors, a job he says he didn't like very much.Levine recently ended his term as the 18th U.S. poet laureate. He says the poet laureate positio...
February 8, 2015
Between the Lines: The Poetry of Place
by Zinta Aistars
Between the Lines is a weekly radio show about books and writers with a Michigan connection. It airs every Tuesday at 7:50 a.m., 11:55 a.m., and 4:20 p.m., on WMUK 102.1 FM, southwest Michigan's NPR affiliate. I am the host of Between the Lines.
This week's guest: Hedy Habra.
Hedy Habra
Hedy Habra’s poetry reflects the war in her family's native Lebanon, the loss of her home in the Middle East, and creating a new home in Michigan, where Habra has lived well over two de...
Between the Lines is a weekly radio show about books and writers with a Michigan connection. It airs every Tuesday at 7:50 a.m., 11:55 a.m., and 4:20 p.m., on WMUK 102.1 FM, southwest Michigan's NPR affiliate. I am the host of Between the Lines.
This week's guest: Hedy Habra.
Hedy Habra Hedy Habra’s poetry reflects the war in her family's native Lebanon, the loss of her home in the Middle East, and creating a new home in Michigan, where Habra has lived well over two de...
February 7, 2015
Amateur Skateboarder Continues to Pursue his Passion
by Zinta Aistars
A health care story I wrote about a young man named Danger ...
Auttiesh Danger lives up to his name. He’s been an amateur skateboarder since 2000, and nothing gets in his way—not even a serious back injury.
“When my brother and I were kids, about 11 or 12 years old, we nagged our mom to order a pizza,” says Danger. “They had a giveaway with the pizza: a disk of video games. One of the games was all about skateboarding, and I saw how cool it was.”
Most video game players stic...
A health care story I wrote about a young man named Danger ...
Auttiesh Danger lives up to his name. He’s been an amateur skateboarder since 2000, and nothing gets in his way—not even a serious back injury.
“When my brother and I were kids, about 11 or 12 years old, we nagged our mom to order a pizza,” says Danger. “They had a giveaway with the pizza: a disk of video games. One of the games was all about skateboarding, and I saw how cool it was.”
Most video game players stic...
February 6, 2015
Bee Man, Bee Artists
By Zinta Aistars
Published in BeLight
Kalamazoo College newsletter
February 2015
An example of honeycomb and etching by Ladislav Hanka ’75 and his bees.
Ladislav Hanka ’75 has a mind that buzzes with constant activity, always attracted to the sweetness of an idea with a twist. His degree is in biology, and his love of the natural world is evident in his art. His etchings, prints, and drawings illustrate the intricacies and mystery of nature: craggy trees, elegant fish, round-bellied frogs, fi...
Published in BeLight
Kalamazoo College newsletter
February 2015
An example of honeycomb and etching by Ladislav Hanka ’75 and his bees.Ladislav Hanka ’75 has a mind that buzzes with constant activity, always attracted to the sweetness of an idea with a twist. His degree is in biology, and his love of the natural world is evident in his art. His etchings, prints, and drawings illustrate the intricacies and mystery of nature: craggy trees, elegant fish, round-bellied frogs, fi...
February 5, 2015
The Miracle After the Miracle
by Zinta Aistars
Ashley Ruhlig shares how she beat the odds, had a baby, and survived serious complications from her congenital heart defect.
Ashley and her familyWhen Ashley Ruhlig was born, she was diagnosed with tricuspid atresia, a congenital heart defect in which the tricuspid valve between the heart’s two chambers isn’t properly formed.Blood is not able to flow freely between the heart and the lungs with this condition, so the lungs are not able to supply the body with the oxygen it...
Ashley Ruhlig shares how she beat the odds, had a baby, and survived serious complications from her congenital heart defect.
Ashley and her familyWhen Ashley Ruhlig was born, she was diagnosed with tricuspid atresia, a congenital heart defect in which the tricuspid valve between the heart’s two chambers isn’t properly formed.Blood is not able to flow freely between the heart and the lungs with this condition, so the lungs are not able to supply the body with the oxygen it...
February 3, 2015
Between the Lines: Growing Up Radical
by Zinta Aistars
Between the Lines is a weekly show about books and writers on WMUK 102.1 FM radio, southwest Michigan's NPR affiliate station, hosted by Zinta Aistars.
