Anna Clark

@annaleighclark

@Propublica.org journalist in Detroit, exploring Michigan and the Midwest Author: "The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and the American Urban Tragedy” Teacher: Alma College MFA program in creative writing www.annaclark.net

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Anna Clark@annaleighclark· 9d

News item from the City of Flint:

Screenshot from an emailed press release from the city of Flint. It reads:

"City of Flint Completes Historic Lead Service Line Replacement Effort

"FLINT, Mich. — The City of Flint has completed the replacement of the final active lead service line identified through a federal settlement agreement marking the successful completion of one of the largest infrastructure projects in the city's history.

"With the completion of this final replacement, there are no active lead service lines remaining in the City of Flint."

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· 13d

FWIW: the significance of this bridge can't be overestimated. It's the only vehicular border crossing for hundreds of miles in either direction.

Map of Michigan highlighting the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge in the northern Upper Peninsula, and the handful of other bridge and tunnel crossings to Canada, far in the southeast of the state.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· 19d

The bridge in question! Wowza.

Screenshot of an x post by Corinne Perkins featuring a majestic photo of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, looking straight down the corridor into the horizon at 'golden hour.'

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· 19d

In contrast to today's Canada-only ceremony, the bridge broke ground during Trump's first term, with his U.S. ambassador to Canada lifting a ceremonial shovel.

Screenshot of article that reads: "Shortly after a meeting in 2017, the man who styled himself as 'the builder president' issued a joint statement with Canada’s then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau celebrating their shared focus on infrastructure. 'In particular,' they said, 'we look forward to the expeditious completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will serve as a vital economic link between our two countries.'

"A list of 50 priority projects for emergency and national security, developed as Trump embarked on his first term in office, included the toll bridge. When the company that owns the Ambassador Bridge aired a commercial aimed at Trump in 2018, in hopes that he’d torpedo the project competing with it for tolls, the president didn’t act. His Canadian ambassador lifted a ceremonial shovel at the groundbreaking.

"And in 2019, Trump signed the spending bill that allotted the first U.S. funding for the project: $15 million for inspection and screening systems. (Canada paid for the bridge project in full. The tolls will go toward recouping that investment.)"

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· 29d

Let's talk about how to talk to people. Interviewing people who have a meaningful vantage on the story you're writing brings potency, power, and revelation to your work. This'll be a fun one. Virtual. Via @shipmanagency.bsky.social. Join us! www.theshipmanagency.com/classes/craf...

Screenshot for an upcoming craft seminar: "The Art of the Interview," with Anna Clark. It is one session (virtual), Sunday, July 26, 2:30-4pm ET, and it costs $95

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Jun 1

This June marks three years of a lively monthly meet-up for journalists, writers, and other storytellers at Northern Lights in Detroit. Turns out, a lot of us are looking for casual, ongoing ways of connecting with in-person community.

Screenshot of the colorful sign of the "Northern Lights Lounge."

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· May 5

Guys. GUYS. Check out @propublica.org's amazing new look. www.propublica.org

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Apr 8

I love my job. I believe in ProPublica's mission. I have so much work to do today on a story that should publish soon. But today, I'm on strike with my colleagues at the @propublicaguild.org. Hoping we get over the finish line SOON on our very first contract -- and a fair one.

Selfie of Anna in front of a window, wearing a ProPublica Guild T-shirt.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Feb 27

College students in Michigan who are into journalism: We want to give you $$$. Apply for the SPJ-Detroit scholarship! Know someone who is a great fit for this? Let them know! We want to boost up the next generation of journalists. spjdetroit.org/college-jour...

College Journalism Students, Apply Now for SPJ Detroit Scholarships 2026

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Feb 25

There’s the story of the lightning strike. And then, there’s what happens after. A letter from Auntie Anna: www.spotfund.com/story/add00e...

Collage of photos featuring Path Appleton. One shows her pre-stroke, smiling, arms up in cheering position. One shows her in the hospital, I a coma, on a ventilator, with many tubes and wires connected to her. One shows her on her 17th birthday, wearing a party hat, in her bed at home, with friends around her. One shows her in her wheelchair, leaning right, looking straight at the camera.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Dec 15

Remarkable reporting and writing. By @annamaria.bsky.social + Brett Murphy / @propublica.org

"This summer, ProPublica journalists hiked and boated across Rubkona County, the epicenter of South Sudan’s outbreak and home to the country’s largest refugee camp, to interview families that the U.S. cut off from help. We collected medical files, diaries, meeting notes and photographs documenting cholera’s devastation after essential services stopped.

