writing

SPOTLIGHT ON OUR CONTRIBUTORS

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Every edition of Walloon Writers Review unveils a fresh collection of creative writing and nature photography celebrating northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. We are so fortunate to introduce readers to exciting writers and photographers, some with recognizable names and some at their first time in print. Join us as we continue to share a little about our contributors!

MEET JAMES “JIM” BOLONE

Jim Bolone is a returning contributor to Walloon Writers Review. The Old Men (of Mackinac) Are Gone can be found in Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition. Jim is a native Michigander and has been a bartender, a drummer, a dockporter, a bouncer­—most of these as a summer worker on Mackinac Island. For the past twenty-nine years, Jim has been a junior high school English teacher in Northwest Ohio.  We caught up with Jim this fall for an exciting update!

I recently completed a manuscript for publication in Mission Point Press, due out February, 2026.  It’s called Zombie Seagulls and 15 Other Bite-Sized Nightmares, A chilling collection of 16 flash fiction, high-impact YA horror stories crafted to hook reluctant readers and thrill fans of urban legends. 

My previous work, the Mackinac Island Novels, written with my co-author, Dave McVeigh, can be found on thedockporter.com.

I currently live in Toledo, OH with plans to return to my home state of Michigan sometime next year!

Here are some of Jim’s titles on the shelves now:

Watch for our email for Jim’s new book soon!

MEET CJ GIROUX

CJ Giroux is a returning contributor to Walloon Writers Review. His poem Return, Afternoon is found in our Ninth Edition, and poem Kayaking the Leland River, and short story, Limbo: South of Leland, North of Beulah, can be found in our Eighth Edition. CJ read at our Saginaw reading at the Hoyt Library, Saginaw Public Libraries, this past Spring.

CJ Giroux in Saginaw and teaches at Saginaw Valley State University. A lifelong Michigander, he has most recently been published or has work forthcoming in Christianity & Literature, ArLiJo, Superpresent, Connecticut River Review, San Pedro River Review, and Muleskinner Journal among other publications. He is a reader for Dunes Review and helps coordinate poetry contests in his community. 

MEET ELLEN SCHETTLING WHITEHEAD

Ellen is a returning contributor of both excellent photography and poetry to Walloon Writers Review. Her poem, is found in this edition of Walloon Writers Review. Ellen writes:

I am married with four children and a retired administrative assistant for Clarkston Community Schools. My husband and I live on a beautiful inland lake in Northern Michigan where I am a Loon Ranger through the Michigan Loon Preservation Association and the Lake Monitor for our lake through the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program. I love writing poetry and have been doing so since fourth grade. I also enjoy hiking.

I write and post a daily haiku based on a photo I have taken. This practice, which I have done for the past eight years, grounds me and fills me with peace and joy! Currently, I am just posting on my own Facebook page. I plan to publish a book based on my haikus and photos. My recent projects include:

  • Shell Song published in 2003 by DeForest Press. It is a semi-biographical book based on the life of my grandmother who suffered from schizophrenia back in the 1930’s.
  • Self-published a poetry book titled Sitting with Stones; Speaking thru Flowers.
  • Poems published in Peninsula Poets.
  • Poems selected for Poet’s Night Out in Traverse City Michigan in four different years, winning the PNO Founders Prize in 2024.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving sincere thanks to everyone involved in making Walloon Writers Review a success!

Look for more contributors soon!

SPOTLIGHT ON OUR CONTRIBUTORS

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Every edition of Walloon Writers Review unveils a fresh collection of creative writing and nature photography celebrating northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. We are so fortunate to introduce readers to exciting writers and photographers, some with recognizable names and some at their first time in print.

After a whirlwind season of live readings by our contributors and display of some of the photography, where audiences had the incredible experience of hearing the writers read their own work in person, we wanted to keep that good feeling going! We caught up with several contributors to find out a little more about them and what they are working on next!

(photos Left to Right: Elizabeth Kerlikowske reads poetry at Crooked Tree District Walloon Lake library; Contributors from Left to Right: Susan Boback, Stephen Hooper, Ellen Lord, Katherine Roth, founder Jennifer Huder, Patty Durell, Lisa Fosmo, Kate Allore, Elizabeth Bates, and Milton J. Bates pose at Ishpeming Public Library reading event; Petoskey’s John Lennon reading at Walloon Lake Library).

In the next few posts, check out “Spotlight On Contributors”, with photos, bios, and a short note from them on what new projects they are working on right now. We hope you will continue to follow these contributors as they publish and present their new works in the future. Sign up for our email list where we share new books or gallery showings by contributors and other events.

