Cover Stories
And Our City Was Ours
And when the Outers left there was so much space. We took to our parking lots, our downtown plazas. Some of us drank their wine and sat in their cafes without fear or the cold blue watch. We cruised our island, perched barefoot on our stone whitewashed bridge. Without the Outers designing their cul-de-sacs or…
The 2024 Fiction Issue
“Resistance Across Borders: Now and Forever” by Bayan Founas “If Not” by Noor Hindi “Improv I” by Jenna Hamed “And Our City Was Ours” by Nandi Comer “The People United Will Never Be Defeated” by Dave Robberts “Color Me Bad” by Claretha “Peace” Bell “Bouquet of our Struggle” by Jenin Yaseen (sr7aneh) “Invalid Invalid” by…
If Not
If not the screams of our mothers, disrupting the clouds If not her hands If not our trauma sold to the white gaze If not the palm trees drizzled in blood If not the sky pissing in panic If not our children If not our children If not the graves If not the bombs pulverizing…
Resistance Across Borders: Now and Forever
“Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognize your power — not because they don’t see it, but because they see it and they don’t want it to exist.” —bell hooks If you are reading this you are alive. Somewhere. Breathing. Existing. Resisting. Your very existence is resistance. Right now. Wherever you are.…
10 years of Detroit’s Rocksteady Disco
Could partying be considered… a social good? Peter Croce, head of Detroit’s Rocksteady Disco record label, makes the case. “I genuinely believe this in my least cynical moments,” he says. “I do think if you can get off your phone for a few hours and like, dance and meet some strangers — people have met…
Interest in Michigan Central grand opening crashes website
There was so much interest in the grand reopening festivities for Detroit’s long-abandoned Michigan Central that it caused the website to crash, officials said Tuesday. Registration for a free concert and guided tours at the newly renovated former train station opened to the public at noon, but Michigan Central said it had to put it…
Lil Wayne joins headlining acts for Afro Nation Detroit, others added to lineup
The Afro Nation festival is returning to Detroit for a second year this summer to celebrate Black music from across the globe, and more acts keep getting added to the lineup. Organizers announced on Tuesday that the newest big addition is rapper Lil Wayne, who will be headlining the festival alongside afrobeats heavy-hitters Rema and…
Detroit councilwoman threatens to subpoena police chief after cop told protester to ‘go back to Mexico’
Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters on Tuesday threatened to subpoena Police Chief James White to testify before the council after a white cop was caught on video telling an anti-war protester to “Go back to Mexico” on Sunday. Waters, who is running for a seat in Congress, says the remark is the latest example of…
Detroit Zoological Society unveils new design for iconic I-696 water tower
The iconic Detroit Zoo water tower is finally getting some new artwork, accompanied by new logos and many other fun updates. On Tuesday morning, the Detroit Zoological Society unveiled the new visual identity for both the zoo and the Belle Isle Nature Center, marking a significant milestone in a rebranding project over two years in…
‘Time is Now’ is a timeless survey of Charles McGee’s legacy
Library Street Collective’s Little Village campus opened over the weekend, and at the center of it all was Charles McGee. The late Detroit artist, who blessed us with abstract and figurative paintings, sculptures, and public installations, passed away in 2021 but the time for his legacy is now. Little Village is anchored by an exhibition…
Jackson Pollock-inspired restaurant opening in Rochester Hills
A new restaurant inspired by the work of abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock is set to open in Rochester Hills next month. Dubbed The Jackson, the high-end restaurant will open in The Village of Rochester Hills shopping center at 104 N. Adams Rd. It’s co-owned by Michael Mauro and chef Justin Vaiciunas, and marks the…
Bitcoin VIP: The Exclusive Platform
Void of any central authority figure, like a government or bank, cryptocurrency continues to rise in recognition and popularity as a revolutionary, decentralized, and secure alternative to customary currencies. This lack of regulation, as well as the volatility that cryptocurrency is known for, has made the idea of traditional finance institutions investing in digital assets…
Michigan Central teases grand opening with help of ‘legendary’ Detroit acts
Abandoned for nearly 40 years, Detroit’s former Michigan Central Station will soon reopen its doors following an extensive renovation by Ford Motor Co. — and its grand opening celebration is set to include a free concert by local artists. While organizers are being coy regarding the lineup, they promise that the June 6 event “Live…
