A few months ago, in June 2025, Bill Zirinsky and Ruth Schekter licensed Chandra Mitchel, and her partner, Jon Rothenberg, to run Crazy Wisdom Bookstore, selling them the retail inventory, and leasing to them the bookstore’s first floor and lower level.
Posts filed under community
What's New in the Community: fall 2025
What’s New in the Community: New books from local authors, new businesses, new offerings and practitioners and upcoming events for fall 2025.
Molly Ging: Owner of Ann Arbor's The Little Seedling
As a mother, entrepreneur, and community figure, Molly Ging provides local families with what they need most—support, and the best baby gear available. We sat down to chat about motherhood, philosophy, Ann Arbor, and the tenuous future of small businesses.
Anthropocentric Sound and the Search for Serenity
They are shooting over at the Washtenaw Sportsman’s Club this morning. It’s a half mile away, but it sounds like I’m in the middle of a firefight. Though a mile off, the din of Interstate 94 is ever present like the constant flow of a rushing river with none of the charm. At first periodically, then steadily, cars pass the house. I can hear them coming from well down the two-lane road on which the speed limit is 45 mph but on which many drive much faster. A car passes, then there is a momentary lull, then another goes by. Think of the inexorable splashing of waves against the shore of one of the Great Lakes and you’ll get the rhythm.
Dzanc House ~ You’re in the Right Place
Within a beautiful historic house, nestled in the southside historic district of Ypsilanti, you will find a space for creatives where there are regular events, activities, and gallery exhibitions. Upon approaching the house, one will see writing on the window: Dzanc House, you’re in the right place. This is not only an indicator of having found the correct house, but also a way of communicating to the community at large that there’s a place where they belong. Whether it is for reading, writing, drawing, printmaking, knitting, crocheting, embroidering, performing, or simply absorbing the art—you’re in the right place.
Leaders and Followers
Variants of the phrase, “Preparing the Leaders of Tomorrow” occur regularly in ads and promotional materials for schools, businesses, the military, and other organizations. Whenever I come across it, I can’t help thinking, “What about the followers?”
Book Suey: Where Books, Art, and Community Collide
To liken Book Suey to an average bookstore would be akin to calling Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein “the boy next door.” It’s missing all the other crucial pieces that make Book Suey a must-stop destination—sure, you can come in for a book, but you can also stop in and read a poem during open-mic night, attend a writing workshop, sell a physical copy of your writing, and more. Think of Book Suey as a bookstore with a side of DIY ethos, a pinch of mischief, and the kind of vibes that make you want to stay a while. Maybe even forever, as co-owners Cat Batsios and Elijah “Eli” Sparkman will explain.
What's New in the Community: Spring/Summer 2025
This ongoing column features upcoming events within Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County and surrounding areas’ Body/Mind/Spirit communities, new (during the past year or two) practitioners and holistic businesses, new books written by local/regional authors, new classes, as well as new offerings by established practitioners and holistic businesses.
The Magical Community of ConVocation
On February 20 through 23, 2025, ConVocation will celebrate its 30th year as a Michigan convention for magical people. First founded in 1995, ConVocation has been hosted in various hotels around southeastern Michigan before finding its new home in Ypsilanti in 2024. Moira Payne, ConVocation 2025’s Program Chair and President of the Magical Education Council of Ann Arbor, hopes this new home will be permanent.
The Neutral Zone: A Bright Place for Our Brilliant Young People
We have all seen the brightly painted portico and cheerful murals on the impressive brick building downtown Ann Arbor and wondered, “What is this place?” The Neutral Zone was founded in 1998 by teens, and for teens, with a simple yet profound mission: to create a safe space for youth in Ann Arbor. Simple, maybe, but not static.
What's New in the Community, Winter 2025
New Offerings by Local Established Businesses and Practitioners, New Classes, New Books, and more of What’s New in Our Community.
Kids in the Community: The Voices of Tomorrow's Population
In an age where children's voices are easily drowned out by digital noise and societal pressures, nurturing a child's ability to speak up, literally and figuratively, has never been more crucial. Experts and local business owners emphasize the importance of fostering solid vocal skills and self-expression in young people. From techniques to care for growing vocal cords to strategies for building confidence in self-advocacy, a multifaceted approach to "voice development" is shaping a generation of articulate, assertive, and empowered youth.
Born of the Spirit: Storytelling is the Breath of Life
Once upon a time, within the swirling molecules of space, the Creator drew forth a deep breath of every color of energy and blew it into a clear, nearly spherical bowl. S(he)/we swirled the bowl gently, lovingly watching the sparkles of energy coalesce and cascade, mixing every possible setting, every conflict, every character, and every archetype. Then S(he)/we gently rolled the bowl out away from its BEing.
Open Your Heart to Cacao: Healing Through Ceremony
“This is the heart medicine that the world needs,” said Lindsey Glasson, founder, and protector of cacao at i.e. Kawa, as well as a facilitator of cacao ceremonies in Michigan and in places around the world. An intuition-led purchase of twenty pounds of cacao at a Costa Rican farmers’ market just before the pandemic inspired Lindsey’s journey that has helped her heal herself and others through cacao and ceremony. Cacao, she said, “is the doorway of the soul.”
The Community High Resource Program: A Student's Perspective
We asked our fellow Community High School students, Claire Lewis and Jacqueline Boynton, to share their perspective about the community resource program at Community High and their experience in photography class.
Kindred Conversations: Susan McLeary and Kelly Campbell
It was a passion flower that first stopped Susan McLeary in her tracks. The exotic flower ignited her passion and initiated her purpose toward becoming a florist, a designer, an artist, and an author. Yet, educator is the title Susan McLeary identifies with most these days.
Kids in the Community: Science for Kids
Imagine a world where your children are captivated by bubbling potions, erupting volcanoes, and soaring rockets. In this magical realm, adventure awaits. From makeshift kitchen laboratories and hands-on classes to information-packed books, parents can ignite the spark or fuel the burning passion for science with various engaging and immersive activities—some at home, some in person. Unlocking the magic of science begins with nurturing your child’s natural curiosity. Observe what they're interested in and use it to pave the way for exciting career paths in the future.
Cultivating Connection: The Power of Community Gardens
A community garden is like a little shared oasis, a special spot where folks from all walks of life come together to grow delicious veggies, fragrant herbs, and beautiful flowers. It becomes a green sanctuary, where members roll up their sleeves, dig in the dirt, and let nature work its magic. Often organic, community gardens help promote soil health and community connection as much as they do delicious, locally grown food.
Motherhood as a ReVillaging Rite of Passage
Almost four years into my personal journey into motherhood, I have learned that some of my challenges are wildly common. Near-constant sensory and logistical overwhelm, deconstructing of (well-intended) pre-baby idealism, hard-to-communicate grief and resentments, and the occasional dose of blinding hot rage or anxiety. My journey has also been, however, a powerful invitation to a rite of passage through and beyond what author Beth Berry calls “Motherwhelm.”
Holler Fest: A Happy, Hoppin' Place
Ann Arbor does summer well. This town comes alive with outdoor music from June to September, but each summer the local musicians and music lovers know that to wind-up the summer, Holler Fest is the place to be.
