Isak

DETROIT STORIES: John King Big Bookstore

The fifth in a series. Catch up on other Detroit Stories here.

JOHN K. KING BIG BOOKSTORE

It looms on Cass, just at the avenue's bridge over I-94, and this old school-buildingish storefront has been there since 1965. John King is synonymous with used books in Detroit--the main location is in the city, specializes in rare books, and is the largest bookstore in the state; as well, there's something of an outlet shop in Ferndale.

But if it's not the name that draws you in, perhaps it will be the most curious of murals painted proudly on its front.

 

The peculiar joy of this shops isn't the usual piles-of-books euphoria that one gets in bookstores. It's that inside, the piles of books have nearly no order at all to them. There's only the thinest veneer of genre distinction--the plays, for example, appear in clumps on the shelves. While this might sound confusing or frustrating, it's the perfect set up for the hungry book browser. You sit yourself before a shelf and you never know what you'll discover before you.

King's Big Bookstore is for the adventurous. Readers who are accustomed to segregating their literary tastes by glomming to the same shelves every time they entire a bookshop--they always gravitate to the poetry section, say, because they are a self-identified fan of poetry--beware. A browse through these bookshelves might lead you to examine a paperback you aren't used to examining, by writers you've never heard, perhaps in a genre you've ignored. You are lure spotting a familiar and loved author's name on one book; you find your hand reaching to the title next to it--it's one you've never heard of.

And King's has got the atmosphere to gird the adventure: tall shelves, boxes of intriguing periodicals, rolling ladders, a white-bearded book lover in suspenders manning the old-timey cash register that chirps book purchases in probably the same tone as it has for decades in this corner shop.

 

Despite promise after promise to myself to not buy any more books until I make a serious dent in my piles of intriguing unread title here at home--and to make consistent use of the wonderful main branch of the Detroit Public Library, just two blocks away from where I live--I couldn't help it. I came away from King's bookstore today with a good used copy of Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. And here's another reason to celebrate this shop--the penciled-in price of the book was $6.95. That white-bearded fellow at the cash register, who I like to think is Mr. King himself? He gave it to me for $5. Of his own accord.

Why is the John King Big Bookstore a reason I love Detroit?

Because it has been a firmament in Detroit's vibrant literary life for 43 years--no small feat for any independent shop specializing in re-used goods, in an industry that's seen the rise of mega-chains and the Internet. Because I love imagining all the readers and poets and novelists and neighbors and reporters that have stepped in its doors before me. Because the there's a real palpable love for books and history and storytelling in the bookstore's broad history.

But don't just take it from me. Consider some guy named Tony's video love note to it, on the occasion of a visit to the main branch of the store. In Parts 1 and 2. Note that the main branch of the store is ordered significantly differently than the shop on C ass; but what might be lost in the browsing adventure is made up for with the sheer breadth of the floors and floors of books.

DETROIT STORIES:Allied Media Conference

The fourth in a series. Catch up on other Detroit Stories here.

ALLIED MEDIA CONFERENCE

So, I haven't actually been to the Allied Media Conference yet. But I've watched it enviously from afar for a couple years now. And now that I'm here in Detroit--the national conference's native ground--I wouldn't miss the 10th annual for anything.

Before I mangle a description for an event I haven't yet lived, let me turn to AMC's self representation:

"The Allied Media Conference cultivates media strategies for a more just and creative world. Held every June in Detroit, MI, it is the primary point of intersection in the U.S. for alternative media makers and committed social justice activists from around the country.

"We come together to share tools and tactics for transforming our communites through media-based organizing. The panel discussions and workshops of the AMC are hands-on and practical, intergenerational while youth-centered. They showcase the solutions emerging from places where creativity is a matter of survival. Out of the AMC, we evolve new skills and strategies to bring back to our local contexts. We deepen our relationships and expand our networks in ways that support ongoing collaboration throughout the year."

