Who is one of your favorite local artists or musicians?
My 89 year old brother-in-law, Bob Burleigh of Grand Haven! A children's book writer and painter, he often works with found images and text. His paintings convey a spectrum of emotions, occasional wry observations, and a grasp of color and form that makes the viewer ponder the difference between representation and abstraction.
What is a favorite local spot?
When warm weather hits, I can't seem to stay away from Norm's. They use real raspberries in their soft-serve sundaes, and East Town is a great place to hang out.
Do you have a favorite smell?
Lilies of the Valley. They're sweet, very fragrant, and when in bloom, remind me my birthday is just around the corner.
A favorite bite to eat?
It's a toss-up between the Gnarly BBQ Burger at Grand Armory and the Crispy Chicken Burrito at Righteous Cuisine. Interesting how those establishments share the same owner.
Do you have a favorite mainstream musical artist or genre?
Talking Heads. The concert film "Stop Making Sense," directed by Jonathan Demme, which captures a live performance by the band, is astonishing, revelatory, and a miracle.
If you were thrown into a teaching position at Grand Haven High School, what would you teach our 14-18 year-olds, given free rein?
I would teach them the U.S, Constitution, so they know it as well or better than an immigrant does when they take a citizenship test. We need to broaden their understanding of the document that is the foundation of our democracy and instill more reverence for it.
What inspires you?
The creative act, in any form, is my main inspiration. When I'm being creative is when I feel most alive. I'm in an art phase now where I'm depicting natural scenes and subjects with unnatural, explosive and sometimes psychedelic colors.
Thanksgiving is this month! What are you thankful for this year?
Apologies for being a predictable dad, but I'm thankful for our two sons. Their generation will face existential threats in a number of areas. Their intelligence, wisdom, kind-heartedness, problem solving ability and creativity will truly help in the fight to overcome those challenges. I'm reassured by that.
What's the best thanksgiving food?
I'm easy. I love mashed potatoes that combine the Russet or Yukon variety with sweet potatoes. Be sure to make enough so the leftovers last a week!
If you could invite any fictional charater to thanksgiving, who would it be?
I would invite Billy Honeycutt, the young protagonist in the YA novel, Blue Ridge Billy, written by Lois Lenski in 1946. It's about the daily life and adventures of a boy growing up in a Blue Ridge mountain community in Virginia, somewhere near the Tennessee border. I read the book so many times as a kid, Billy became a good friend of mine. I learned about Hillbilly culture, the southern dialect, hollers, dulcimers, swimming holes and moonshine. At thanksgiving, I would ask Billy the adult if he saved up enough money to buy that banjo. I would politely answer, "No Billy we don't have any Possum Stew, but would you like to try the Seitan my son made? It's vegan!" It so happens my first job as a public news reporter was in Roanoke, Virginia, not too far from where Billy grew up!