Freshwater Reporter is a free, locally owned community paper serving Manistee County, Mason County, western Lake County and western Wexford County. We deliver fresh stories about our communities, including a continuously updated community events calendar. Find the paper in 150+ locations.
We welcome your comments, suggestions, advertising inquiries, stories, essays and creative writing, including original poems. Send us an email or write to us at: Freshwater Reporter, P.O. Box 188, Manistee, MI 49660. A subscription in 2026 for 12 issues mailed to you first class in a protective envelope is $36.
©Freshwater Planet, LLC, 2019-2026.
The Crew
Editorial Guidelines
Mission
The Crew
Freshwater Reporter is the product of many hardworking people.
Publisher: Freshwater Planet, LLC (Based in Manistee, Mich.)
Co-editors: Pat Stinson and Mark Videan
Designer: Amy Hansen
Proofreader: S. Koehn
Advertising sales: Pat Stinson
Delivery: The Silver Fox
Website: MMWD
Contributing Writers
Our talented contributors provide the fresh content found in Freshwater Reporter.
Cynthia Asiala
Cynthia is our Kaleva News correspondent.
Mark Banaszak
Mark spent over 30 years as a public-school educator, urban community gardener and outdoor enthusiast. Recently, he transplanted his city life to rural Manistee County.
Lois Beardslee
Lois is an Anishinaabe award-winning illustrator and author of both fiction and nonfiction such as “Not Far Away: The Real Life Adventures of Ima Pipiig” and Michigan Notable Book “Words Like Thunder”. She illustrated her latest work, “We Live Here”, a poetry collection inspired by a traditional Anishinaabe seasonal year. Beardslee was nominated in 2025 for Michigan Poet Laureate.
Gordon Berg
Gordon is a descendant of Manistee’s Bergs, Swansons and Martinsons. His debut book, “Harry and the Hurricane,” is about his father’s life as a young boy and how he survived the Miami Hurricane of 1926.
Christine Blackledge
Christine was a northern Michigan dairy farmer and the former owner/welder of Michigan Decorations, a Traverse City-based business. She obtained master’s degrees in International Business Administration and Public Health and Food Safety, along with certificates in Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Points (HACCP) and International Food Laws and Regulations. For 12 years she worked with USAID projects helping small farmers and processors to produce safe food for consumption and export. She also lectured at MSU and taught in Lansing area public schools. She wrote about a myriad of topics, including food safety and security. She was a talented gardener and a fearless home remodeler, and she never hesitated to share her skills and harvest with others. Christine left this life in May 2024.
Valerie Chandler
Valerie lives in Wellston with her husband Matthew and their border collie/Australian shepherd. She is a citizen and employee of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.
Emily Cook
Emily is a resident of Arcadia, where she lives with her husband and two collies. She is a conservationist by training and a writer and artist when time allows. She explores the nearby nature trails and Lake Michigan beach as much as possible.
Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas
Ramona is a retiree of the Manistee Ranger District, Huron-Manistee National Forest, where she worked in recreation and as an outdoor recreation planner.
Joshua Elie
Joshua is a musician and the Irons’ area handyman. He is working on obtaining his second builder’s license. He enjoys life as a homesteader.
Kevin Howell
Kevin lives in Mason County. He loves the Michigan woods, lakes, people and Michigan craft beers – not necessarily in that order.
Louisa Loveridge Gallas
Louisa is our current Freshwater Reporter Poet In Residence. Her poem “Basic Hygiene” won the 2022 Manistee Public Library Poetry Award in the adult category. Her book “The Wizard’s Dream” was a finalist in the Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing. Read more about her at: louisalovegallas.com
Stewart A. McFerran
Stewart illuminates current environmental issues in a historic context. He discusses our stories with WNMC 90.7 FM station manager Eric Hines, usually the morning after an issue is published.
Ron Schmidt
A children’s author, Ron lives in the north woods with his Leader Dog, Lila. He enjoys long walks, listening to birds and music, and visiting St. Ambrose Cellars for his favorite wine and mead.
Nikki Schneider
Nikki lives in Bear Lake with her husband, Mark. She combines her love of junkin’ and repurposing for Patina, her resale home/garden shop and art gallery in Onekama.
Christine Stapleton
A successful area real estate broker, Christine writes about life in northern Michigan and on her farm with her border collies, sheep and happy chickens.
Kristina Stierholz
Kristina is our Arcadia News correspondent.
Pat Stinson
Pat is a freelance reporter who also writes persuasive prose for businesses. She is the founder and a co-editor of the Freshwater Reporter, was the co-executive director of the Midwest Space Fest (Traverse City, Oct. 2013) and the co-founder with musician/songwriter James Gordon of the NAMI Michigan U.S. Tour of Hope, a series of U.S. concerts in support of the fundraising CD “1 in 5”.
Mark Videan
Mark is a printmaker, woodcarver, basketmaker and retired jeweler. He enjoys many hobbies, including board games, card games, trivia and homebrewing. He is a co-editor of Freshwater Reporter and creates the comprehensive calendar of events contained in each issue and fun word puzzles sometimes found on the back page.
Milt Whitmore
Milton and his family moved to the Arcadia/Onekama area, where he taught middle school science and math until his retirement. He was active with the Arcadia Lions Club for many years. He and his wife are adjusting to “big city” life in Traverse City.
Editorial Guidelines – 2026
Submissions of stories, essays, poems, and photographs are welcome. Unsolicited materials are welcome but not guaranteed to be published. We schedule stories weeks, sometimes months, in advance. Send queries to: editor@freshwater-reporter.com. Submissions are due no later than 21 days prior to publication, unless approved by the editor.
We edit as needed for spelling, grammar and clarity. We also reserve the right to add or delete passages.
We buy First North American Serial Rights and the right to share content online. We require that stories not be reprinted in other media for at least six months.
Stories accepted by the editor will be compensated at a rate of 5 cents per word and must be accompanied by at least one digital photograph with a cutline. (See below.) Photos will be compensated at a rate of $10/first photo printed, $5 each additional photo printed. Please let us know in advance if you are unable to submit a photo. Story length will be assigned and most stories we publish are 500-1,000 words. Sidebars (accompanying stories) need prior approval.
Essays approved by the editor will be paid at a rate of 5 cents per word. Essay length: 200-600 words, generally. Poems will be considered. Payment to be determined. Poem length is not to exceed 36 lines.
Photographs or images must be original, in sharp focus, high resolution (300 dpi or higher), and accompanied by a cutline (who, what, where and photographer’s first and last names).
Mission Statement
Freshwater Reporter shares fresh stories of people, places and events – past, present and future – in Manistee, Mason, southern Benzie, western Wexford and western Lake counties. We celebrate communities in Western Michigan and the exciting array of people, ideas and possibilities they represent. We offer a forum for personal insight and creative expression.