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, a staunch Israel ally, faces primary challenger
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, a third-term moderate Democrat who represents portions of Oakland County, has emerged as one of the staunchest supporters of Israel — even as innocent Palestinians continue to be slaughtered. And pro-Israel groups, some of them funded by Republican megadonors, are lavishing her with political donations. Over the past four years, United…
Lapointe: Debate rules could tongue-tie Trump
The most intriguing development from the political campaign last week was that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will debate at least twice before Election Day on Nov. 5. The best night might be the first, on June 27 in Atlanta, when Trump will perform with one figurative, forked tongue tied behind his…
Canadian wildfire smoke just blanketed the Midwest — again
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Wildfires in western and central Canada spread rapidly this week, with smoke sweeping into the Midwest and triggering air quality alerts in several states. For some, it was a reminder of last year’s smoky conditions. “The front came…
Novi BBQ Fest to bring ribs and whiskey to the Fountain Walk during Memorial Day weekend
If Memorial Day weekend’s Movement Music Festival isn’t your thing — or even if it is, but you’re really ambitious — then here’s another event for your consideration. An event called Novi BBQ Fest: Ribs & Whiskey is set to return to the Twelve Mile Crossing at Fountain Walk mall. The festival will feature more…
DCFC wants to build a new stadium in Southwest Detroit
It looks like Detroit City Football Club’s time at Hamtramck’s Keyworth Stadium could be coming to an end. The Motor City’s hit soccer team announced Thursday that it has acquired the site of the former Southwest Detroit Hospital at the corner of Michigan Avenue and 20th Street, with plans to build a new soccer-specific stadium…
Detroit’s population growth masks glaring racial disparities
You may have woken up Thursday to the good news that Detroit’s population is rising for the first time since 1957, a time when white people began flocking to the suburbs. Between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, Detroit gained 1,852 residents, putting the city’s population at 633,366, according to U.S. Census estimates released…
Metro Times wins Society of Professional Journalism awards
We’re excited to share that your local alt-weekly has once again been recognized among the city’s top journalists by the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit chapter, with one of our reporters winning three awards in the Print Class category. Metro Times investigative reporter Steve Neavling won second place for his cover story “Black Detroiters are…
Baobab Fare’s Waka is moving into Eastern Market’s former Russell Street Deli space
Detroit’s East African food truck Waka, a sister brand of the Baobab Fare restaurant in the New Center area, just announced the establishment of a permanent location in Eastern Market, taking over the former beloved Russell Street Deli space. Waka initially launched during Detroit’s Noel Night celebration in 2022, serving as a street food offshoot…
Charlie LeDuff’s domestic violence case dropped after his wife refuses to testify
Polarizing reporter and best-selling author Charlie LeDuff dodged a conviction for allegedly assaulting his wife in December after she refused to testify against him at a trial Tuesday. Judge Jaimie Powell Horowitz dismissed a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence in 45th District Court in Oak Park. LeDuff’s wife, who was subpoenaed to testify, invoked her…
Yoga and Pilates studio with bone broth bar now fully open in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction
Lara Richli moved to Detroit from New York just a few years ago, but when she arrived in the city she saw a lack of infrared yoga and Pilates classes. So, she decided to open Hot Bones, a dual-concept hot yoga and pilates studio featuring a bone broth bar in the lobby, aiming to simplify…
Bell’s Brewery adds three new Oberon flavors
It’s almost summertime in Michigan, which can only mean one thing: a tall, cold Oberon Ale served with a slice of orange is likely in your future. This year, Bell’s Brewery is adding new Oberon flavors into the mix. The Kalamazoo-based brewery announced three new editions of the popular beer on Wednesday, which it is…
In the cage of manhood, how you suffer, you broken little boys
Film still, work in progress. Eric Froh, b. 1986, has been a sculptor in Detroit for more than 15 years. Part of our 2024 Fiction Issue.
