Upper LP: Region Two
Brinkman, Michael W.
February 23, 1943 -
Place of Birth: Milwaukee, WI
Place of Principal Residence: Alpena, MI
Biography:
Michael W. Brinkman was born to John and Phyllis Brinkman in Milwaukee, WI on February 23, 1943. As soon as he earned his Bachelor’s degree at Indiana State University, Brinkman began teaching. He taught Latin at Dryer Center High School, taught at Merriville High School, taught psychology, world religion, and general business in Alpena public schools. Knowing and teaching Latin fostered his love for words and sentence structures; his interests in psychology and religion provided insight into the life of the mind. Poetry combined these two loves: words and introspection. He published several works (Poetry for Peoples and Verse Diverse) before furthering his own education, earning a Master’s degree from St. Mary’s College and a PhD from the University of Michigan. Though Brinkman transitioned from the world of teaching in 1972 to act as president of Brinkman Enterprises, his work with young people continued as he and his wife Lois raised their five daughters and one son. He and Lois currently live in Alpena, MI.
Selected Works:
- Poetry for Peoples (1970)
- Verse Diverse (1973)
- In Pursuit of the Tuit (1976)
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Brinkman’s experience as a teacher has greatly influenced his writing. It is evident from the titles of Brinkman’s work that he greatly enjoys his occupation. Books such as Poetry for Peoples, The Wordsmith, and My Own Busy Bee Book betray the author’s bent for poetry and instruction. He says, “I write poetry because I’m a poet, I am a lover—a lover of mankind in general and individuals specifically…I want my readers to disclose themselves first and foremost; to be honest with themselves…”
Cleland, Charles E.
February 2 1936—
Place of Birth: Kane, PA
Place of Principal Residence: Charlevoix, MI
Biography
Charles E. Cleland was born to Margaret and Charles Cleland in Kane, PA on February 2, 1936. Cleland has degrees from Denison University, Arkansas University, and earned his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 1965. Starting in 1964, Cleland served as a professor of anthropology at Michigan State University, retiring in 2000. For all his education in community studies, anthropology, and Great Lakes history, Cleland remains devoted to letting the Ojiibwa Indians speak for themselves in his book published in 2000 The Place of the Pike (Gnoozhekaaning): a History of the Bay Mills Indian Community, relating the history, social conditions, and governmental relations of the Ojibwa Indians. The same work was selected for the 2001 “Read Michigan” List by the state of Michigan. Using oral accounts from tribal elders and photographs from the tribe’s archives, Cleland communicates the identity of the Bay Mills community using their own stories and heroes rather than the framework of federal Indian policy or academic and economic theories. Cleland has also contributed to the world of scholarship in the field of archaeology, a contribution acknowledged by the collection An Upper Great Lakes Archaeological Odyssey: Essays in Honor of Charles E. Cleland. Included essays cover both the geography and subject matter Cleland himself did, traversing from Illinois to Ontario and the Great Lakes inland shore fishery to the fur trade archeology of Fort Michilimakinac. Cleland aims, in his own words, to “make the details of the historic past interesting and accessible to the sophisticated lay public,” and his scholarly works coupled with the striking photograph collections and tribal stories have hooked both colleagues and Michigan citizens into realizing the stories and realities of their land’s people and past. Cleland lives in Charlevoix, MI and has four children: Elizabeth, Joshua, Elena, and Katherine.
Selected Works
- Rites of Conquest: The Culture and History of Michigan’s Native People (1992)
- The Place of the Pike (Gnoozhekaaning): a History of the Bay Mills Indian Community (2000)
Critical Reception
Fellow scholars such as John Robert Halsey of the Michigan Historical Society write, “Cleland is arguably one of the most important figures in American archaeology in the latter third of the twentieth century…his testimony as an expert witness in Native American land claims and fishing rights have made him a lightning rod for controversy inside and outside archaeology. The results of his activities have affected the practice of archaeology, the working lives of natural resource managers, and the activities of sport fishermen.”
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Cleland is an author who not only lives in Michigan but also is deeply aware of the past and people of the land itself. With thirty-five years of research and his current work in anthropology at Michigan State University, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his works about the Native Americans in Michigan and offers careful and complete analyses of the culture and history Michigan’s native people.
Harrison, Jim (James Thomas)
Dec. 11, 1937 –
Place of Birth: Grayling, MI
Place of Principle Residence: summer – Livingston, MT : winter – Patagonia, AZ
Bibliography:
Jim Harrison grew up roaming the woods in northern Michigan with his parents Winfield (a county agricultural agent) and Norma. At age seven his left eye was blinded by a piece of glass, an event he now attributes to his desire to stay outdoors in nature as a form of comfort. When a young man, Harrison set off to make his own way in the world, as his family was financially strained with five children. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University in 1960 and married his wife, Linda, with whom he has been with for over forty years. In 1964 Harrison got his Master’s at State University of New York. He worked as an assistant professor in English in 1965, but quickly concluded he was “temperamentally unsuited” to teaching. In 1966 Harrison moves back with his wife and newborn daughter to northern Michigan and supported his family through freelance journalism and manual labor. Eventually, his poetry brought him to the attention of major reviewers that in turn led to the release of his first book, Wolf, in 1971. Although his book Farmer, published in 1976, did not initially enjoy much success, his subsequent trilogy Legends of the Fall was a great commercial success and was later made into a film. Harrison also works as an artist, and in addition has taken up screenwriting. Critics have noted Harrison’s desire to preserve the South and rural America both in his art and writing. Harrison recently moved from his northern Michigan home and now spends his summers in Minnesota and his winters in Arizona.
