15 Years of The Walleye
Celebrating 15 Contributors
In July of 2010, the very first issue of The Walleye hit the stands and, amazingly, was instantaneously embraced by the community—prompting the OG team to keep the momentum going by getting back to the drawing board to put another issue together. Since that first issue, The Walleye has published nearly 200 issues shining a light on all the remarkable people who make Thunder Bay a special place to live. In honour of this milestone anniversary, we’re turning the spotlight on 15 longtime contributors whose voices, passion, and creativity have played an integral role in shaping the magazine. The Walleye wouldn’t be the same without you!
Leah Morningstar
Photo by Meghan Arpin
Leah Morningstar has been contributing to The Walleye since 2018 and currently writes about awesome folks with awesome tattoos in her column Tattooed You. Leah’s column wasn’t always tattoo-focused, however. Her contributions to The Walleye have been through a few transformations over the years, but talking to artists—painters, potters, musicians, chefs, drag queens, tattoo artists, and creators of all kinds—has always been a constant.
“My favourite adventure so far would have to be my ‘official’ trip to the tattoo parlour. I took Rodney Brown, a Thunder Bay legend, to get his very first tattoo to mark his 70th birthday. He got the sweetest sleeping giant/guitar design from Mr. Kristi Tattoo,” she says. “I documented the experience for Tattooed You in the November 2024 issue—check it out if you haven’t seen it! All my stories are important and fun, but this experience was definitely a career highlight, as well as a life highlight.”
“I’ve loved getting to know so many interesting people over the years, including other Walleye contributors, as well as the staff and owners.,” Leah says. “Major gratitude goes out to Adrian Lysenko, editor extraordinaire, for giving me a chance and inviting me to the editorial meetings all those years ago.”
Miranda van den Berg
Miranda van den Berg started contributing about 15 years ago, assisting in advertisement design and page layout, and has been contributing regularly ever since. “I’m fortunate to have worked alongside this incredible team and publication all these years,” she says. “And I’ve come across things I never would have without contributing to The Walleye.”
Miranda’s favourite contribution over the years was the August 2024 issue, where she had the opportunity to lay out the entire publication from proof to print. “It was a great challenge in my professional career,” she says. “Plus it was a super fun issue to work on—everything camping, hiking and provincial parks.”
Jimmy Wiggins
For over a decade, Jimmy Wiggins has been a dedicated contributor to The Walleye, capturing the pulse of Thunder Bay’s music and drag scenes. Through his long-running music column, TBShows: On The Scene, he’s profiled countless local bands and musicians, giving readers an insider’s look at the city’s thriving soundscape. His drag column, Confessions of a Drag Dealer, has shone a light on the performers, politics, and power of drag—offering insightful perspectives on why it’s more than just entertainment; it’s art, activism, and community.
Jimmy’s favourite story from his many years of contributing is Story Time with Drag Queens (Rated G), from the January 2023 issue.
Pat Forrest
Pat Forrest has been contributing to various departments of The Walleye since the early years of the magazine.
“The stories that involved me sampling some of our great local food certainly stand out,” Pat says. “But the story I got the most feedback about (all positive) was Always Looking at the Earth about Noel Keag of Stone Circle Pottery. “
“Noel’s very talented but yet so humble and down to earth, and that seemed to come across to people in the story. She’s also very authentic in her work and in the way she lives her life,” Pat says. “And she even inspired me to try my hand at pottery, enabling me to gift family and friends with some one-of-a-kind Christmas ornaments.”
Amy Jones
Amy Jones has been working with The Walleye since the first issue. She has done everything from editing and writing to compiling events listings and even taking a few photos here and there (they were very bad!). Right now, Amy is a copy editor, and she loves getting the chance to read every story every month. “It helps me stay connected to the community I love even when I’m far away.”
“I wrote a lot of articles over the years, and it’s hard to choose a favourite, but a real highlight was getting to do The Bucket List, where I’d try out something new every month. I trained with a dragon boat team, went to a dance class, rode every ride at the CLE (and did not barf), but my absolute favourite was getting to join The Greenbank Trio onstage at The Foundry to sing backup on their song ‘Trobridge,’ which I wrote about in the November 2013 issue.”
Bonnie Schiedel
When Bonnie Schiedel moved to Thunder Bay with her young family in early 2011, she discovered that The Walleye was a great way for them all to get to know the city. By the end of 2011 she was writing Walleye articles, and since then she’s contributed 150-plus profiles and reviews. As well, she currently writes the cover story intro page and the A Thousand Words photography feature each month. In 2018, she joined the team as a copy editor, checking each issue to make sure that the spelling and formatting is correct before it goes to print.
“Getting together over pizza and beer to plan the next issue at our monthly editorial meetings is one of my favourite things about The Walleye,” she says. “While it’s hard to pick a most memorable article, interviewing Paul Shaffer for the November 2020 cover story was a definite highlight.”
Michael Sobota
It was local writer Michael Christie (now living and raising his family on the west coast of British Columbia) who referred Michael Sobota to Michelle McChristie (co-founder of The Walleye) as someone who might write a column about movies. Michelle contacted Michael and he joined The Walleye family at about the third issue—making him an elder scribe.
Michael writes a monthly column about movies, usually but not always curated to fit that issue’s theme. He watches (or rewatches) hundreds of movies every year, some of these he says he is lucky enough to experience at our local Cineplex, but most are culled from his personal DVD collection. “Do I have a favourite movie, out of those thousands? Yes: To Kill A Mockingbird [1962] based on the novel by Harper Lee. My favourite Canadian movie is Laurence, Anyways [2012] by Xavier Dolan. My favourite British movie is Gods Own Country [2017] by Francis Lee. This list could go on for pages, so I’ll stop there.”
