Zinta Aistars's Blog, page 32
October 11, 2012
Chefs of Southwest Michigan: Three to Watch
by Zinta Aistars
Published in Southwest Michigan's Second Wave Media
October 11, 2012
Celebrity events, corporate dining rooms and the dining room at home are all places these three chefs of Southwest Michigan have showcased their culinary talents. Zinta Aistars talks with Matthew Pietsch, Andy Havey, and Denise Miller about their latest endeavors.
Chef Matt Pietsch at SALT OF THE EARTH
Chef Denise Miller at FUELFrom downtowns to the rural reaches of Southwest Michigan, no matter where you travel,...
Published in Southwest Michigan's Second Wave Media
October 11, 2012
Celebrity events, corporate dining rooms and the dining room at home are all places these three chefs of Southwest Michigan have showcased their culinary talents. Zinta Aistars talks with Matthew Pietsch, Andy Havey, and Denise Miller about their latest endeavors.
Chef Matt Pietsch at SALT OF THE EARTH
Chef Denise Miller at FUELFrom downtowns to the rural reaches of Southwest Michigan, no matter where you travel,...
October 7, 2012
Advance News: Freshly Polished Bylines
I'm enjoying being the new reporter in town, out and around Byron Center and Wyoming, Michigan. A few more of my freshly polished bylines:
ADVANCE NEWS (on MLive.com)
by Zinta Aistars
October 5, 2012
Paul LeBlanc explaining the new zoning ordinanceAn array of cookies enticed Byron Township residents to a zoning ordinance open house at the Byron Township Hall on Monday, Oct. 1, but it was Planning Commission Chairman Jeff Gritter’s hope that residents would find the changes in the township’s zonin...
ADVANCE NEWS (on MLive.com)
by Zinta Aistars
October 5, 2012
Paul LeBlanc explaining the new zoning ordinanceAn array of cookies enticed Byron Township residents to a zoning ordinance open house at the Byron Township Hall on Monday, Oct. 1, but it was Planning Commission Chairman Jeff Gritter’s hope that residents would find the changes in the township’s zonin...
October 6, 2012
First news stories in Advance News on MLive.com
by Zinta Aistars
Published in Advance Newspapers (online at MLive.com)
October 6, 2012
New security measures keeping Byron Center students safe
Tom Trout, principal at Nickels Intermediate SchoolWhen parents send their children to school, they expect their children to get an education. They also expect their children to be safe.
“When fifth- and sixth-graders come to school, they are thinking about their friends, their classes, not about security,” said Tom Trout, principal at Nickels Inter...
Published in Advance Newspapers (online at MLive.com)
October 6, 2012
New security measures keeping Byron Center students safe
Tom Trout, principal at Nickels Intermediate SchoolWhen parents send their children to school, they expect their children to get an education. They also expect their children to be safe. “When fifth- and sixth-graders come to school, they are thinking about their friends, their classes, not about security,” said Tom Trout, principal at Nickels Inter...
September 30, 2012
Cottage on the Hill: A Writer's and Artist's Retreat
by Zinta Aistars
When I moved to Z Acres in the spring of 2012, I was especially enchanted by one of the outbuildings on the 10-acre property more than others. On a wooded hill, secluded from the rest of the property, sat a charming and eccentric little cottage, built with amazing detail, by the hands of a loving carpenter. Apparently, someone with whimsy, as the cottage is covered with misaligned windows, each one unique. As soon as I saw the cottage, I knew this was a special place.Cott...
When I moved to Z Acres in the spring of 2012, I was especially enchanted by one of the outbuildings on the 10-acre property more than others. On a wooded hill, secluded from the rest of the property, sat a charming and eccentric little cottage, built with amazing detail, by the hands of a loving carpenter. Apparently, someone with whimsy, as the cottage is covered with misaligned windows, each one unique. As soon as I saw the cottage, I knew this was a special place.Cott...
September 28, 2012
Zinta Aistars Interviews U.S. Poet Laureate (2011-12) Philip Levine on WMUK 102.1 FM, NPR Affiliate
by Zinta Aistars, aired on WMUK 102.1 FM radio, Kalamazoo, Michigan's NPR affiliate, on September 27, 2012. For those outside of the southwest Michigan listening area, you can hear the full interview online at www.wmuk.org under the Arts and More Program page.
Philip Levine, the most recent poet laureate, is coming to Western Michigan University Friday. Levine 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 ve...
