Contributors: January 2010

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Suzanne Bilek

A native Detroiter, Bilek speaks and writes on the topic of “Art in Detroit: An Urban History of Painters, Pictures, and Patrons.” She contributed to the new Michigan Companion on this subject, and is an adjunct curator at the Detroit Historical Museum and a collector of local art. She has held several positions in the art business, including agent, gallery representative, marketing manager, and picture framer. Her family has lived in Detroit for more than a century, which makes it fitting that, in this issue, she writes about painted images of the city on canvas (page 28).

Cybelle Codish

When photographing five health-conscious metro Detroiters for the fitness feature (page 56), Codish says she wanted to showcase her subjects in their own environment to convey the transition from workout life to real life. “I had a particularly fun time photographing ‘Roz’ Reed,” she says. “The minute I walked in the door, she was making me fresh tangerine-and-orange juice.” Good as it was, Codish says not even the “magic juice,” could make her accompany Reed on her daily 10-mile run. Codish also photographed Detroit Mayor Dave Bing (page 13), which she describes as an honor. “Hearing him speak in person about the possibilities for this city was incredible,” she says. Codish’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone and People.

Paul A. Eisenstein

Eisenstein will drive just about anything with a set of wheels, but admits a bias toward small — and preferably fast — automobiles. His thoughts on the newest generation of compact cars appear on page 36. An auto-industry observer for more than 30 years, Eisenstein contributes to The Economist and National Public Radio, where he’s been heard on “Morning Edition,” “Fresh Air,” and “The Takeaway.” A Web-publishing pioneer, Eisenstein recently launched his own automotive news magazine, TheDetroitBureau.com, based on the independent news service he has run since 1979. A New Jersey native, Eisenstein has won numerous awards for his work. He’s based in Pleasant Ridge, but is often in the air, jetting off to meet another deadline.

Mary M. Chapman

Chapman, a journalism veteran who formerly worked as a United Press International staff editor, focuses on the car business, covering the automotive industry and labor unions for Washington, D.C.-based publisher Bureau of National Affairs Inc. A regular contributor to The New York Times, Chapman also has written for Newsweek, People, Fortune, The Detroit News, Savoy, AutoWeek, Agence-France Presse, CNN.com, and MSN.com. She received a Society of Professional Journalists award for an automotive feature published in the Detroit Free Press, and has discussed the automotive industry on National Public Radio. Her non-journalistic writing includes published poetry and a credit for the 2003 Showtime cable feature film Rain. In this issue, she writes about the use of music in car commercials (page 48).