For a long time I wanted to write the story of Mikel Classen, Sault Ste. Marie’s most prolific and beloved writer, who grew up on a 350 acre farm outside of Lansing in a small town called Wacousta. His many books reflect his interest in “lost stories from the past” that take place in Northern Michigan. As a journalist, historian, photographer, and all-around adventurer, Mikel’s books—part fiction, part history—breathe life into a distant past. His Points North book is a travelogue for anyone who wants to explore the Upper Peninsula and seek out everything from ghost towns to tangled and forgotten campgrounds to spectacular waterfalls. Recently I contacted Mikel for an interview. He suggested I “borrow” whatever I wanted from his website, https://mikelbclassen.com which is what I did. It’s a great site to learn about his books and his travels and to see his amazing photography. Mikel will be at the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA) conference in Marquette on Saturday, June 4, 2022. The conference is open to anyone who wants to meet him and other authors and attend break-out sessions pertaining to various writing topics. Whether a novice or established writer, if you are not yet a member of UPPAA, for a nominal fee, you’re welcome to attend the conference.
If you’re unfamiliar with Mikel’s work, the next paragraphs will pique your interest and have you running to Island Books and Crafts in downtown Sault Ste. Marie for a copy of his books. Whichever one you choose, you won’t be disappointed. What follows is my interpretation of Mikel’s own words.
“I write because I have to. For me, writing is like breathing. For as long as I can remember, I’ve written. I was about six years old when I starting writing and charging five cents for a neighborhood newspaper. My parents had bought me a hand-stamp print set and I became a pioneer self-publisher. Fast forward a few years to when I was in the sixth grade and wrote some rip-off stories of the Hardy Boys. By this time, I was beginning to realize I had to charge more than a nickel if I wanted to make a profit, so I sold my stories to fellow classmates for the outlandish price of fifteen cents. Maybe I should admit my expenses for publication weren’t all that great as the secretary in the school office allowed me to run off copies on the mimeograph machine.
In junior high, I applied to the Famous Writer’s School. Some writers might be acquainted with that school. It was advertised on the back of matchbooks. I figured it was legit because it boasted Rod Serling had something to do with it. With a certain amount of gusto and a great deal of anticipation, I sent in my application. When a salesman showed up at our front door, my bewildered parents—clueless as to what I had done—remained calm and politely invited the man in and listened to his spiel before giving their response: A resounding ‘NO!’ That ended my foray into matchbook writing schools.
At 28, I lost my dead-end job as a factor worker when the economy landed in the crapper and the factory I worked for went bankrupt. I had no money and no home, but I did have the stories I’d written over the years. I tucked them in my backpack and hitch-hiked north. I figured I could survive in the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula by picking berries and catching fish which was a lot more appetizing than scrounging through the trash cans of Lansing. I ended up in Marquette. It didn’t take long to realize foraging and fishing were great during summer—all I had to contend with were mosquitoes and wildlife—but a U.P. winter demanded more than the abandoned shack at the railroad yard I called home.
Through a chance meeting with a guy in a park, I heard about a federal program that would pay me a minimum wage to attend college. The dude who told me about this opportunity was a character who walked around with a six-pack of beer through his belt. I wasn’t sure how reliable he was, but he offered me a beer and told me I could crash in his closet until I found a place of my own. I cleaned up as best I could and was accepted into the program. Although I loved to write, I decided to major in electronics and computer science. Don’t ask me why. At the time, it seemed the right thing to do. As a freshman, an English 100 Composition course was mandatory. On the first day of class, John Watanen, the instructor, wrote some intriguing quotes on the blackboard from John D. MacDonald and Frank Zappa. I immediately knew Watanen had a different approach to writing. As our first assignment, we were expected to write about something traumatic. This topic suited me perfectly.
I wrote that I had been out in the woods and for the first time I saw the clear-cutting of a forest. The machines cut everything and left nothing but upturned stumps. The feller running the brushing machine clipped the trees off as if they were nothing. I was horrified. I felt I could hear their scrams. The wheels of the machine ran over the saplings and killed all of the ‘children.’ I wrote a piece called ‘Genocide.’ When I handed it in, I kind of cringed and when Watanen called me into his office, I knew I was in trouble. I still remember his words as he looked at me. ‘Why are you majoring in electronics? Switch to English. You need to be a writer. You ARE a writer.’
Those were the words I had been waiting to hear my entire life. Writer? You bet. That’s what I am, and I hope you enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy writing them.”
As a prolific writer for over 35 years, some of Mikel’s books include True Tales: The Forgotten History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Lake Superior Tales, and Points North. Contact him via his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mikel.classen or his website at https://mikelbclassen.com/ for a complete list of his books and information on where he will be selling them along with the UPPAA publication, the U. P. Reader. Mikel will be giving a presentation on promoting U. P. History and Historical Restoration at Bayliss Public Library in Sault Ste. Marie on Friday, June 10.
Note: Click on image to enlarge photo
- Mike Lynn Says Farewell to Lynn Auto Parts, Inc. - November 25, 2022
- Sharon Kennedy:The Hay Fields of Tony Jarvie - August 11, 2022
- Christmas in July: Girls Just Making a Livin’ by Sharon Kennedy - July 12, 2022