We are honored that contributors have selected Walloon Writers Review to share their work and hope you find these updates fun! We will include Ninth Edition and previous edition contributors we’ve heard from recently. Contributors, in case you missed it, please email editor@walloonwriters.com if you have updates to share! Headshots and relevant photographs welcome!

Spotlight On Contributors

Meet Carrie Cantalupo

Carrie Cantalupo is a new contributor to Walloon Writers Review. Her poems blue black night and sumac can be found in our Ninth Edition. From her home in northern Michigan, Carrie shares this update with us:

I have been working on a collection this year and hope to have it ready to 

send out into the world by January. I am also working on illustrating a children’s book!  (A BIG 

first for me!) I am so honored to be in the Walloon Writers Review with so many wonderful writers.

Carrie Cantalupo writes poetry and flash fiction and has been published in Pike’s Peak, Making Waves, You Might Need to Hear This, Poetry Project Matters and Transformation: Stories of Northern Arts and Culture. Carrie lives in Maple City in the Bohemian Wood and loves to hike, travel, and read.

Meet Don Spezia

Don Spezia is a new contributor to Walloon Writers Review. His photography Natural Beauty can be found in our Ninth Edition.

Don’s work can be seen in other places, including art galleries. His photograph titled “Feather Brushed” was published in Decagon Gallery – Beyond the Mirror photo book in 2024. He has also had other honorable mention awards and purchase awards at various galleries. From his hometown in Traverse City, Don writes:

Photograph in the 9th Edition of Walloon Writers Review: “Natural Beauty” is a photograph taken at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore when a Porcupine presented itself for a photo shoot at sunset on May 13, 2023 at 8:15 pm.

My website for photography and music can be found at donspeziasologuitar.bandzoogle.com or donspezia-friznicmusic.com

Don has been interested in photography since acquiring his first 35mm camera. His photographs usually include nature, wildlife, architecture, moments, motion, and landscapes. His favorite photographs are outdoors, influenced by the elements of nature. Formerly an Architect, Don retired in 2017.

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NOTES FROM WALLOON WRITERS REVIEW…OCTOBER, 2025

It’s been an incredibly exciting several months – the release of our largest collection ever with more than sixty contributors, a total of 186 pages of creativity rushing like a waterfall in the UP! Finally, our Facebook page, with photos, events, information about relevant events in the region, is back up!

This summer, I had a treasured opportunity to meet face to face, explore and enjoy our host libraries and their communities, meet readers, hear first hand reading of selections we chose for you to enjoy along with the passion and joy that flows from these contributors.

Walloon Writers Review also had an opportunity to showcase our photography! A huge thanks to contributors like Tom Barrat and Kate Allore for meeting up in random parking lots to exchange precious framed editions for us to travel across Michigan with on our journey. We even got to include Eighth Edition contributors in our readings and displays.

On a fantastic experience of the Good Hart Residency’s Tunnel of Trees Art Trail event , we caught up with Mixed Media Contributor Elizabeth Fergus-Jean and Second Edition Cover Artist/Photographer Neil Ahrens in their galleries. Then, we headed up to Trillium Woods Coffee on M-119, where cover photographer Kate Allore had her stunning creative art work (including this cover!) on display AND bumped into Eighth Edition returning contributors photography artist Moon Seagren and poet Deda Kavanagh!

(Founder/Editor Jennifer Huder and Neil Ahrens at Ahren’s Studio – photo by Steven Huder)

ON THE SHELVES! Remember as the holidays approach that a copy of Walloon Writers Review makes a great gift, a thank you to a host, an introduction to the magical mystical places of our region, or a lasting souvenir of a great time spent together. Our independent booksellers across the state also offer shipping! We can also be found on goodreads.com (helps our indie booksellers) and barnesandnoble.com (convenient)! Visit “Where to Find Walloon Writers Review” tab for information.

Many thanks to Public Radio90 and Host Kurt Hauswirth at WNMU-Marquette for helping share about Walloon Writers Review AND to Interlochen Public Radio 90.1FM in Harbor Springs/Petoskey and Traverse City for letting their listeners know about Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition.

Great news from many! Please watch for an exciting email soon!

– All the best – Jennifer Huder

Colorful leaves flying in the wind

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With autumn upon us, remember to take a look at some of the incredible details tucked into each poem and short story, leading us on a journey in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. The photography and mixed media whisper their own story to us – beckoning a step outside, a walk on a trail, a hike in the sunny wind on the beach. From Traverse City to Marquette, Ishpeming to Iron Mountain and the Keweenaw back down around Pellston and drop into pretty Petoskey, grandly on the hill. Catch a special peak at the Little Traverse Bay and the breakwall – if it’s blustering, grab a coffee from one of our great artists and barristas downtown at Roast & Toast or around the corner at North Perk, catch a grand perspective from the Bayfront Park walk, or ride, connecting to the wheelway that runs along the shore of Lake Michigan – hop down to Charlevoix!