Frida Berrigan with her children
Frida Berrigan is the daughter of political activists Philip Berrigan and Elizabeth McAlister, a former priest and nun known for their protests against war and nuclear weapons. Those protests often cost them time behind bars, leaving little Frida and her brother, Kalamazoo College alumnus Jerry, i...
Between the Lines is a weekly show about books and writers on WMUK 102.1 FM radio, southwest Michigan's NPR affiliate station, hosted by Zinta Aistars.
Frida Berrigan with her childrenFrida Berrigan is the daughter of political activists Philip Berrigan and Elizabeth McAlister, a former priest and nun known for their protests against war and nuclear weapons. Those protests often cost them time behind bars, leaving little Frida and her brother, Kalamazoo College alumnus Jerry, i...
January 28, 2015
Technologies That Empower Seniors and Caregivers
by Zinta Aistars
Published at Golden Slippers Network
January 2015
Find out what kind of new technologies are available that help seniors stay independent while giving caregivers peace of mind.
Mom gets around well. She’s independent and lives at home alone despite her advanced years. But you worry. Just last week, she twisted her ankle coming down the stairs and took a spill. You live an hour away, and although you check on her regularly, it’s frightening to think about what might have happened...
Published at Golden Slippers Network
January 2015
Find out what kind of new technologies are available that help seniors stay independent while giving caregivers peace of mind.
Mom gets around well. She’s independent and lives at home alone despite her advanced years. But you worry. Just last week, she twisted her ankle coming down the stairs and took a spill. You live an hour away, and although you check on her regularly, it’s frightening to think about what might have happened...
January 26, 2015
Between the Lines: Writing and Empathy
by Zinta Aistars
Vincent van Gogh self-portrait with felt hat
Tuesday, Jan. 27, on Between the Lines , Zinta Aistars speaks with Nellie Hermann, Creative Director of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University and author of "The Season of Migration." Her new novel imagines the life of Vincent van Gogh during the 10 months when he lost touch with his brother Theo and began to discover his calling as an artist.
WMUK Tuesdays at 7:50 a.m., 11:55 a.m., and 4:20 p.m. Listen at 102...
Vincent van Gogh self-portrait with felt hatTuesday, Jan. 27, on Between the Lines , Zinta Aistars speaks with Nellie Hermann, Creative Director of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University and author of "The Season of Migration." Her new novel imagines the life of Vincent van Gogh during the 10 months when he lost touch with his brother Theo and began to discover his calling as an artist.
WMUK Tuesdays at 7:50 a.m., 11:55 a.m., and 4:20 p.m. Listen at 102...
January 19, 2015
Between the Lines: Exploring Michigan History
by Zinta Aistars
The numbers are impressive: he has 45,000 books in his library and he's written his 21st. Zinta Aistars speaks with Michigan's historian Larry Massie on January 20. Listen to BETWEEN THE LINES on WMUK 102.1 FM every Tuesday at 7:50 a.m., 11:55 a.m., and 4:20 p.m. Tune in or click below to listen online.
Larry Massie in his personal library
Larry Massie has earned himself the title of Michigan’s historian, earning the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Historical Society o...
The numbers are impressive: he has 45,000 books in his library and he's written his 21st. Zinta Aistars speaks with Michigan's historian Larry Massie on January 20. Listen to BETWEEN THE LINES on WMUK 102.1 FM every Tuesday at 7:50 a.m., 11:55 a.m., and 4:20 p.m. Tune in or click below to listen online.
Larry Massie in his personal libraryLarry Massie has earned himself the title of Michigan’s historian, earning the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Historical Society o...
January 18, 2015
Deer, ice, and the other side of country life
by Zinta Aistars
The three deer at Z AcresOh dear, where are the deer?
I had hoped to have seen the three of them show up by now, to nibble at the treats I leave for them in the back of the farmhouse. Certainly not enough to feed them—they are on their own there—but to offer a little extra something, a juicy apple, a handful of cracked corn, to ease the winter months. The larger doe has a broken leg, seemingly an older injury. She hobbles along through the snow, but can run surprisingly well wh...