Selected Works:
- Plain Song (1965)
- Out of the War Shadow: an Anthology of Current Poetry (1967)
- Locations (1968)
- Un Bon Jour pour Mourir (1973)
- Sundog : The Story of an American Foreman, Robert Corvus Strang (1984)
- Julip (1994)
- The Beast God Forgot to Invent (2000)
- True North (2004)
Awards
- 1967-1969 National Endowment for the Arts Grants
- 1969-1970 Guggenheim fellowship
- 2007 Michigan Notable Book Award for Saving Daylight
- Two awards from National Literary Anthology
Critical reception:
New York Times has praised Wolf: A False Memoir as “…a raunchy, funny, swaggering, angry, cocksure book; it is also a poignant, handsomely-written self-exploration…” Harrion’s book Legends of the Fall has enjoyed particular attention, being made into a movie starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. True North has received mixed reviews, but Gordon Hauptfleisch (editor of Blogcritics Books and book reviewer for San Diego Union Tribune) wrote, “still, if Harrison’s newest work is flawed an uneven, it is nevertheless a rich and satisfying read for the strenuously poetic passages detailing not only the complexities, quirks, and intricacies of human emotions and interactions, but also for conveying a solid sense of place.”
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Growing up in northern Michigan has been strongly attributed by Harrison to influencing his writing. As a child he enjoyed hunting and fishing and spent many days roaming the woods. This is clearly represented in much of his writing is rural in nature. In addition, Harrison has developed a strong love of the South and rural America. While living in northern Michigan as an adult, Harrison wrote in an old granary on his property. His love for nature has never faded.
Perkins, Lynne Rae
July 31, 1956 -
Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, PA
Place of Principle Residence: Cedar, MI
Biography:
Lynne Rae Perkins was born to Janet and Raymond Calvert in Pittsburgh, PA. She earned her B.F.A. in Drawing and Painting at Pennsylvania State University in 1978 and her M.F.A. in Printmaking at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1981. Upon graduating from the latter, Perkins moved to Boston where she worked as a graphic designer. There she met and married her husband, Bill, and moved to the northern woods of Michigan. The couple lived in a house constructed by Bill (a furniture maker) that had no electricity, telephone service, or running water, requiring woodstoves, a propane-powered refrigerator, and walking to a nearby park for buckets of water. Perkins got her foot in the publishing world when she attended the 1993 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference and got her illustrations looked at by the art director of GreenWillow Books. The director liked what she saw, and in 1995 Perkins’ first book was published, Home Lovely. Since then Perkins has written and illustrated many other books, including the Newberry Award-winning Criss Cross. She now lives in Cedar, MI in a house designed by herself and built by her husband, with her two children: Lucy and Frank.
Selected Works:
- Home Lovely (1995)
- Clouds for Dinner (1997)
- All Alone in the Universe (1999)
- The Broken Cat (2002)
Awards:
- Home Lovely Horn Book Honor Book
- Clouds: riverbank Review’s books of distinction
Critical Reception:
For Criss Cross:
“Writing in a wry, omniscient third-person narrative voice, Perkins deftly captures the tentativeness and incompleteness of adolescence. In 38 brief chapters, this poetic, postmodern novel experiments with a variety of styles: haiku, song lyrics, question-and-answer dialogue and split-screen scenarios. With seeming yet deliberate randomness, Perkins writes an orderly, innovative, and risk-taking book in which nothing happens and everything happens.”
- Newberry Award Committee Chair Barbara Barstow
For The Broken Cat:
“Perkins is a genius at capturing the odd details that reveal so much about individuals and families, and how they interact.”
- Riverbank Review
“Lynne Rae Perkins has the gift of surprising — and, once she’s caught you and often delighted you, of shifting your point of view, or showing you something new, or getting you to think about something you hadn’t thought about before, at least in quite that way.”
- Horn Book Magazine
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Perkins draws her inspiration from living in the northern woods of Michigan. Her book, Clouds for Dinner, was based on her experience on her and her husband’s first and very rustic house.
Porter, Phil
January 29, 1953 -
Place of Birth: Grosse Pointe, MI
Place of Principle Residence: Cheboygan, MI
Biography:
Phil Porter was born to Lorone and William Porter in Grosse Pointe, MI. During his youth, Porter and his family spent summers at their home on Mackinac Island where Porter’s life-long interest in the region began. During his summers at college, he worked as a uniformed guide at Fort Mackinac. In 1974, Porter graduated from Kenyon College with a BA, and in 1975 he graduated from the State University of New York with a Masters in History Museum studies. Porter has worked for the Mackinac Island State Park for over thirty-one years, serving as a curator of collections, curator of interpretation, and most recently was appointed director of the Mackinac Island State Park. He is considered an authority on the history of the Mackinac region and has published several books on the subject. In addition, Porter serves on the board of trustees of the Michigan Museums Association and the City of Cheboygan Historic Resources Commission. Porter lives in Cheboygan, MI and has five children: William, Joseph, Susanna, Katherine, and Elizabeth.
Selected Works:
- The Eagle at Mackinac, the Establishment of United States Military and Civilian Authority on Mackinac Island, 1796-1802 (1991)
- View From the Veranda, the History and Architecture of the Summer Cottages on Mackinac Island (1981)
Critical Reception:
Porter is considered the authority on the history of Mackinac Island, and has received attention for his books on the subject.
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Most of Porter’s life has been spent on Mackinac Island. Ever since a young boy he has involved himself in the region, and for over thirty years has worked for the Mackinac Island State Park. All of his work is revolved around the history of Mackinac Island.