(201) Magazine
This magazine covers anything and everything related to the (201) area code in Bergen County, New Jersey, which sits just over the George Washington Bridge in the northern part of the state. My work for this publication has, so far, consisted of 11 published features, one of which was a cover article, plus the calendar of events every month from November 2008 through the middle of 2011. Note: Stories without links do not appear on the (201) Magazine website. For a copy, e-mail me at michele [at] wilsonjournalist.com.
2011
Rainbow Connection, (201) Magazine, September 2011
When Phoebe Steinfeld lost her father to cancer in 2009, she decided to wanted to do something to help other struggling families. So she created Color Me Cured to honor her dad’s go-getter spirit. To date, she’s created seven eco-friendly polishes with great names like Glimmer of Hope and Orange You Glad.
The Giving Spirit, (201) Magazine, March 2011
Organizations at home and abroad find Bergen County residents spending time and giving money toward work aimed at bettering women’s lives. Some travel to Guatemala to build schools. Others spend a day in a less well-off Bergen County town finishing a residence for teen mothers and their babies. No matter the project, the end-goal remains supporting women.
2010
Whisky Ambassador, (201) Magazine, October 2010
Compass Box, a 10-year-old London-based whisky distillery is breaking into Bergen County. Robin Robinson, its U.S. brand ambassador, explains why.
2009
The Ties that Bind, (201) Magazine, December 2009
Armenians in Bergen County, New Jersey, make up just one-half of one percent of the county’s population. But despite their small numbers, these people have made a large impact.
Sports Illustrator, (201) Magazine, August 2009
Charlie McGill has been drawing the “Athlete of the Week” cartoon for more than 50 years. To many Bergen County athletes, there’s no greater honor than having your face made into one of his illustrations. Luckily, McGill has no plans to stop drawing anytime soon.
A Person of Note, (201) Magazine, cover story, April 2009
Teaneck resident Raymond Chew is the musical director at New York’s famed Apollo Theater. In 2008-2009, he made waves when he took the reigns of the music for the Democratic National Convention and the Neighborhood Ball, where President and Mrs. Obama had their first dance as first couple.
Doing the Nature Walk: Local environmental groups step up their conservation efforts, (201) Magazine, March 2009
More Americans are greening their lives, seeing their role in the conservation movement through emerald-colored glasses for the first time. Bergen County, with its mounting levels of devotion to and enthusiasm about this issue, is right in the thick of the enviro-push.
No Flash in the Pan, (201) Magazine, January 2009
Thirty-year-old Erin Shambura, lunchtime sous chef at Mario Batali’s Lupa, has already worked at some of Manhattan’s hottest food spots: WD-50, The Mercer Kitchen, Del Posto. There’s no telling what this young chef will do next.
2008
The Adoption Option, (201) Magazine, December 2008
The holidays, typically the stuff of greeting cards, presents and celebration, can be a sad reminder for children living in foster care what’s missing from their lives. But in the holiday spirit, here are three happy stories—the tragedies-turned-fairytales—in which children find loving homes.
Man, On the Moon, (201) Magazine, September 2008
Meet Carter Emmart. This hippie-mad-scientist is the head of astrovisualization at the Hayden Planetarium at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History. Discover the aspirations of the guy who already controls the world with his mouse.
Bird-eye’s View: Birding Takes Flight in Bergen, (201) Magazine, July 2008
Located right along the Atlantic Flyway, northern New Jersey’s a great place to spot hundreds of bird species. Check out some of the best hotspots, and the people who care for them, including members of the Bergen County Audubon Society.