I've heard tell of the unusual interactivity, innovation, and do-it-yourself ethic at AMC--not to mention a deep commitment to this city. And as I scour the program listing for updates, I'm seeing Detroit Summer's Live Arts Media Project leading a session on "people's statistics" and participatory research. I'm seeing Appalshop and Radio Rootz others explore youth media. There's "Social Justice & Zine Making" and "Burlesque & the Commodification of the Sexual Imagery of Woman of Color" and a session on using Google maps in community organizing. There are films, bowling, live music, and an always-open media-making lab (that is "a hotbed of hands-on skill-sharing from beat-making to transmitter-building") for folks to play and learn throughout the weekend.

And, opportune for my recent reflections on the limitation of 'specialities,' AMC offers this:

"The conference this year features several tracks-- think less 'railroad tracks' that would route your interest in a particular direction and more “animal tracks” that end up criss-crossing each other repeatedly as they travel in unexpected patterns…

"The tracks at this year’s AMC are: the INCITE! Women and Trans People of Color Media Track, the How-to Track, the Media Policy Track, the Popular Education Track and the Youth Media Track."

But perhaps what most makes AMC stand out is the manifestation of its intentions. A few months ago I went to a conference in Washington D.C. It was held at the Marriott, where participants were expected to stay (and pay). Attendees were mostly suit-wearing sorts who whipped out their business cards when you least expected it. Most of them were talented and visionary people, but when you put them in a session, the ideals for new community models were crammed in archaic teaching models: four person panel, each one who reads from his or her power point, a couple stuffy questions at the end that was a gesture towards "interaction."

I hated it. I was disappointed that these folks who were doing brilliant work in re-imagining what our cities and towns can look like directly contradicted their goals by sticking to old ineffective patterns and setting up the conference to be limited to a white, well-off, professional class (which made our talk about building 'diverse communities' laughable).

AMC, on the other hand, offers a range in pay scales for attendees. Rather than pay for hotels, there's an arrangement with Wayne State University to use dorm rooms. Or, attendees can take advantage of crash space with locals at the conference (I signed up to offer this, as I'm only a few blocks away). I expect to see very few power points in AMC sessions. And, not coincidentally, there's a healthy range of talented folks who make this event happen.

But hey, don't just take my word for it that AMC's shaping up to earn the hype I heard way over in Boston. Here are others, from last year's conference:

Why is the Allied Media Conference a reason I love Detroit?
I love the substantive engagement AMC has with the city--not only by committing to live here, not only with its partnerships with local creatives and activists and local independent businesses, but with its vision of place.

"When Detroiters talk about our problems, we often blame the corporate media for projecting a negative picture and causing people to lose faith in the city. Detroit's worst problems of poverty and violence are often emphasized in corporate news reporting. Films like Robocop and The Crow have used Detroit as an icon of post-apocalyptic collapse. We have been victimized by images.

"But we have the capability to take charge of our images. We can use media to project a new image of what is possible, to tell the stories beneath the surface, and to forge new connections with one another. The ... Allied Media Conference is a unique opportunity for us to reflect on what independent media means to a city like Detroit."

As well, AMC chronicles Detroit's strong history of independent media.

I love that. I love that I might be part of it, that I have an opportunity to interact, in a most rare way, with amazing folks who live far from me and down the street from me. I love that the city I'm living in now comes to mean opportunity, hope, celebration and possibility in this context.

And I expect to have plenty of my expectations on media, community and movement building thrown asunder. I can't wait.

Image Credits: Allied Media Conference; Toward Freedom

DETROIT STORIES: Model D

The third in a new series at Isak. Catch up on other Detroit Stories here.

MODEL D MEDIA

Model D is a weekly e-magazine that's hinged on telling a new story about Detroit--an interest peculiarly close to the heart of Isak's 'Detroit Stories.' But Model D stands out in its classed-up and vibrant style, its focus on creative people, Detroit neighborhoods and businesses, and its stand-out photography (you can thank them for the Fischer Building image above). It's also free.

