Contributors

A former newspaper journalist, Chrissy lives in Columbus with her husband and three sons on a small farm of horses and 4H goats.

This Purdue graduate’s passion for telling the stories of the people and businesses making a positive impact on the world around us is brought to life through her LLC, Line Nine Consulting, which combines writing, editing, photography, and social media marketing. In her free time, she enjoys playing sports with her family, off-roading on the Michigan dunes, and camping.

Dave lives in downtown Bloomington, a half block off the courthouse square, the place where his one-man digital news service gets its name—The B Square Bulletin. Since 2019, The B Square has reported on local government, holding officials accountable for what they say and do.

His approach to local journalism taps his experience reporting on digital platforms in Michigan and for print dailies in South Dakota. Dave has lived all over the world, but grew up just down the road from Bloomington, in Columbus, Indiana.

Paul grew up in Bloomington and moved back to the area in 2019 after earning his undergraduate degree from Miami University in northeast Ohio.

He is currently a sports photographer with particular interest in creating what he calls “sports art” (not sports photojournalism for reference). His favorite sports to shoot are baseball, basketball, football, and track and field.

Follow him on Instagram @baechtold.jpg, or visit www.baechtoldphotography.com.

A native Hoosier, Jack has lived in Bloomington for half a century. A professional mechanical engineer, he’s retired from the Indiana University Department of Chemistry.

Jack has a strong sense of giving back and has been active in the Bloomington community. He’s served on numerous boards and commissions and is dedicated to his neighborhood. With a nose for wine, Jack and his wife Jan travel widely and visit wineries along the way.

In addition to being a political science professor at IU, Christine is a prolific freelance writer and photographer specializing in food.

For four years, she contributed the popular “Food Fare” to The Herald-Times, and she is the co-author of Indiana Cooks! and co-author of Home Grown Indiana: A Food Lover’s Guide to Good Eating in the Hoosier State.

A devoted journalist at heart, Barb reported for nearly 30 years for The Indianapolis Star, where she won state and national reporting awards, and has written for The Saturday Evening Post and other publications.

Barb now does freelance writing and research, and she used to teach reporting and writing at the IU Media School. She loves telling people’s stories and writing about health and fitness, two of her personal passions.

Sophie has been writing for Bloom since shortly after her 18th birthday. Nearly a decade later, she still loves getting to know the people, places, and events that make her hometown so special.

A graduate of The Media School at Indiana University, Sophie is a freelance writer with a passion for people-centered journalism. She takes a special interest in the arts, entertainment, business, and environmental sectors. 

She resides in Indianapolis with her husband and their dog, Honeybee, and is working on her debut novel.

Although a life-long photography enthusiast, Martin never envisioned photography as a business opportunity until he decided to immerse himself in pro-level training.

To avoid being just another starving artist, Martin soon realized he needed to set his focus on portraits. Today, portraiture is the staple of Martin’s photography business, martinboling.com.

A professional writer since 1995, Susan has written for Boy Scouts, stoners, interventional radiologists, would-be beekeepers, depressives, the 1 percent, and many others. Her work has appeared in such publications at The New York Times, Discover, Organic Gardening, Hobby Farms, and Indianapolis Monthly.

Susan is also the author of four nonfiction books, including Plan Bee: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Hardest-Working Creatures on the Planet (Perigree Books).

Craig Coley is a mental health counselor in Bloomington. He has also had careers as a public school teacher and as a newspaper reporter and editor.

Peter is a Bloomington-based freelance journalist and blogger and a regular contributor to Bloom.

Elizabeth is a Content Developer for the Indiana University School of Public Health and freelancer with 15 years of experience writing and editing for a variety of publications – from medical journals to nationwide boating magazines. Mom and Hoosier at heart, she likes a good underdog story and spotlighting people making a difference in their communities.

When Elizabeth isn’t writing, she enjoys amateur photography with her trusty Canon Rebel, listening to audiobooks and vinyl records, traveling with her family, and a good Upland craft brew. https://elizabethmayellis.pressfolios.com/

Jenn Hamm is a portrait photographer showing urban and fashion flair with experience in advertorial, promotional, and photojournalistic style photography. Jenn was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana, home to many great artists. She began her venture into the world of photography at the age of 17.

Jenn has spent many years in workshops and studying under Bloomington’s top photographers as well as NYIP. Currently, you can find her at EyeMuse Photography. She is also shooting for One Pulse Entertainment Co. and Courtside Jones.

A lifelong resident of Bloomington, James is one of Bloom’s most prolific photographers. His award-winning photography has been exhibited in local and regional galleries.