Catch your imagination – give yourself an adventure, you don’t have to go far but if you choose to, don’t forget Tahquamenon Falls, Good Hart, the Tunnel of Trees, swing through TC and head over to Suttons Bay for a fall feel, up and around the Leelanau Peninsula to Grand Traverse Lighthouse, then down M22 through Fishtown in Leland, Empire, Platte River area and Honor then south and west, in to Frankfort in the fall.

Apples, cider, donuts, wine, craft beer, fresh food, cool cocktails, great adventures abound. Search for your magic, swing back around through Interlochen, and keep rolling east. Somewhere along this trip, you’ll suddenly realize that you feel amazing.

With so many amazing places to explore, you’ll recall a line from one of our incredible contributors, you’ll see from their eyes the magic that inspires them to share their story, their perspectives, you’ll take your own photographs to catch the moment. Hope you enjoy this amazing season.

Falling Into Autumn

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Trillium Woods Coffee low building set in tall pine trees
Trillium Woods Coffee – M119 Tunnel of Trees

As one of our four favorite seasons in northern Michigan gets ready to explode in color, crisp air, an urge to get outside and hike, putter, paddle, cast, explore and breathe in the fresh air washes over us. Aside from the endless vistas along our highways and roads, northern Michigan makes room for imagination. A settling in begins.

This photo was a quick grab from our newest fabulous place to find Walloon Writers Review, Trillium Woods Coffee along the Tunnel of Trees between Harbor Springs and Good Hart. You’ll have to go inside, grab a fall beverage of your choice, and see for yourself. What an exciting addition to our trail of great places to stop in and pick up a copy of the latest edition!

Walloon Writers Review contributors are a very special group of people. This year, as well documented on this site, we were invited to offer readings across the state, in Saginaw, Walloon Lake, and Ishpeming, as well as hearing readings at our launch party in Petoskey. I had more time to visit face to face with contributors than ever before. I’m honored that you are a part of this publication and the circle of friends you included in this journey. Thank you to everyone who helped with set up, read with the passion and clarity that only you, the original author, can bring to a reading, and serve as ambassadors as we expand our reach to writers and readers around Michigan and beyond.

In this season of sunshine, cool mornings, pumpkins, wineries, ciders, delicious apples and food that just tastes so much better, enjoy the glow, get out, and explore someplace new. There are so many adventures to be had here. Fall is a favorite for many of us writers and readers, as the sweater or hoodie comes out and you settle into your walk, reflecting on all of the great memories of a smoky but satisfactory summer. Take note of all of the colors and sounds and smells around you as you explore.

Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition is available at several independent bookstores and many libraries across the state! If you are looking for that collection that brings the feel of northern Michigan home with you, pick up a copy as you explore northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Here are a few places to find us: Between The Covers – Harbor Springs; McLean & Eakin – Petoskey, Horizon Books – Traverse City, Snowbound Books – Marquette, The Bookman – Grand Haven, Parallel 45 Books and Gifts – Alpena, Canterbury Bookstore – Escanaba, Bay Books – Suttons Bay, Brilliant Books – Traverse City, Poetess & Stranger – Petoskey, Jordan River Art Center Gift Shop – East Jordan, and many more.

In the coming posts, we will introduce contributors so that you can learn more about who makes this collection of short stories, poetry, and nature photography so exciting!

*Footnote: Our Facebook and Instagram pages are down due to hacking. The process to reopen them is cumbersome. For now, we will be only using our email and website for social media.

Hooked on northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula? We always have a fish story for you.

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Ever wonder what’s inside of this magazine? Who might like it? Let’s take a look!

One of the most popular subjects of the submissions we receive each year is something (maybe everything!) about fishing!

In poetry or narrative, in true fish tale storytelling style or vivid description of the solitude and settings, contributors bring readers along for the moment. From the favorite fishing spot, the intensity of landing that elusive brookie or salmon or others that flow through the blue waters up here, you’ll be drawn in. The all-in for fish crowd will find a few brilliant examples of this in Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition.

Casting for Ghosts by Stephen Hooper of Negaunee, fits the bill for the fishing fans. This lively short story, set some where in the wilds of the UP, keep you intent on finding out just what happens all the way through. Hooper’s outstanding story telling skills have appeared in previous editions in the form of poetry and song lyrics.

