ASCENT Magazine

Photo by OHventures

I am honored to have been featured in both the print and online editions of the Ohio State University College of Arts & Sciences Newsletter: ASCENT, for Spring 2012. This is my first glossy magazine article I have appeared in and it is a huge honor (especially to be in the same magazine as RL Stine)! Photos appear in the print edition from my OHventures ziplining in Lebanon and meeting an elephant in Cincinnati. You can read the online edition by visiting the ASCENT website, or reading below!

From the intense outdoor adventure seekers to the self-proclaimed breakfast foodies, Arts and Sciences alumni Nicholas Dekker and Michael Evans are using social media to celebrate and explore the unexpected pleasures of Ohio with their blogs: Breakfast with Nick, and OHventures.

For Nicholas Dekker, breakfast isn’t just the the most important meal of the day, it’s also the most delicious. With hundreds of local restaurants and diners each serving up their own unique breakfast style, Dekker has discovered that Columbus is the perfect place for the breakfast connoisseur. “Breakfast can be solidly traditional or endlessly innovative. It features a wide range of foods: sweet and savory, light and heavy, fruits and meats, dairy and starches, vegetables and proteins.”

Inspired by his passion for breakfast food and love of Columbus, Dekker, a lecturer in the Department of Theatre, began Breakfast with Nick after completing graduate school at Ohio State in June 2007. “Most people are unaware that Columbus has a fascinating breakfast and brunch scene. This city has so much to offer and I want people to go out and experience these unique local places for themselves.”

The thriving success of Dekker’s blog ultimately led to his book, Breakfast with Nick: Columbus, which serves as a guide to the coffee shops, donut shops, and restaurants serving up tasty breakfast fare in Columbus. Dekker’s food blog and book have garnered him local attention from the Columbus Dispatch, Writers Talk, Columbus Alive, Columbus Crave, Good Day Columbus, WCBE Foodcast, and The Lantern. Recently, he was featured as one of Columbus Business First’s “Forty Under 40” honorees.

Fellow alumnus and adventure seeker, Michael Evans, is the voice behind the increasingly popular outdoors blog, OHventures. Evans created the blog to showcase the lesser-known outdoor activities that can be enjoyed throughout the Buckeye State. He uses video and images to capture his adventures to the less explored areas of Ohio. Evans said, “I love the outdoors and I wanted to inspire others to explore Ohio. You don’t have to go to California or Colorado to go hiking or parasailing; you can actually do that right here.”

Evans has been to cities like Akron, Canton, Toledo, Chillicothe, Youngstown, Columbus, Zanesville, and countless others. He’s written about Ohio landmarks like the Statehouse, the Harding Memorial, and the Mansfield Reformatory; as well as staple events such as Warrior Dash, Pelotonia, and the Ohio State Fair.

He said, “My blog isn’t always about me. I have a series, Featured OHventurer, that introduces readers to awesome Ohioans like Columbus Blue Jackets player Derek Dorsett, Zanesville anchorwoman Kelly Mills, and Ohio State Marching Band drummer-turned-actor Drew Thompson.”

For the past two years, OHventures has seen a significant increase in readership and followers. Evans partners with the Ohio Division of Tourisms blog, Discovering Ohio, as a guest blogger. He’s currently blogging about his training for the Capital City Half-Marathon in Columbus, Ohio, where he’ll be featured as a celebrity runner.

Evans has been interviewed by Columbus Alive and Writers Talk. Currently, he plans to transform his blog into a book, like fellow blogger, Dekker.