From the Editor: See you down the road

Every now and then, a moment calls for a different voice. This month is one of those times. As Kris Manty steps away as a monthly contributor, I wanted to make space for someone who has worked with her for nearly three decades. Retired editorial director Paul Kennedy’s history with Kris runs deep, and what follows is his tribute to one of his favorite colleagues, and one of ours. KJ

Retired editorial director Paul Kennedy worked with Kris Manty since 1997, starting in the book publishing business and then at this magazine. He shares his thoughts on one of his favorite colleagues:

So, what do you want to know about Kris Manty? I’ve worked with her for almost thirty years. You learn a lot about a person in three decades, but to save you time, there are only two things you really need to know about Kris. First, she is one of the most versatile writers and editors I have ever worked with. Second, she is nice.

You get paid for the former. You live a life by the latter.

If you boil it all down like so much maple syrup in spring, life is simple. You can be a jerk, or you can be nice. That’s it. Those are the options. The rest is so much yada, yada, yada. If you think being nice is not a big deal, you are wrong.

Nice is Kris’s superpower.

When you’re as nice as she is, you can get away with murder, although I don’t ever remember her trying to get away with anything that diabolical. Which is why I often thought she could—get away with murder, that is. No one would ever suspect her. As a matter of fact, if Kris someday confessed to me on my deathbed that she was indeed a contract killer, I wouldn’t be shocked. Her Yooper niceness is the perfect cover.

And yes, Kris is first and foremost a Yooper.

Kris was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where residents are affectionately known as Yoopers. She grew up in Ishpeming, specifically in an area known as Green Creek (pronounced “crick,” of course). If you are geographically challenged, just know this: the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is vast, beautiful, and way, way, WAY up north.

Bordered on three sides by the Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, and Huron), the U.P. includes a national lakeshore, two national forests, and thousands of inland lakes and rivers. At more than 16,000 square miles, it’s almost twice as big as New Hampshire with about a fifth of the population. The U.P.’s 300,000 residents are spread out in a mess of small towns separated by miles of woods and wildlife. It’s a different world, the U.P., a place where people remind loved ones to “drive safe, and if you hit a deer make sure it’s a big one.”

And the winters—holy schnikes!—the U.P. endures winters where snowfall has been known to come in both September and May. Ishpeming, Kris’ hometown, gets about 200 inches of snow a year. That’s why a Yooper newborn doesn’t get something as useless as a stuffed animal, a rattle, or a keepsake blanket at birth. Nope, propped in the crib next to that little bundle of joy, you’ll spot a baby’s first snow shovel. In the U.P., it’s never too early to learn the fine art of snow removal.

Why is all this important? Because this nature, and space, and winter shapes a person. Or misshapes them. In Kris’s case, it shaped her in the most interesting way.

Kris is quietly quirky and sneakily funny. Among other things, she loves horror movies, ‘80s new wave music, Seinfeld, dogs that are so goofy-looking they are beautiful, Victorian fashion, and giggling. Laughter is her second language. I think because the U.P. is so cold, Yoopers need to find a way to fend off hypothermia. Most turn to saunas. Kris turned to laughter. Hers is indeed warm, full-bodied, and infectious. Her laughter is so profoundly wonderful that it should be recorded for posterity’s sake, just in case the world loses its sense of humor and needs a reminder of what it’s missing.
In brief, that’s the Kris I’ve come to know over the past thirty years. She’s been a joy to read and a joy to work with.

And she’s really, really nice. But if she turns out to be a contract killer … well … I tried to warn you. - PK