Gary Schil’s Muskellenge as Muse draws you into the lush setting of a northern Michigan lake, and brings you to the dance between rod, reel, and fish. Gary’s talented word crafting builds the tension, and brings you so close, you can see the fish yourself. Gary Schil is a returning contributor to Walloon Writers Review and lives in Harbor Springs.

Morning Boat on Walloon, a rich poem written by new contributor Margaret Anderson (now in Vancouver, BC Canada) vividly captures those great memories that we all love to share. She begins:

Let me tell you what I remember
of fishing with my father
in the morning fog on Walloon,
our oars silent as mink paddling,
to catch breakfast in Lily Pad Bay;

What you will find in Walloon Writers Review are reflections, adventures, funny tales, exploration of new places throughout this grand region. Beautiful nature photography and new this edition, we are pleased to share exceptional mixed media of the same theme. All of it is focused on the incredible natural beauty, experiences that are uniquely northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula fill the pages.

We hope you enjoy it! You can find copies throughout this region and around Michigan! Check out our Where to Find Walloon Writers Review tab here on our website.

– Jennifer Huder, Founder

Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition is edited by Jennifer Hude and Glen Young. Produced in Petoskey, Michigan, our contributors live, work, visit, vacation, or have ties to this magical region. Walloon Writers Review reprints the selected contents by permission of the original writers and artists. 196 pages in paperback.

National Independent Booksellers Day is Saturday

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Walloon Writers Review gives a big “Thank You!” to all of the independent booksellers we’ve met during the last ten years. Indepdent bookstores are not just awesome to visit, they actively support local authors and collections like ours of local and regional Michigan writers and photographers. We count our indie bookstores as friends, where we can always find something new and special.

On this site, under the “Where to Find Walloon Writers Review” tab, you’ll find a list of our favorite great independent booksellers here in Michigan who have been very supportive of our contributors and us!

Many have asked how can you support the work we do at Walloon Writers Review? Remind them its a pleasant collection sharing our collective passion for northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, suitable for general audiences.

  • Stop in to one of these stores and pick up a copy of our newly released Ninth Edition!
  • Call one of them and place a special order to ship a copy to a friend or family member – especially if you’re in it. It’s not “shameless self-promotion”, it’s inviting them along on your journey!
  • Know a vacation property owner up this way looking for something unique to have available at their place? Suggest they include Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition for their guests. Leave it on the reading shelf, the magazine table, on the side table near the fireplace! Local writers and beautiful color photography and Mixed Media, local and regional content, suitable for a general audience – sold locally at indie bookstores!
  • Walloon Writers Review is sold in amazing bookstores throughout Michigan. It’s in your favorite vacation places – stop in and pick up a copy as a souvenir of your adventures in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula this summer!

Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition sells for $24.99 and is our largest collection ever. Thank you, independent bookstores for all of your support of local authors, local photographers, our publication and the community.

Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition is On The Shelves & News About Upcoming Reading Event at Hoyt Library in Saginaw!

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“Up North” means so much to so many people. Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition offers something for everyone to enjoy and features incredible contributors with an eye for creative expression and a touch of familiarity.

Thanks to the wonderful support of Michigan independent booksellers, you can find Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition on the shelves AND available for shipping! We are on the shelves at Between The Covers in Harbor Springs, McLean & Eakin in Petoskey, Horizon Books in Traverse City, The Bookman in Grand Haven, and more and available for order at Between The Covers, McLean & Eakin, and Snowbound Books- Marquette! Adding to your pile of TBR’s? Consider Bookshop.org, BarnesandNoble.com and of course, Amazon.

Big shout out to libraries in Michigan including Hoyt Library in Saginaw (see below for a Walloon Writers Review reading event!), Petoskey Public Library, Walloon Lake Library, Charlevoix Public Library, and Peter White Library in Marquette. These libraries will have Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition on the shelves in April! Check out a copy or stop in to enjoy reading a copy while you’re visiting these great libraries.

Save the date!

April 22 – Walloon Writers Review will be hosted by Hoyt Library in Saginaw from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm for contributor readings, a panel discussion, and refreshments! Copies will be available and can be signed at the event. Come out and experience Walloon Writers Review at this wonderful library!

Other Exciting Events for National Poetry Month

Bards of Northern Michigan at the Charlevoix Public Library will include readings by area poets, a special guest, and a few of our Walloon Writers Review contributors! Watch for more details!

WALLOON WRITERS REVIEW EXCITING NEWS…

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WALLOON WRITERS REVIEW NINTH EDITION TO BE RELEASED THIS MONTH!

© Kate Allore O’Neal Lake Speaking To Herself, 2024

Our Contributors Make Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition Exceptional!

