Editor's Note encore
Fellowship for Foreign Students
January 2017
Great Works Of Dance
Southwest Michigan’s Magazine
There’s so much to talk about. The greater Kalamazoo area is
so full of great stories and great people that, without fail, we have more of those every month than we have room for in the magazine. When we took the helm of Encore five years ago, we wanted to make sure it was a magazine that reflected this community. We put our focus on stories that celebrate all that is unique and local — people, businesses, arts, food, culture and the good works so many are doing to make our cities, neighborhoods, schools and quality of life better. We’ve infused new energy and talent into our writing as well as into the quality and quantity of the beautiful images that grace our pages. The response from so many of you — our readers and community members — has been overwhelmingly positive and has affirmed that we are succeeding in those endeavors. But one thing has also become clear: There’s a lot more for us to talk about. If we are to truly reflect our community, we also have to address those things about our community that we don’t necessarily "celebrate." This year Encore will not only continue to highlight the best things about our corner of The Mitten, but we will also explore some of those issues with which we struggle. These are not happy topics — poverty, human trafficking, racism — but in exploring them we have found not only that there are rays of light, but that our community is one that is caring, compassionate and concerned. And those are stories worth telling.
Marie Lee Editor
Meet Steve Keto
STEPHEN CARVER Carrying on a family legacy at the Civic
Publisher
encore publications, inc.
Editor
marie lee
Designer
alexis stubelt
Photographer brian k. powers
Contributing Writers
olga bonfiglio, andrew domino, lisa mackinder, kara norman, emily townsend
Copy Editor/Poetry Editor margaret deritter
Advertising Sales tiffany andrus krieg lee celeste statler
Distribution
mark thompson
Office Coordinator hope smith
Encore Magazine is published 12 times yearly. Copyright 2017, Encore Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Editorial, circulation and advertising correspondence should be sent to:
www.encorekalamazoo.com 117 W. Cedar St. Suite A, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Telephone: (269) 383-4433 Fax: (269) 383-9767 Email: Publisher@encorekalamazoo.com The staff at Encore welcomes written comment from readers, and articles and poems for submission with no obligation to print or return them. To learn more about us or to comment, visit encorekalamazoo.com. Encore subscription rates: one year $36, two years $70. Current single issue and newsstand $4, $10 by mail. Back issues $6, $12 by mail. Advertising rates on request. Closing date for space is 28 days prior to publication date. Final date for print-ready copy is 21 days prior to publication date. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by those interviewed and published here do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Encore Magazine or the official policies, owners or employees of Encore Publications.
4 | Encore JANUARY 2017