The Educated Emotion

End of Summer  Have you ever noticed how a slogan will start to be passed around in advertising for a while? As a kid, I remember all the stores that were open late in the fall would call their sales "midnight madness" or something to that effect.  A few years ago the buzz phrase was "Christmas in July". This year is no different. I have heard Labor Day termed "the unofficial last day of Summer" more than a handful of times this year. It doesn't have quite the same charm as Christmas in July but it does give one pause. Ending Summer when living in the Midwest is quite a sobering thought. But guess what? In Michigan, Summer isn't the only exciting season around here! Fall in Michigan means amusement parks without blistering heat, cider mill and maple tree tours, and...the ARTS!! One way to verify that fall is here is with the Kerrytown Bookfest happening this Sunday. John F. Buckley The writing and poetry community is definitely read...

Photo, "A Snowy Day in Michigan" Courtesy of Bryan Johnson , 2011 Yesterday afternoon, I was quietly thinking about how I would spend the rest of my day.  Having the house, and time, to myself after non-stop holiday activity was just too good to not enjoy. I decided to take a nap and just allow myself to wake up when my body told me to. Only problem is, there was this one fly that didn't get the memo. He danced on the ceiling and buzzed between my blinds and the light globe relentlessly. When I got to the height of my irritation, I had a spiritual "bop" upside my head: having to deal with a fly in late December in Michigan is a miracle. The same miracle that allowed me to take a walk on dry land wearing just a sweater, not have to clean off my car, and turn down my heat. Today, Michigan is looking like Christmas again. I woke up to snowy roads and wet tires on pavement making dirty noises outside my window. As a Michigander, grim forecasts for driver...

Les Go Social Super Cyber Events   Buy today and get 40% off Constant Contact for 3 months. This is your chance to get an amazing deal, plus all the tools you need to connect with customers and grow your business like never before. 4 days only. Ends at midnight, Thursday Dec 4. Don't wait! #ShopSmallSaturday #SmallBusinessSaturday #CyberMonday #WorldAIDSDay #GivingTuesday #ventureLOCAL #EOHPoetry #lesgosocial As you have probably noticed, each of these newsletters will generally start with a set of hashtags. These hashtags are trending topics and have information indexed on all platforms that support hashtags. For instance, today is Worlds AIDS Day as well as Cyber Monday.  Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, the day dedicated to our non profit sec...

Many people have asked me how did get this or that opportunity over the years. My answer is always the same: # volunteer . Sometimes people ask about volunteer opportunities and others just blow off what I just said like I am being "extra" or flippant. But, it's the truth. Volunteering is how I access information about opportunities both paid and otherwise, connect with new people, develop relationships with old acquaintances, and express my care about the things I am most passionate about in the community.  Through volunteering (directly or indirectly), I have received jobs, clients, real friends, business partners, furniture, my home, event tickets, and a couple trips. I am not saying that anyone should begin volunteering to see what tangibles he or she can accumulate, but I am saying that the shift in mindset one takes to be a doer...a part of a team no matter what his or her credentials might be, can help shape a leader that is respected and valued within the commu...

Ann Arbor, Michigan has made it to the top of many lists as the best place to live for women, bicyclists, and even dating. Recently, Ann Arbor has made it to the top of a not-so-noble list: The Laziest Cities list.  My first reaction was that of disbelief. But, then I read how the list was derived. For instance, locals like to begin their day at an average time of 8:17 a.m., which is later than most cities in the United States. My guess is that Ann Arbor's appearance on this list is a byproduct for some of the other lists it has topped. Locals like to carpool, bike, walk, and jog to work. Also, there is a lot of support for the arts. Between 2004 and 2005 I witnessed thousands of people lose their jobs and careers after a major pharmaceutical company left town. The estimated loss to the local arts community was nearly $400,000. This is a combination of the loss in funding directly given by the company as well as the decrease in highly paid professionals with time and...

A picture of the beautiful Kettunen Center, home of the Peninsula Writers Winter Retreat, taken by Ms. Yma Johnson. 2013 I know it isn't officially winter yet, but as a Michigander I have to be prepared for whatever in November. If I have to think of winter, this picture (shown above) is where I would like my mind to wander. It was taken by a friend while we were on a writing retreat. Those three days jump started a creative writing process that had died and gone sour inside of me for months. Removing myself from my normal agenda was just enough to rev my pen into action. During February's State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said "no single event makes a trend." There is no better description to the dynamics of restoring an economy...or even personal credit. As a budding entrepreneur, I excel, I coast, then I get bap-slapped on a regular basis. I have shared how I had to scale back my business. This Spring and Summer, I slowly began adding back ...

Ann Arbor Workshop to Help Writers Get Found by the Right People by Chris Wechner Twitter: @ CWechner Summary : Southeast Michigan professional writer and marketer Leslie McGraw and publisher Heather Buchanan-Gueringer will present on August 9 in Ann Arbor to help writers learn how to create opportunities and improve their chances of getting discovered. Ann Arbor, MI – Many writers in Southeast Michigan and all over have a passion either writing or the topic they cover; however, there are bills to pay, and writing does not really seem to be paying those.   Most writers are not sure how to make enough money to pursue their passion, even though they are truly good writers.   People who read what they write enjoy it, but not many people are in position to read it, because they do not even know these writers exist, much less know to read what they have written, but a couple of local professionals are offering help. There will be an upcoming event to ...