Our Members
A selection of Great Oak members have chosen to write up a short bio.
Adi Alicia Amy H Helen Jillian Katie Nancy Willie
Jillian
My partner Elph and I lived in the student co-ops in Ann Arbor for several years while we were in school at U of M, and a while later we rented rooms in a house in Sunward cohousing for three years. We decided we really liked cohousing, so when we heard about Great Oak being formed we jumped right in, in Feb 2001.
It was (and still is) quite a learning experience, to design and create a neighborhood and a community, together with the other 36 households!
We bought a 3-bedroom condo in Great Oak together with our friend Amy, moved in in Oct 2003, and the three of us share the joys, challenges, and expenses, of home ownership together.
I grew up in northeastern NJ, and most of my family is still in the NY/NJ/Mass area. I moved out to Ann Arbor to go to U of M in 1987, where I studied Astronomy, and then in the end switched to English and French majors. I lived in southern France for a year during undergrad.
Elph and I left Ann Arbor in 1998, and went on the road for two years, to create the 2000 edition of the book Communities Directory: A Guide to Intentional Communities and Cooperative Living. When the book was done (it was a wonderful adventure) we moved back to Ann Arbor again in 2000, after living in rural Ireland for 4 months.
I now work for the U of M Press, a nonprofit academic press, doing book design and production. I have also done copyediting and proofreading as freelance work in the past. I enjoy gardening, photography, birdwatching, hiking, travel.