Erica McMillan and her team at Marquette Magazine are bringing a new voice to the community. / Courtesy of Marquette Magazine
A new online publication in the Upper Peninsula hopes to offer an alternative and citizen-centered voice. Marquette Magazine provides everyday people an opportunity to question or comment upon local, regional and national happenings.
Married couple Ronen Caspi and Erica McMillan moved from Honolulu, Hawaii to the Upper Peninsula and sought a way to pursue their creative and community-minded interests. In Hawaii, Caspi was a photojournalist for the Associated Press and the two were connected to the arts community there.
When they decided to move to the Upper Peninsula--a return to McMillan's roots--they thought an online publication would be a great way to highlight their artistic abilities but also provide a forum for people to discuss the events or topics that interest, bother or inspire them.
"Our first purpose is to serve the community by supplying information on cultural, social, educational and sports activities," Caspi says. "This is an opportunity to talk about things we need to talk about and to give people a platform to make sure that their ideas are heard."
As Caspi and McMillan sought a name for this project, they were shocked that Marquette Magazine was available. Considering it a "sign" that they had to pursue this endeavor, they purchased the website name in November 2013 and began designing and posting content in December. Now, as they seek to grow their contributing team, they are posting material about once a week.
Ultimately, the two hope the publication will evolve into whatever the Marquette and regional community wants or needs it to be. Focusing on the term "citizen-centered," they hope local residents see Marquette Magazine as a forum to challenge and question what is happening in the government and institutions around them.
"As we create, we are continually defining and refining our goals," McMillan says. "This publication belongs to the community and to people who have something to say. We want people to be involved in everyday politics and engaged within the community."
For instance, Caspi says many people aren't aware of some of the practices in which local energy and water companies participate, and he hopes Marquette Magazine's content encourages people to address whether the institutions around them are creating a quality of life they agree with. The publication, he says, is uncensored and not controlled by media conglomerates that do not adequately address people's needs. This is possible because of opportunities provided by the Internet, Caspi says.
"Everyday people can be the media," he says. "David fights Goliath with the Internet. We want to empower others to ask questions about what's happening around them. For individuals to steer the ship instead of the media."
The couple plans to keep the magazine's content free and accessible, and with Caspi's photojournalism background, the Internet is a perfect showcase for his skills to lend themselves to the publication's goals, including attracting people to the area. McMillan says as people learn about these alternative aspects to the Marquette community--like information about sustainability and political action-- more people will be interested in visiting.
"We want to encourage tourism based on what's good here. Since I've returned to the Upper Peninsula, after 20 or more years, there are a lot of changes for the positive," McMillan says.
That's what McMillan and Caspi hope to show in Marquette Magazine. As the two learn more about online marketing and magazine techniques, they look forward to featuring local voices and seeing which direction the community takes this online publication.
"We're just at the beginning of our journey with Marquette Magazine and still finding our voice," McMillan says.
Lucy Hough is a freelance writer in the Upper Peninsula. She is also earning a master's degree in English from Northern Michigan University.
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