While there have been countless books written about Detroit, none have captured its incredible musical history like this one.

This collection of poems and lyrics covers numerous genres including jazz, blues, doo-wop, Motown, classic rock, punk, hip-hop, and techno. It was curated & edited by M.L. Liebler and Jim Daniels, recently awarded the Michigan Notable prize of 2021. Daniels is a poet & writer based out of Pittsburgh (with Michigan ties) and Liebler is also a writer, poet, and editor, based here in Detroit--both of these gentlemen teach at esteemed universities such as Carnegie Mellon and Wayne State respectively. Their book was published through Michigan State University Press. 

Music provided by Chad Stocker: https://honesttogoodness.bandcamp.com/ 

Rochelle Riley recently ended a 20-year career as a nationally-syndicated, award-winning Detroit columnist in 2019 to become the City of Detroit’s Director of Arts and Culture. In 2018, she published 'The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery,' and she's just followed that up with a new book, 'That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed the World.' In this new book, which is out this week via Wayne State University Press, Riley's words describe the formative moments in the lives of some of the icons of Black History, and those words are paired with the stunning photography of Cristi Smith-Jones, capturing black and white images of her daughter Lola, and Riley's grandson Caleb, dressed in full costume to recreate some of the most memorable images from our history books. 

"That They Lived fills in gaps in the history that American children have been taught for generations. For African American children, it will prove that they are more than descendants of the enslaved. For all children, it will show that every child can achieve great things and work together to make the world a better place for all. Available where books are sold and from WSU."

More info: https://www.rochelleriley.com/the-burden/ 

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Music provided by Chad Stocker: https://honesttogoodness.bandcamp.com/ 

Melannie Chard (owner/director M Contemporary Art) is an art consultant and agent with more than a dozen years of experience working in the art world, including stints with Sotheby's and Galerie Camille. Chard founded M Contemporary in 2018, where she provides seasoned and emerging collectors with an unparalleled client experience. On the podcast, we're talking about the important role galleries can serve for their communities and the ways in which they support local artists. 

M Contemporary is located directly across the street from the Ferndale Library. They're open Thursday through Saturday, 12p-6p. For more info, and to see details about upcoming exhibitions, click here: https://www.mcontemporaryart.com/upcoming 

Sarah Miller began writing her first novel at 10 years old, and has spent half her life working in libraries and bookstores. She has spent much of the last decade releasing books that illuminate the experiences of women with incredible stories who tend to get overlooked by most history textbooks. Miller joined us in the summertime for our local author showcase series, Beginning / Middle / End. She will be releasing a new book in April. http://www.sarahmillerbooks.com/ 

Back in March, Kathe Koja was on the verge of leading a live reading/performance right here in the library, featuring a story from her latest book, Velocities. Koja is an award-winning author lauded for her ability to blend genres and manifest themes of transcendence amidst some of the most unlikely and unconventional characters and narrative circumstances. We spoke with her about how writers can  maintain motivation, heading into 2021. 

Music by Chad Stocker. 

https://kathekoja.com/ 

Alana Carlson is a Ferndale-based artist who graduated from the Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids in 2003. She's featured some of her work in a couple of group exhibitions here in the Ferndale Library, along with showing in several esteemed gallery spaces over the years. She's also been a freelance portraiture artist, along with being the creator of the mural facing out from the Natural Food Patch here in downtown Ferndale, on 9 Mile. https://alanacarlsonart.com/about 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/arts/lynda-barry-diary-project.html

https://thenearsightedmonkey.tumblr.com/post/111125141634/above-variations-on-our-daily-diary-practice

https://www.instagram.com/thenearsightedmonkey/

Nadir Omowale is a songwriter/singer/guitarist/producer and creative consultant. We inevitably wound up focusing a lot on the distressing state of the music industry after 2020, but we drifted toward some rather positive ruminations and insights. Anyone out there who's a musician or songwriter looking for some inspiration, Nadir has some thoughts to share! We also talk about something particularly positive to look forward to: the sheer amount of amazing music that will no doubt be released in 2021, post-quarantine!

Check out Nadir's two new singles from this year with the links below. 

LINKS

New Video: "Belly of the Whale" https://nadiromowale.com/#videos 

YOUTUBE  

Nadir Omowale, performing in the Ferndale Library Courtyard. 

Donald Levin is an award-winning Ferndale-based fiction writer and poet, with backgrounds in scriptwriting, speechwriting, video production, and more. He is the retired dean of the faculty and Professor of English at the former Marygrove College in Detroit. He is the author of seven Martin Preuss mysteries, with works appearing in numerous print journals; recently, he's written in the dystopic genre. 

http://www.donaldlevin.com/ 

Jibs Brown is a versatile singer/songwriter with a strong passion for music and performing. Jibs has become one of the Detroit area's most recognizable acoustic artists, specializing in a brand of music that crosses all genres. His original music is simple, honest, and soulful. You can see a virtual concert featuring Brown performing inside the Ferndale Library on our YouTube page. 

https://jibsbrown.bandcamp.com/