Michael also profiles local artists. “These have been joyous, fully rewarding assignments, so I will mention three here,” he says. “I got to interview Michael Christie when his second novel came out, Greenwood. I got to interview Joe Fiorito for the November 2023 issue when he launched his most recent collection of poetry, Quicker Than The Eye. And I had the incredible privilege of interviewing Jean E. Pendziwol for the December 2024 issue after she won The Governor General Award for her picture book Skating Wild On An Inland Sea.”
Kat Lyzun
Kat Lyzun has been writing for The Walleye since 2011. From the first time she picked up a copy of the magazine, she knew she wanted to be a part of it. Over the years, Kat has written about music, food, art, travel, festivals and community ingenuity, which is probably her favourite subject. Kat loves talking with people who are passionate about their work, and she’s consistently amazed by the talent in this city.
One of her favourite issues to work on was Flying Wild: Our Bushplane Heritage in May 2018, as local aviation history holds a special place in her family’s heart. “My dad would have been proud.”
boy Roland
boy Roland started contributing to The Walleye in late 2015, conjuring up an illustration for the very first edition of The Beat. What began as a one-time experiment quickly grew into a long-running creative ritual. Each month brings a new spell to cast, drawing inspiration from the voices of local poets, authors, and musicians. Whether it’s the thrill of discovering a new writer or the quiet joy of reuniting with a familiar one, every collaboration offers a fresh challenge and a chance to make something that lingers.
One of his favourite pieces, Winter Warmth, appeared in the January 2024 issue, inspired by Elizabeth Pszczolko’s “Winter Poem.” A quiet little spark in the middle of a long cold streak.
Outside the pages of The Walleye, boy Roland is a tattooer, muralist, and collector of oddities. His work blends bold colour, dreamy surrealism, and a deep love of community and creative weirdos.
Kelsey Raynard
Kelsey has been writing for The Walleye since 2021, with more than 150 publications under her belt. You can find her writing the monthly Top Five, Stuff We Like, and Second Chances columns, while also regularly contributing to cover stories and album reviews. “I love the wide range of stories I’ve had the opportunity to write, from silly ideas like ‘Stuff We Like for Sitting Around,’ to creative showcases of local thrifters and meaningful profiles on Indigenous Woodland artists,” she says. “I am always so proud to tell people I write for The Walleye, and am thankful for all the wonderful people I’ve crossed paths with since working here.”
Tiffany Jarva
Tiffany Jarva has been a part of our team since the beginning days as the founding editor, who not only named the magazine and helped shape its content, but also knocked on doors to help introduce the magazine to the arts and culture community. “Over the past 15 years, it’s been an honour to connect and share moments with so many talented people in the region, from writing cover stories profiling local artists like Rodney Brown and Flamenco Caravan, to sitting in the living room of the founders of Sleeping Giant Brewery, taste-testing early recipes.”
“I have always loved photo essays, so my favourite pieces have been featured in the Neighbourhood Profile series with editor Rebekah Skochinski and photographer Marlene Wandel and Wall Space with local photographers like Kay Lee and Jack Barten, especially when Jack and I went to a local falconer’s home, meeting and greeting the bald eagle Maverick--helping me to address my ridiculous fear of birds.”
Steve Coghill
Steve Coghill has been The Walleye’s lead designer since 2013 and is the creative force behind the magazine’s design. Seventeen years ago, he moved to Thunder Bay from Waterloo with his wife, who was getting a teaching degree—their plan was to stay for a year, but they quickly fell in love with the city. A registered graphic designer, Steve works full-time at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. He’s also an avid mountain biker and snowboarder who enjoys camping and hiking with his wife and two sons.
Lois Nuttal
Lois has been shooting photo assignments for The Walleye since November of 2022. The Nick Sherman concert at the Da Vinci Centre was her first, and she has loved the various challenges the assignments present in capturing creative images of local talents, events, and fabulous culinary creations.
One of her favourite photo challenges was in November of 2023 while photographing Ron Kanutski on his motorbike by Westfort’s Wayland Hotel for the Eye to Eye feature. “Although this musician/comedian/counsellor/teacher sometimes appears large and loud like a rocker, another side is soft, funny and friendly like a teddy bear,” she says. “Only in Thunder Bay!”
Susan Pretty
Susan Pretty on assignment at Half Stacks in July of 2021 with her son, Ben
Susan Pretty had the pleasure of working with Michelle McChristie (co-founder of The Walleye) during their day jobs. She would always read The Walleye in the lunchroom, and when Michelle realized Susan’s passion for food reviews, she gave Susan the opportunity to participate in a cover story. Her assignment was to visit Kabab Village and try their coffee and pastry.
Since then, 12 years have passed. “It has been an honour to witness so many restaurant owners achieve their dreams,” Susan says. “Choosing a favourite restaurant would be far too difficult. I love seeing restaurateurs grow and try new things. I’m always on the lookout for new places to try so I can share that information with The Walleye readers. As long as you’re reading, I’ll be reviewing!”
Gord Ellis
Gord Ellis has been writing for The Walleye for about 14 of its 15 years. His column started when a previous editor heard him doing a music series for the afternoon show at CBC Thunder Bay and reached out. Gord named the column Burnin’ to the Sky after a lyric of a Bob Dylan blues-rocker called “Till I fell in Love With you.” Writing the column created a direct line to his earliest writing gig as a musical columnist for the Hillcrest High School newspaper and, a few years later, the Lakehead University The Argus.
“I’ve loved writing about all kinds of music, hopefully with the insight of someone who also plays in bands. The best thing about writing the column is meeting readers who thank me for profiling their favourite artists or musical genres,” Gord says. “I’ve even received a few very nice letters. It is also funny when people ask me why I'm writing about music and not fishing for a magazine called The Walleye!”