Delve into the history of Hudson’s
A new, 547-page book on Hudson’s, the venerable downtown Detroit department store, drips with nostalgia. For Detroiters, the store’s name is in league with other iconic brands like Faygo, …
Bill Castanier's Latest Articles
Resolve to use these words less in 2023
Each January, two lists are issued for word nerds. The first is the annual list of overused, abused and plain stupid words published by Lake Superior State University. Called “banished …
MSU journalism class breaks barriers through books
When Joe Grimm arrived on Michigan State University’s campus in 2013 as a visiting editor-in-residence, he had an idea for a new journalism class based on a project he had worked on in his career as an editor …
Turning the page on 2022
This past year was a mighty good one for Lansing-area readers, writers and libraries. We saw the passage of two library millages; the opening of bookstores downtown, in REO Town and on the city’s far east side; a number of local writers going on a publishing spree …
Uncovering the history of MSU’s ‘Sacred Space’
“Sacred Spaces,” the subtitle of the new “Tales from the Archives” book published by the Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections, may confuse some readers. The phrase …
The best holiday gifts for the highly literate
(Second of two parts) Books make some of the best holiday gifts, especially in Michigan, where the cold climate keeps us nestled inside for several months of the year. As City Pulse’s …
The best holiday gifts for the highly literate
Books make some of the best holiday gifts, especially in Michigan, where the cold climate keeps us nestled inside for several months of the year. As City Pulse’s resident expert on the subject, I have created a list that will make readers happy for the long winter and get them turning the pages …
Detroit author captures high-profile assassinations in unique light
Robert Morris has been caught up in the Kennedy mystique since he was a little boy in Detroit. His father, Ken Morris, a top official at the United Auto Workers, would drag his sons to all kinds of political events. At a 1960 campaign event in Detroit, Morris, who was 8, found himself posing for a photograph with presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, his father and another UAW official. …
Abraham Lincoln, Sarah Josepha Hale and the story of Thanksgiving Day
This year, when you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings, give thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale for creating Thanksgiving Day and its celebration on the fourth Thursday of November. How …
