Contributors: April 2010

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Lynn Henning

Henning has been covering sports and the Detroit Tigers for 35 years, mostly for The Detroit News, which he joined in 1979. Longevity has its advantages. Henning worked with ex-Tigers warrior and World Series hero Kirk Gibson as the writer on Gibson’s 1997 autobiography, Bottom of the Ninth. For this issue, he joined new-era Tigers star Justin Verlander in a Q&A conversation (page 17) ahead of the Tigers’ 2010 season. Verlander led the major leagues in strikeouts in 2009, which with his 19 victories, further established him as one of the game’s elite pitchers. Henning is a lifelong Michigan resident who, during his days growing up on a farm in Clinton County, decided he wanted to become a newspaper baseball writer. Henning is glad Verlander’s vocation has likewise evolved so happily.

 

 

Taryn Bickley

“There’s an air of energy about this spring, and the collections are really reflecting that,” says Bickley, who styled the fashion feature (page 35). “We wanted to celebrate the joie de vivre of spring by highlighting some of this season’s popular prints and patterns.” Color — often bold and bright — played a key role in each vignette, with accessories as an important finishing element. “These pieces can stand alone or together, and that’s a wonderful reflection on the current level of whimsy,” she says. “We pushed that playfulness even further with graphic prints, a colorful backdrop, and crafty layering.” Bickley, a stylist and writer based in Chicago and Detroit, has been published in Time Europe, Elle Décor, and Chicago magazines. She recently launched a style blog called Sage & Style.

 

 

Ilene Wolff

Wolff has been a closet germaphobe for many years, but was able to conceal her fear of germs by working in public relations at a hospital, where cleanliness is revered. Now she’s freelancing, but still focused on doctors, health, and medicine. She got the idea for her story in this issue (page 20) while talking with a friend over coffee. “One incident doesn’t make a story, but once I got thinking about it and doing more research, the pieces fell into place,” Wolff says. As for freelancing, she says, “I love everything about the writing process: Asking questions, researching information, digging into medical topics, and translating them into common, everyday language, and demonstrating how they apply to everyday life.”

 

 

Kevin Netz

Netz, a Troy-based photographer known for his clean, graphic compositions, photographed the gun owners whose portraits accompany the feature on concealed weapons (page 46). “There are certainly less interesting photo assignments to work on than people with guns,” says Netz, who tried to convey the personalities of his subjects. In addition to Hour Detroit, Netz’s client list includes American Expedition Vehicles, Harley-Davidson Motor Co., and Oakwood Hospitals.