As well, Model D gets active in the community with a monthly speaker series at the Detroit Yacht Club that not only enhances the conversation about city-making and our particular place, but it gives engaged citizens a chance to connect with each other. I caught the most recent event--"Sustainable Urbanism in Detroit"--and besides enjoying the free wine, I was impressed with the packed room and the smart questions from the audience that went on for some time.

Model D's mad popular around here. I hadn't been here two minutes before I heard about it. Beyond popular events, it's makers are in high demand on committees, as panelists, as keynote speakers, and other about-town voices. It's high-quality and innovation has been warmly welcomed.

The writers and editors of Model D are all locals, but it's important to note that the publication is an arm of Issue Media Group, a Michigan organization that also built metromode--itself a weekly e-magazine with an expanded southeast Michigan focus that extends from Detroit to Ann Arbor--and publications in Lansing (Capital Gains), Pittsburgh (Pop City), Grand Rapids (Rapid Growth), and Cincinnati (Soapbox).

Why is Model D a reason I love Detroit?
I've been told about a study where citizens in the top 15 or so largest metro areas in the nation where asked to order their set of cities according to, quite simply, how they felt about them. Detroit citizens were the only ones to not rank their city in the top three. In fact, Detroiters not only ranked their hometown last--just as the other fourteen cities did--but they ranked it even worse than anyone else did.

Self-hate is a problem around here. I feel like Model D's popularity hinges on a hunger for the "new narrative of Detroit" that the magazine promises. I'm thankful for a publication that's doing decent journalism while giving locals a reason to celebrate their city again. It's found its vital moment.

DETROIT STORIES: Spiral Collective

The second in a new series at Isak. See the philosophy behind Detroit Stories in the debut post.

SPIRAL COLLECTIVE

On the corner of Cass and West Willis, five women practice collective economics. They are business owners, independent of each other, who nonetheless share space, finances and community engagement programs. Together, Source Booksellers, Tulani Rose gift gallery, Textures by Nefertiti (a natural hair shop), and the Del Pryor art gallery form the Spiral Collective. It's nearing its sixth anniversary.

This alternative business model is grounded in Kwanzaa's Ujamaa principle, which is a call to "build, maintain, and support our own stores, establishments, and businesses." It seems to be working. 

When I enter the place on Saturdays--usually to pick up more incense and browse the eclectic book collection--I always find one of the owners in a rapt extended conversation with one of her customers. I find the single-room shop overflowing with color; the makeshift corners the subtly distinguish one business for another beg turning. I'm drawn to the textures--to press a finger against a waxy candle, to finger wooden beads, to run my palm along a strip of cloth or the page of a book I've never seen anywhere else. Before I leave, my bag's stuffed with flyers and free community papers piled by the door.

It's a lovely space that engages your whole person.

Why is this place a reason I love Detroit?
The Spiral Collective operates in the middle of a city with an administration that is intent on drawing traditional businesses into its borders. And it's working--Quicken Loans, for example, will move from the suburbs into the city, bringing 4,000 jobs with it. Wonderful news, but  I wonder: in Detroit's desperation for redevelopment, is its idea of a "successful city" narrowing? Must we be another Chicago to call ourselves viable? Will the innovations and the creativity that grow naturally in Detroit's neighborhoods be embraced as the city stabilizes--and will Detroit transform society's very idea of what a city looks like?

In tacit but strong response to the push for conventional investment in the city, the Spiral Collective represents a new and workable business model that is community-centered, on a human-scale and uniquely of the city of Detroit. It was founded with love and ingenuity, and it continues through commitment and an admirable work ethic. It is an example of citizen entrepreneurs being better together. It is the best of what the city offers.

Image Credits: The Michigan Citizen, The Detroit News, and Anna Clark.

Debuting 'Healthy Detroit'

The folks behind the Detroit Evolution Laboratory--last spotlighted here as the inaugural Detroit Stories feature here at Isak--now have a new space to speak about a sustainable city (in all its forms). Their column, "Healthy Detroit," is a new regular at The Detroiter. You won't want to miss it--whether you're a local or not.