September 27, 2012
A Vacuum, a Bucket, and Becky Kliss
Published in Southwest Michigan's Second Wave Media
September 27, 2012
Becky Kliss (Photo by Erik Holladay)by Zinta Aistars
When the board meeting is over, Becky Kliss is the person you’ll see walking between the conference room tables, bag in hand, collecting anything recyclable meeting members left behind. The janitorial help? There was a time when that was true.
Now, Kliss is board president of Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainable Business Forum (MGSSBF), a nonprofit providing education and...
September 27, 2012
Becky Kliss (Photo by Erik Holladay)by Zinta AistarsWhen the board meeting is over, Becky Kliss is the person you’ll see walking between the conference room tables, bag in hand, collecting anything recyclable meeting members left behind. The janitorial help? There was a time when that was true.
Now, Kliss is board president of Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainable Business Forum (MGSSBF), a nonprofit providing education and...
September 22, 2012
Rain, Rain, Come Again
by Zinta Aistars
Old cat Jig warm by the wood stove First day of fall, and the memories of a blistering summer of drought fade with each log I put on the fire in the wood stove to warm the old farmhouse. I watch the edges of the peeling bark catch, flame up, and blossom into a warm fire. It's the third time I have used the wood stove this week, both the cat and dog curling up near the stove to enjoy its warmth as the autumn chill increases day by day.
In the night, the crack of thunder wok...
Old cat Jig warm by the wood stove First day of fall, and the memories of a blistering summer of drought fade with each log I put on the fire in the wood stove to warm the old farmhouse. I watch the edges of the peeling bark catch, flame up, and blossom into a warm fire. It's the third time I have used the wood stove this week, both the cat and dog curling up near the stove to enjoy its warmth as the autumn chill increases day by day.In the night, the crack of thunder wok...
September 15, 2012
Three Lessons for a Freelance Writer and Editor
by Zinta Aistars
Learning curve! One and a half months into my experience as sole proprietor of my own business, Z Word, LLC, offering writing and editing services, I am learning new things daily. It's always a good idea to take a moment to look back and note what I have learned.
So. How am I wiser?
Of all newness floating around and soaking into my brain, I have come away with three most prominent lessons about being a full-time freelance writer and editor:
1. Boy howdy, is this a different life...
Learning curve! One and a half months into my experience as sole proprietor of my own business, Z Word, LLC, offering writing and editing services, I am learning new things daily. It's always a good idea to take a moment to look back and note what I have learned.
So. How am I wiser?
Of all newness floating around and soaking into my brain, I have come away with three most prominent lessons about being a full-time freelance writer and editor:
1. Boy howdy, is this a different life...
September 13, 2012
Second Wave: Hear Here Puts Compassion in Print
Published in Southwest Michigan's Second Wave Media Hear Here puts compassion in print in Kalamazoo Zinta Aistars Thursday, September 13, 2012 How do you get people who don't agree to start listening and talking to one another? The answer for Anne Hensley and Melanie Crow was to start a local magazine to foster compassion that they call Hear Here. Zinta Aistars talks with them about the publication launched this summer.
Melanie Crow, Anne Hensley, Peter Brakeman of Hear Here (Photo...
Melanie Crow, Anne Hensley, Peter Brakeman of Hear Here (Photo...
September 10, 2012
A Mind Like This: Zinta Aistars Interviews Susan Blackwell Ramsey on WMUK
September 11, 2012
Susan Blackwell Ramsey
Airing on WMUK 102.1 FM Radio in Kalamazoo, Michigan, NPR's Affiliate Station:
"A Mind Like This": Susan Blackwell Ramsey's poetry book comes with a dash of humor
Susan Blackwell Ramsey will read from her book A Mind Like This Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Portage District Library. In her interview with WMUK’s Zinta Aistars, Ramsey talked about how her mind seems to remember only the most trivial things. This is the basis for her title poe...
Susan Blackwell RamseyAiring on WMUK 102.1 FM Radio in Kalamazoo, Michigan, NPR's Affiliate Station:
"A Mind Like This": Susan Blackwell Ramsey's poetry book comes with a dash of humor
Susan Blackwell Ramsey will read from her book A Mind Like This Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Portage District Library. In her interview with WMUK’s Zinta Aistars, Ramsey talked about how her mind seems to remember only the most trivial things. This is the basis for her title poe...