"ProPublica also interviewed more than 100 government and aid officials and reviewed enormous caches of previously unreported memos, correspondence and other documents from inside the Trump administration. Many were granted anonymity due to fears of reprisal."

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Dec 7

What I love about @gingerthompson.bsky.social’s project is that it shows the power of a journalist’s curiosity and sincere search for truth, beyond expected narratives. Immersing in a story, and changing as you discover more information, more history, more nuance. There’s no substitute for this.

“I was among the throng of journalists who rushed to report about what was happening on Albany. I thought, at first, that it was a compelling place to tell a story about a small town facing a mammoth crisis: David versus Goliath. I interviewed intensive care doctors and emergency room nurses who would call to update me on conditions at the hospital at the end of their shifts. I monitored livestreams of city council meetings and church services. I gathered data about the identities and comorbidities of people who were dying of COVID-19. As I watched the pandemic unfold, I realized I was chasing the wrong story.”

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Dec 6

Closing out the semester at Alma College's low-res MFA program in creative writing, and I have to say ... This shit WORKS. Getting to teach students who dig deep, work hard and dream big is an honor. And seeing, over time, as their writing deepens does my soul good.

Photo of eight of the faculty members in the Alma College MFA creative writing program, along with director Sophfronia Scott, seated on a corner bench at the Ballyhoo bookstore + cafe in Alma, Michigan

Photo of a large group of students and faculty in the Alma College MFA creative writing program at the Ballyhoo bookstore + cafe in Alma, Michigan

Photo of four students and two faculty in a creative nonfiction workshop at Alma College's MFA program in creative writing.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Nov 21

To the point: Here's a 1933 @detroitnews.com feature on Kahlo when she and Rivera were living in city as he painted the epic mural in the Detroit Institute of Arts

Screenshot of article headlined "Wife of the Master Mural Painter Gleefully Dabbles in Works of Art," accompanied by a photo of Frida Kahlo painting a self-portrait.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Nov 17

It began with a $4,500 coffeemaker. But it sure didn't end there. I can't wait to moderate this virtual conversation with Beth LeBlanc + @chadlivengood.bsky.social on their investigative series into a $20 million earmark, revealing reckless spending, corruption and loose oversight in government.

SPJ Detroit presents a virtual conversation with Beth LeBlanc and Chad Livengood on their project exposing government wrongdoing that is the subject of a criminal investigation. Join us on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. ET.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Oct 15

Screenshot of text of editorial of the Indiana Daily Student describing a 158-year history of editorial independence, a principle enshrined in its charter and decades of court precedent, which, it says, was the foundation of its respected journalism program. It says the administration that fired a staff member for not following a directive to make students stop printing news is in defiance of all this.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Oct 13

A surprising sight in St. Clair County, Michigan: A man waving Fixodent denture cream before the county commissioners at an August meeting. “I am an unfluoridated child,” he declared, “with a set of uppers and lowers.”

Man with wire-frame glasses, blue overalls, and a gray zip-up hoodie waves a tube of denture cream before the dais of the county commissioners at an August meeting in St. Clair County, Michigan.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Sep 18

... and an image of the 32-foot sculpture in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that celebrates its history as the first city to add fluoride to its drinking water.

Image from story, with this caption: "Steel Water," a sculpture by Cyril Lixenberg, was erected in 2007 in Grand Rapids to celebrate the community's role in advancing water fluoridation.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Sep 18

Bonus features: Curious artifacts from the history of fluoridation, including a short public service film from 1952 ...

Image of embedded video, with a caption: A 1952 short film on fluoridation, presented by the Division of Dental Public Health, cites Grand Rapids, Michigan, for its reduction in tooth decay.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Aug 26

There’s always a local angle. #journalism

Headline for Detroit Free Press story: “Tight end for Detroit Lions’ Week 6 opponent engaged to Taylor Swift.”

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Jul 6

SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN: Join us this week at Book Suey in Hamtramck, where we'll dive into SUBMERSED: Wonder, Obsession and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines, by Matthew Gavin Frank. It's a most remarkable book, by an extraordinary writer. Let's go!

Promo image for an event for the book SUBMERSED: WONDER, OBSESSION AND MURDER IN THE WORLD OF AMATEUR SUBMARINES, by Matthew Gavin Frank. Frank will be in conversation with Anna Clark at Book Suey, 10345 Joseph Campau Avenue, Hamtramck, MI. Event is FREE and open to all. Come join us!

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Jul 2

A letter dated April 29, 2025, notifying Michigan State University about the termination of a grant for research into PFAS, one day after the EPA said in a press release that it was committed to combating PFAS contamination by, in part, “strengthening the science.”