While working for a greeting card company, James established the first state-of-the-art digital photography student in Bloomington. His current passion is creating art with his iPhone camera.

Jim Krause is a photographer, documentary producer, and an instructor for the Media School at Indiana University. Jim teaches film and documentary production, graphics, and animation.

When not working, he enjoys running, hiking, paddling, and sailing. He composes music and plays guitar in a duo with his wife, a cellist. In the summer months they live aboard their sailboat and sail in the Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest.

Linda is a writer, editor, videographer, and photographer who enjoys telling people’s stories and writing personal essays. With decades of experience writing and editing for newspapers, magazines, nonprofits, and more, she now writes Life on Peoples Court and produces Ordinary Hoosiers.

Brittany is a Bloomington native who lives in town with her husband and three children. After earning a bachelor’s degree in communication and culture at Indiana University, she worked as a corporate public relations specialist before starting her own business as a freelance writer and communications professional.

She enjoys interviewing passionate people and sharing their experiences. See her work at brittanymarshallcreative.com.

Jeremy has been a resident of Monroe County since 2000, when he took a job with The Herald Times. He spent 21 ½ years as a sports reporter and paginator for The H-T and currently works as a communications coordinator for Hoosier Energy.

Jeremy is a 1996 graduate of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. 

Heather is a freelance food and lifestyle writer who has lived in the Midwest for more than 20 years. As the author of 100 Things to Do in Bloomington Before You Die, she thinks Bloomington has the ultimate charm. Heather’s work has appeared in Prevention, Edible Milwaukee, Indianapolis Monthly, Where Indianapolis, Taste of Home, the Saturday Evening Post, and more.

She is also a content writer and registered dietitian for Kidstir, as well as co-owner of Wild Birds Unlimited.

A Bloomington native, Kendall has been a photographer since age 6. He is renowned for his photographs of people, places, and products.

Kendall earned his degree in commercial photography at Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus, Indiana, well-known for its visual arts program. He opened Spectrum Studio in 1989 and works with local, regional, and national clients.

Beyond simply taking pictures, Jeff’s mastery lies not only in seeing what others can’t, but also in capturing images that reflect and reveal who people really are.

With 24 years of experience as a portrait photographer, Jeff has become an industry maverick who delivers a luxurious portrait experience while creating epic visual storytelling.

Scott is the author of more than 20 books, including the novel Divine Animal, which was featured in the Bloom Book Club.

His two most recent titles, both published by IU Press, are Dancing in Dreamtime, a collection of eco-science fiction stories, and Stone Country: Then & Now, co-authored with photographer Jeffrey Wolin.

Lee Ann Sandweiss is a freelance writer whose work appeared in Bloom’s first issue and subsequently for nine years. 

Formerly The Herald-Times Homes editor-writer, she returns to Bloom as writer of the shopping column Lee Loves and homes and lifestyle features. Lee is the co-author of the award-winning textbook Hoosiers and The American Story (Indiana Historical Society), with James H. Madison. 

Kristen is a veteran journalist and publications manager whose current day job involves writing about business trends and the future of work.

A New Hampshire native, she moved to Bloomington in 2018 and has since become a regular contributor to Bloom.

Carmen Siering has been writing for Bloom practically since she arrived in Bloomington in August 2010. Her first story was published in the December 2010/January 2011 issue.

She continued as a contributor until she was named managing editor in July 2015. Bloom is one of her true loves. The other is her husband, Greg. Carmen left her full-time position as executive editor at Bloom in November 2019 to pursue the ever-elusive work/life balance while continuing to contribute to the magazine as much as possible.

Greg is an academic administrator at Indiana University who has found writing for Bloom to be a humanizing opportunity to tell stories that aren’t accompanied by charts or datasets.

He is an avid but mediocre runner, a dogless dog lover, and a gardener who spends too much time trying to outwit Bloomington deer. He has lived in Bloomington with his wife, Carmen, since 2010.

Sarah is a professional portrait photographer who has called Bloomington home since 2003. She specializes in headshots and portraits, with a soft spot for visual and performing artists, creative entrepreneurs, and small business owners. In addition to photography, Sarah is also a musician, an arts and special events administrator, and somehow manages to still be a devoted wife and mother of two.

In her spare time (ha), Sarah enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, writing, traveling, meeting new people, and waxing philosophical over steaming cups of coffee.

Doug is a Bloomington-based journalist and author who as contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic Traveler, Foreign Policy, Politico, CNN.com, Salon.com, and the BBC and NPR radio networks.

His 10 books include his most recent, Hopeless but Optimistic: Journeying through American’s Endless War in Afghanistan (IU Press).