Follow the Piper to ‘Small Town Michigan’
Without realizing it, when travel writer Amy Piper was working on her book “Secret Michigan: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure” in 2023, she was also working on her latest book, “Small Town Michigan” (Reedy Press, $32).
“As I traveled around Michigan researching ‘Secret Michigan,’ I took a lot of pictures of interesting places that didn’t fit into it. So, I’d been photographing long before I started writing. Some of the secrets in my ‘Secret Michigan’ book were in small towns that had a lot more to offer than just a single attraction,” Piper said. “The actual research and writing for ‘Small Town’ took about a year. I started by searching online, decided where I wanted to visit, and then grouped them into trips. It’s important to note that I’ve been to each one of these small towns. I talked to the people and explored. In some cases, I still plan to go back because so much of my exploring remains unfinished.”
The author explained the impetus behind the book.
“We have our favorite places that we keep going back to, without discovering all the other places out there,” she said. “Residents often forget that Michigan is both geographically large and psychologically local. You can live here your whole life and still not know the next county over — there’s a peninsula shoreline or a small town with a better park, beach, bakery or sunset than the one you already know.
“This hit home when I took my 5-year-old granddaughter to the library in my hometown of Holt,” Piper continued. “She asked me to go to the pavilion behind the library. She was very familiar with that park from preschool, yet I’d never been. It took her to help me discover it. We sometimes have inertia about getting out and discovering what’s nearby. I know that many Michigan residents living in towns other than Williamston would be surprised to learn all that it has to offer.”
Of the 50 towns she visited for the book, Piper was hard-pressed to name a favorite.
“I think there’s something special about every town, so it would be hard to pick a favorite,” she said. “I keep going back to Indian River, Petoskey and Charlevoix. I’m loving the small towns in the Keweenaw Peninsula right now. It’s a welcoming environment.”
She pointed out that it’s important for people visiting Michigan to realize that it isn’t a one-and-done destination.
“Planning a Michigan vacation means discovering a state you’ll come back to often because the last trip left a few things unfinished,” she said. “From Great Lakes shorelines and small towns to food-forward regions and seasonal traditions, Michigan rewards travelers who slow down and explore a little deeper each time. Michigan has a hidden-gem culture: ferry towns, ghost towns, quirky roadside landmarks, lighthouse beaches and Inland Waterway trips.”
Piper was born in Lansing, the eldest of five and the only daughter. She lives in Holt with Ross Dingman, her husband of 49 years. They have a daughter and two granddaughters.
After graduating from Holt High School, Piper earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and linguistics from the University of Michigan. She went on to earn a master’s degree in linguistics and a doctoral degree in instructional design from Michigan State University. Additionally, she was a certified project management professional for many years.
“Instructional design involves a lot of writing and photography. I went the corporate training route and wrote my dissertation on project management as it relates to instructional design. I ended up designing, developing and writing a lot of project management training worldwide,” Piper explained. “In my corporate career, I traveled all over the world. I spent six months in South Korea, six months in Argentina, a month in India and three months in Madrid. You get the idea. I wanted to keep doing that after I retired, so I started preparing about seven years before I retired.”
She has been a travel writer since 2016.
“Basically, I like to tell stories about places that I’ve been to, and photography captures those memories and stories really well. It allows me to provide a complete picture of the travel story,” she said.
Piper has a blog, and she’s penned numerous articles for travel websites and magazines. In addition to “Small Town Michigan” and “Secret Michigan,” she also wrote “100 Things to Do in Lansing Before You Die,” the Michigan chapter of “Midwest Road Trip Adventures” and the Ann Arbor and southern Michigan chapter of Fodor’s Michigan guidebook. She’s working on a book called “Michigan Food Stories,” which will be out in fall 2027.
She spoke about her writing routine. She’s up before 6 a.m. to start working.
“I do my best work when I’m fresh. I capture ideas that I may have written in my mind overnight,” she said. “I tend to save the non-creative tasks for later in the day. When I’m tired, I most likely process my images, work on social media or do research. I need to be fresh to write well.
“I also like having blocks of time to write because once I get going and I’m in the zone, the ideas flow better,” she continued. “I write every day, except for when I’m traveling. I have yet to figure out how to write very much when I’m on the road. I like to make the most of the time I have in a place to get out and explore. I use voice to text to capture as much of a place’s essence as possible.”
For Piper, the most challenging part of being a travel writer is deciding what to include and what to cut. The best part is traveling the world.
“I enjoy getting out, traveling the world and helping others discover places that match their interests and needs,” she said. “I love talking to people and getting their stories, suggestions on where to go and places to eat, et cetera. The more of the state I discover, the more I find those hidden gems that only the locals know. You can only find out that insider information by getting out from behind the desk and getting out there.”
Visit FollowThePiper.com.
