Arts and Culture

NMU English Professor Rachel May's An American Quilt appeared at the top of a recent "Briefly Noted" column in the books section of The New Yorker. The description reads: "In this far-reaching history, the discovery of an unfinished antebellum quilt becomes an investigation of the fragile scraps of documents used to make its backing. The fragments lead May to a white couple in South Carolina, who incorporated fabric left over from their slaves’ “gowns” into the quilt, as well as to some of the 13-plus people whom the family owned.

Drake Nagel ('12 BFA) puts his graphic design skills honed at NMU to work on behalf of his two culinary ventures: Happy's Taco Shop in Petoskey; and a food truck business that extends to Traverse City. In a Petoskey News-Review artist profile, Nagel said cooking is his first love, but he also recognizes the importance of establishing a brand through a logo and other visual elements. So he has combined both talents, creating a number of menu boards for the food trucks and designs for available merchandise offered through the company.

NMU engineering design junior Jordan Walker-Jenkins recently competed in Canada's largest yo-yo competition to see how he stacks up against the best "return-top specialists." A resident of Brimley, Walker-Jenkins has retained his Canadian citizenship, which made him eligible to compete in the country's national championship. While he did not advance to the finals, a video of his preliminary round is impressive and supports his contention in a sootoday.com feature that “Modern yo-yo-ing isn’t just like, do walk the dog and then maybe rock the baby on stage.

Recent MFA graduate Amy Smith will guest edit an upcoming edition of "Stirring" literary journal, which revolves around a theme: Hot Mess. The poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction Smith selects for publication will celebrate "fantastical failures that we can’t look away from, moments when steering into the skid is the best decision.