The Up and Down the River column in The Pioneer newspaper began in the 1980’s:  one column each week, 52 weeks of the year, for 30+ years. The column covers a wide array of topics. Sometimes the articles are centered close to home while other times they span the globe. Some reflect upon the minutiae of life, others  look at the bigger picture. Up and Down the River both asks and answers questions. It reflects on where we are, where we’ve been and wonders about where we are going. We look inward; we gaze outward, literally up and down our own river of life.

Articles

december 9: setting the stage for the holidays

december 2: adventures in planning novel tea

november 25: voca lyrica “in the glow of candlelight”

november 18: a review for ‘hope for cynics’ by jamil zaki

november 12: the art of water witching

november 4: novel tea to discuss ‘the seed keeper’

october 28: Food for thought

october 21: anishinaabe beadwork: a spiritual practice and rite of passage

october 15: frugality

october 7: Novel TEa Book Club reads '“after annie”

september 30: Final 2024 Artworks Exhibition

september 23: the season of sunflowers

september 13: how to inspire imagination

september 9: ferris exhibit showcases civil rights photos

september 3: ‘the women’ by kirsten hannah

august 26: art and mental health

august 19: review of “in the shadows’ by mickey bergman

august 12: summerfest hosts communitywide rummage sale

august 5: Novel tea explores the world of rastafarians

july 29: book review of ‘the princes and the tower’

july 22: Big rapids boosts first black woman to be recorded

july 15: new exhibit highlights public art

july 8: Making places for public art in big rapids

july 1: What to read in summer weather

june 24: a history of aviation in big rapids

june 17: from my perspective

june 10: a plot of land in western massachusetts

june 3: how ginny kerwin built voca lyrica

may 27: voca Lyrica celebrates sisterhood

may 20: the art of photographing alaskan bears

may 13: exploring spikehorn mayer

may 6: a small midwestern town upended by murder

april 22: the benefits of rest

april 15: The story behind the bear exhibit

april 8: the fascinating history of pockets

April 2: the story behind ‘the bear’

march 25: ‘How to know a person’

March 18: the riverwalk story, part 2

March 11: the riverwalk story, part 1

March 4: how do i join a book club?

february 26: fulfilling a 40 year promise, part 2

february 20: fulfilling a 40 year promise, part 1

february 12: Call To Artists-the bear

february 5: Novel tea and the great michigan read

january 29: the old settlers tell their stories

january 22: Festival of the arts is coming!

january 15: sculpting life through art

january 8: Creativity and healing

January 2: in amichigan winter, escape to southern india