Al-Falaq
When the child’s logos pluralizes silence as a poetics, you, like Shurooq2, remember anything is – nothing, also. & when rosily you brine in mangoes and the heart’s sweet-sour vortex, you think neither this, nor that, but everything – is a spider spinning caution to a bird. & when the synaptic denouement frays the oculus…
The Year of the Bird
June 28, 1976 The two boys, one Arab, one Black, hopped onboard the Cadillac-Harper and took their seats in back of the bus. Eddie had about a buck left in change. Pookie didn’t have a dime. Gus the dancing hot-dog vendor sat behind the driver, hunched under an invisible punch, mumbling to himself and fumbling…
The People United Will Never Be Defeated
“The People United Will Never Be Defeated” by Dave Robberts Sometimes described as a Svengali of the Detroit art scene, Dave Roberts has been an active gallerist and artist in the city for more than four decades. His approach and media are ever evolving but always harkens back to his affiliation with the Abstract Realist…
I Hear The Call
I hear the call of resistance echoing through the fissures of American cities’ cracked pavements as Black and Brown people march hand in hand against frequent police brutality, where hope’s concrete rose blooms amidst the ashes of hate. I hear that same call in Palestine when the same nation that trains American police burns a…
Color Me Bad
Loose me to a white world canvas Gather up the coloring for the portrait of change Watch me splatter this regal across the diaspora Introduce a standard of beauty That always was Normalize a culture of being at liberty to liven up this place No longer blind to privilege I belong here Long before you…
Improv I
“Improv I” By Jenna Hamed Typewritten text inkjet printed on paper. This piece was improvisationally assembled to be instructional, interactive, and sung aloud. Jenna Hamed is an artist and art worker with roots in metro Detroit and Jerusalem, Palestine. Part of our 2024 Fiction Issue. Related Stories
فلسطين حرة
When presented with the theme “resistance across borders,” I reflected on the sometimes hopeless feeling I can have around resistance. How can I, someone so random and so far away, make a difference in a cause? But something my dad taught me is that no resistance is futile. No matter how small, any effort makes…
Bouquet of our Struggle
“Bouquet of our Struggle” By Jenin Yaseen (sr7aneh) This piece consists of figures like Razan Al-Najjar, a paramedic that was murdered in Gaza during the Right of Return March, my great grandmother who dedicated her life towards tending our land in Palestine, and a resistance fighter. Flowers are not only beautiful but they’re symbolic, and…
My Daughters’ Chants
December 16, 2023. My wife, Rana, and our two daughters have gathered with dozens of others in Market Square Park in Cleveland for the demonstration, our first one as a family. It’s cold and windy, the gray sky fading into dusk. A middle-aged man with a keffiyeh wrapped around his neck waves a Palestinian flag…
Waawiyaatanong: From The Ashes, She Rises
“Waawiyaatanong: From The Ashes, She Rises” By Hadassah GreenSky Waawiyaatanong, where the curved shores meet, otherwise known as Detroit. This place has been a sacred meeting point since the start of this world. In the Mide Lodge migration story, the Anishinaabek migrated from the Eastern seaboard, through Quebec and Niagara Falls and into Detroit. Hadassah…
THE LEAVES CHANGE COLOR DURING CAMPAIGN SEASON
following Lumumba’s assassination exploitation of the Congo went on undeterred by democratic facade neo-colonial puppets with european spines to neutralize the Black Liberation Army we were g(r)ifted with Black aesthetics Black mayors and Black billionaires they offer intersectional excuses for blood splatter murals downtown pigs kept their mercenary commissions under the guise of cultural progress…
Invalid Invalid
The pencil must be razor sharp or it’s too hard to push. The pen must be very sharp and fluid also, or it will be a mess. Not too fluid though, or it will be a mess. Since when did I need special conditions to exist? Levees don’t collapse in a day, it takes many…
Fida’i
West Bank, 2002 Military jeep lights whirl orange in the night. Neon buzzes over an empty arcade. Stray dogs scatter. I stretch out at my family’s farthest olive grove, the ground cool on my back. I turn my face into crumbs of dirt. I smell the earth, and make myself smell of it. In the…
: : Porosity place : : boycott border : :
Mixed media poem using ink brush pen and graphic type. Kamelya Omayma Youssef is a writer, teacher, literary worker, and author of A book with a hole in it (Wendy’s Subway 2022) and lives between metro Detroit and NYC. Part of our 2024 Fiction Issue.
Free Will Astrology (May 15-21)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Polish-born author Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) didn’t begin to speak English until he was 21 years old. At 25, his writing in that language was still stiff and stilted. Yet during the next 40-plus years, he employed his adopted tongue to write 19 novels, numerous short stories, and several other books. Today…
namesake
before I knew your name i found something a sorrow that draws me close a cherished ache nestled within my chest i pray it never leaves it serves as a compass leading me towards a place that seems to resonate with the source of this ache a place that was once nameless please do not…
