Tim Mulherin first visited the Grand Traverse region in 1986 and, like most everyone who comes to northern Michigan, was instantly smitten by it. He is a frequent contributor to the Glen Arbor Sun newspaper, and his writing has appeared in Traverse Magazine.

"This Magnetic North is a deep conversation about Northern Michigan and the ever-increasing pressure of climate change and migration coupled with the intensifying, almost tectonic force of tourism. This book is an odyssey to be savored and taken in. It is essential reading for anyone who claims to love Northern Michigan for its beauty." -Michael Delp, author of The Mad Angler: Poems and coeditor emeritus of the Made in Michigan Writers Series

"Tim Mulherin's journey through diverse and fascinating lived experiences in Michigan's Grand Traverse region reveals residents and aspirational residents in flux who still share a loving commitment to one of the Great Lakes' most magical landscapes. This Magnetic North offers visions for a place worth stewarding through the uncertain futures of economic inequality and climate change." -Lynne Heasley, author of The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great Lakes

"Tim Mulherin's book This Magnetic North offers a thoughtful, curious, and whimsical window into our up-north paradise, and how the pandemic, climate change, and our robust - some would say "too robust"-tourism marketing network has changed the human experience in the Leelanau and Grand Traverse region." -Jacob Wheeler, editor and publisher of the Glen Arbor Sun, and journalism instructor at Northwestern Michigan College

Publisher: Michigan State University Press

Pub date: 2025-06-01

Length: 260 pages