“This EPA Assistance Agreement is terminated in its entirety effective immediately on the grounds that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.”

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Jun 10

For @thenation.com's 160th (!!) anniversary, it gathered 50 dispatches from 50 states. There's Lauren Groff on Florida. Chris Ware on Illinois. Kaveh Akbar on Iowa. Judy Chicago on New Mexico. Rick Steves on Washington. I'm delighted to write from Michigan: www.thenation.com/article/soci...

Screenshot of the graphic, title, byline and first three paragraphs of the Michigan dispatch in the Nation series: "How Water Divides Us," by Anna Clark. The first three grafs read as follows:

"In times of groundlessness, I come back to the water. In Michigan, it can’t be helped.

"My native state is split across two peninsulas stitched together by a five-mile-long suspension bridge and bordered by four of the largest lakes in the world. I’m the type that boasts to oceanside friends of the majesty of the Great Lakes: their frigid depths; their thousands of miles of shoreline; their store of nearly all the fresh water in the United States. Poured over the lower 48 states, it would settle at a depth of more than nine feet. Even well beyond this inland coast, Michigan’s abundance of lakes, streams, and rivers means you’re never more than six miles from a natural body of water.

"So goes my Middle West patriotism. It’s a common sort, across all corners of this swingiest of states. But water is revelatory. It forces us to be honest. And the truth is, our water is a weapon as much as it is our shared wealth."

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Jun 8

Our shared earth is rich with stories. In this generative workshop, we’ll explore ways to chronicle it: personal testimony; poetic attention; asking the largest questions of climate change and environmental justice and much more.

Promo image for "Environmental Writing: Narrating the Natural World," a workshop led by Anna Clark at Next Chapter Books in Detroit, June 28, 2-3:30pm. Details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/environmental-writing-narrating-the-natural-world-tickets-1263554969929?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwY2xjawKoItNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFjNWNxcXB0UVE1Tk14TDA5AR7RAna4uirkbA8Uj_X6ZUC7cEpLRt3PblzbRii6YUDJSiNhj_13_ELr9LRXSg_aem_SEaYGCZlH3O0DXo3CAOY4g

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· May 8

I’m reporting on the Great Lakes, drinking water, infrastructure, and US/Canada dynamics. And I’m interested in accountability stories of all kinds with Michigan roots and national resonance. Do you have a news tip? Issue expertise? I’d love to hear from you! My Signal:

QR code for Signal chat with annaleighclark.14

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Apr 22

She's an artist, a reader, a lover of music. She's brave. Hugely compassionate. Before the year took a terrifying turn, she discovered a love for rugby. She got her license and her first job. She's super proud of being Scottish-American. She's just an awesome person, and proving it more every day.

Picture of 6-year-old path being lifted up by her grandpa to reach a cluster of balloons that floated to the top of a living room ceiling.

Picture of Path last spring with Auntie Anna, both smiling at the Roman Forum in Italy. Path is holding her sketchbook.

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Apr 17

SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN: Come spend a springtime Sunday with me in a cheerful bookstore, as we explore writing and the natural world. Bring a friend or family member, and get a discount! I thought this would be a fun Mother’s Day gift. Details (scroll down): www.detroitwritingroom.com/events

Colorful card for an upcoming generative writing workshop — Environmental Writing: Narrating the Natural World, taught by Anna Clark, journalist and author, hosted by Next Chapter Books and the Detroit Writing Room. It will be Sunday, May 18, 2-3:30pm.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/environmental-writing-narrating-the-natural-world-tickets-1263554969929?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Apr 2

Monitoring updates at the CBC www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

Screenshot of CBC post that quotes the president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business: “I can’t believe the whole world is trying to learn where their economies are headed by straining to see a stupid chart held by the president.”

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Mar 31

The rule faced a legal challenge. Today, there's an update: A judge in the Eastern District of Texas ruled against the FDA, and in favor of the American Clinical Laboratory Association and others. The rule is vacated and set aside. He didn't describe his reasoning.

Screenshot from ruling: "3. The Court VACATES and SETS ASIDE, in its entirety, the FDA’s Final Rule titled Medical Devices; Laboratory Developed Tests, 89 Fed. Reg. 37,286 (May 6, 2024) (to be codified at 21 C.F.R. § 809). The Court remands this matter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for further consideration.
4. The Court DENIES all other requested relief. Any pending motions are
DENIED as MOOT"

Anna Clark@annaleighclark· Mar 22

We’ll be at Next Chapter Books, which is one of my favorites. 💙