DETROIT STORIES:"You Say You Want Evolution"

Welcome to a new and regular feature here at Isak: Detroit Stories.

In Detroit Stories, I and guest writers will spotlight the places and organizations in the city of  that amaze us. This series will celebrate what's innovative, hopeful, and creative in Detroit (so much!) ... and challenge the unfailingly doom/gloom image of the city Yesterday's publicity ais a case in point: it was voted by Forbes as America's most "miserable" city by folks who used a "misery matrix" and, I suspect, haven't done more than spend a weekend in a suburban hotel in southeast Michigan. That sort of nega-hype persists, not only creating nationwide hate for Detroit, but also the city's self-hate.

And this, when there's so much to celebrate. I left Boston for Detroit for very real reasons, after all. Detroit Stories will be a part of changing the the narrative of the city that it loves. That I love.

Have suggestions of what should get attention on this platform? Tell me. Want to contribute to this series as a guest writer? I want to know that too. You can email me at annaleighclark-at-yahoo-dot-com.

THE DETROIT EVOLUTION LABORATORY

Near the heart of Detroit's Eastern Market is a great little space where I'm taking yoga classes. No, it's not a studio or a gym, it's not "fitness" centered in the exercise class style I've known in other places. Rather, the Detroit Evolution Lab is the home of Gregg Newsom and Angela Kasmala, two Detroiters who are creating a truly extraordinary community.

It's profiled over at Model D. While Newsom leads yoga classes with small groups of people (in my experience, it's been as small as two, as large as six) that are communal and mind-bod, Kasmala leads raw food and vegan cooking classes. They sell their sustainable food, drawn largely from local sources, and dream of having a restaurant someday. They facilitate free movie nights, urban retreats, meditations. And they creatively engage in the personalist justice work of the city.

  As well:

"They use all Michigan Green Products in their kitchen and yoga space. They compost. They visit the Holden Recycle Here! facility twice a week to actually learn what they can (and can't) recycle. That's made their operation pretty close to being zero-waste. Newsom also adds that they try and spend as much as they can in the city. They buy organic goods at Goodwells. Even when their car teeters on 'E,' they wait to get back into the city to buy gas. That kind of thinking has put 75 to 80-percent of their spending right here in the city. And, it helps them lead by example when they chat sustainability with their students."

All this action makes manifest dreams embedded in the Lab's mission:

"The Detroit Evolution Laboratory is a unique space designed to grow various concepts that all share the common goal of health, joy, and liberation for the people of Detroit. Our Lab offers tried and true practices and services that have immediate effect, from a stress reducing yet energizing yoga session to a healthy lunch hand-made with organic and/or local produce and ingredients."

Why is this place a reason I love Detroit?
Because it is from the ground-up and hands-on. Because it evidences the powerful reality in this city, which I actually talked about with Gregg and Angela the last time I was over there: Detroit is a place for innovators and visionaries, folks who are ready to dig in and create outside of pre-made systems. Folks who imagine alternative, human-centered realities ... and aren't afraid to make them, right now. A place for people who just go ahead and do it.

And also: I have fun there.

Image Credits: Model D Media & The Detroit Evolution Lab.

Detroit, U.S.A.

Watch this gorgeous, haunted city re-emerge. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

Detroit

Good things are a-brew.

Eye on the prize

The Detroit Free Press brings us this important news, regarding the Tigers' second seven-game winning streak this season:

The World Series-winning 1984 team was the last Tigers squad with multiple seven-game winning streaks. That club had four, all during its record-setting 35-5 start.

Yeah. That's right. Take that.

Long Live Motown!

It got far closer than I care to admit,  but the Detroit Pistons, god bless 'em, proved the power of Team Basketball over Superstar Basketball once more.

Not only do I love the moral significance of such a win, but I won a bet and my summer just got a whole lot more fun.

Not bad for a Sunday afternoon.