Life + Culture

Roots of Royal Oak

Inside an old fire station, volunteers preserve our city's history Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie The elevator groans to life. And as docent Tom Toggweiler and I descend, a stunning mural of the old Saginaw Trail slides past on the wall. It’s a painted reminder that long before this was a Detroit suburb with trendy restaurants and bustling nightlife, Native Americans walked this path between Detroit and Saginaw. The moment encapsulates our tour of the Royal Oak...

Arts + Culture

The Craftsman Who Listens

For 36 years, Brendan Sherwood has turned conversations into custom creations at Elements Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie For 36 years, Brendan Sherwood has turned conversations into custom creations at Elements There's a story Brendan Sherwood tells about glass vessels he made in college. During a critique, his instructor posed a hypothetical: What if someone puts something inside that ruins the aesthetic, that destroys what you've created? Brendan's answer? "I...

Arts + Culture

The Library, Reimagined

At the Royal Oak Public Library, borrowing goes far beyond books Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie The first time I heard about them, I assumed I mis heard. A ghost-hunting kit. A karaoke machine. A robotic cat that purrs when you pet it. These are not the offerings of a startup, or a tech incubator. Nope. They’re all available to borrow at the Royal Oak Public Library — which, under the thoughtful leadership of director Sandy Irwin, is redefining what a library can...

Health + Wellness

The Science of Care

A former biologist brings precision and heart to helping people stay healthy Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Amy Gillespie Christina DeGregory spent years peering through a microscope, even going to Kenya to study wildlife. But when a PhD felt like a cage she didn’t want to live in, she followed the same instinct that led her to wildlife research in the first place: the urge to help. Now Christina helps people protect their health in the always-unpredictable experiment of being...