We are so honored to share our List of Contributors to Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition!

Storm Ainsely – Winters, California

Kate Allore – Boyne Falls, Michigan

Margaret Anderson – Vancouver, BC Canada

Julie Angeli – Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Pamela Atsoff  – Birmingham, Michigan

Michele Austin – Daytona Beach, Florida

Raegan Badik – Mackinac Island, Michigan

Tom Barrat – Petoskey, Michigan

Elizabeth J. Bates  –  Marquette, Michigan

Milton J. Bates – Marquette, Michigan

Curt A. Benson – Grand Rapids, Michigan

Susan Boback – Ishpeming, Michigan

Jim Bolone – Toledo, Ohio

Monique Bova – Wolverine, Michigan

Carrie Cantalupo – Maple City, Michigan

Nancy Carey – East Jordan, Michigan

Tamar Charney – Ann Arbor, Michigan

Thomas Ford Conlan – Charlevoix, Michigan

Brenna Dean – Saginaw, Michigan

April DeOliveira – Battle Creek, Michigan

Sarah DiViasmeņi – Petoskey, Michigan

Patty Durell – Cheboygan, Michigan

Elizabeth Fergus-Jean – Harbor Springs, Michigan

Katherine Foote – Mt Pleasant, Michigan

Lisa Fosmo – Escanaba, Michigan

Chris Gerst – San Pedro, California

CJ Giroux – Saginaw, Michigan

Sheri Greene – Grand Haven, Michigan

J. L. Hagen – Fennville, Michigan

Nancy Hayes – Lake Leelanau, Michigan

Caroline Helmstadt – Saginaw, Michigan

Betsy Hayhow Hemming – Whitehall, Michigan

Deborah Hochberg – Oak Park, Michigan

Steve Hooper – Negaunee, Michigan

Becky Jensen – Bath, Michigan

Hank Kaufmann – Saginaw, Michigan

Taylor Keiser – Pellston, Michigan

Bridget Klaasen – Suttons Bay, Michigan

Mary Anna Scenga Kruch – Williamston, Michigan

Candace Lee – Traverse City, Michigan

John Lennon – Petoskey, Michigan

Kristin Bartley Lenz – Petoskey, Michigan

Jeanne Blum Lesinski – Saginaw, Michigan

Cassie Lindholm – Petoskey, Michigan

Ellen Lord – Charlevoix, Michigan

Max Old Bear – Traverse City, Michigan

Amy Pendell – Okemos, Michigan

George Perreault – Reno, Nevada

Doug Pfaff – Charlevoix, Michigan

Anne M. Rashid – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Karen Reasoner – Farmington Hills, Michigan

F.W. “Skip” Renker – Petoskey, Michigan

Jennifer Uehlein Reynolds – Charlevoix, Michigan

Katherine Roth – Traverse City, Michigan

David James “DJ” Savarese – Iowa City, Iowa

Ralph James Savarese – Iowa City, Iowa

Gary Schils – Harbor Springs, Michigan

Scot Siegel – Wilsonville, Oregon

Michael Sipkoski – Williamsburg, Michigan

Kirk Small – Bellaire, Michigan

Don Spezia – Traverse City, Michigan

K. Matthew Springfield – Clawson, Michigan

Ellen Schettling Whitehead – Mancelona, Michigan

This edition is edited by Jennifer Huder and Glen Young.

Stop by our page soon for our release date!

Ninth Edition Updates!

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Walloon Writers Review Ninth Edition is in the hands of our design team!

We are so excited to share this news! More steps are ahead before this edition will be available in bookstores, but the first completion step is done. Watch for updates, including sneak peaks at our Contributors list, our cover reveal, which organization benefits from a portion of our Submission fees from this edition, and how you can pre-order copies! In a few weeks, we will share our expected release date.

We are grateful to everyone who sent in submissions for consideration. Walloon Writers Review carefully reviews each submission multiple times before making our final selections. With such an incredible response to our Call For Submissions this year, the process to select as many outstanding pieces as we could possibly accept was tough. Thank you for sharing your work with us.

Thanks goes to Co-Editor Glen Young for all of his dedication and contribution to this publication and to each of you for your support. We are always grateful to all of the amazing independent booksellers in Northern Michigan, the UP, and downstate Michigan for making Walloon Writers Review available for their customers. So many of our readers, visitors, and part-time neighbors travel from all corners of this beautiful state to enjoy Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula and they are a perfect spot to make that connection. Your support of purchasing, gifting, and sharing copies of Walloon Writers Review goes a long way in making this possible. Thank you! – Jennifer Huder