Telling Metro Detroit’s Stories

We may not have the same backgrounds, nor will we agree on everything. But collectively, our stories create a unique vibe, as we strive to reinvent and rebuild metro Detroit
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At Hour Detroit magazine, it’s our mission and passion to tell stories about the people who live, play, and work to pay the bills in and around Detroit. As the “new guy” on staff — and with apologies to readers and the Rolling Stones — Please allow me to introduce myself in one paragraph:

Raised in Fraser in a General Motors family (grandfather, father, and mother worked there — sister and brother-in-law still there, despite the recent strife). Attended parochial school K-8, then public schools. A few years of community college. Took early “sabbatical” to play in a New Wave band. (Cuppa Joe. Don’t remember us? You’re not alone.) Moved to Rochester, then Hamtramck, Detroit, and Dearborn. Went back to college. Finally decided on a major. Changed it. Graduated and worked part-time for GM. Found a job at an ad agency’s magazine division, writing about everything from trucks and travel to home improvement and education. Bought historic house in Detroit’s North Rosedale Park. Got laid off after 9/11. Landed at Hour Media, and have covered everything from beer, wine, and food to golf and fashion.

Enough about me. Let’s move on to people whose stories warrant more than a paragraph: some who leave here to find themselves (LZ Granderson). Others who leave, yet find themselves drawn to return (Jenny Risher, and Rifino Valentine). Some whose families left other countries to make a home here (“Pho”.) And others who left home to protect our freedoms, only to return damaged and find themselves fighting to put their own lives back together (see “Court of Compassion”).

Whether you’re new in town or were born and raised here like I was, you’re part of the mix. We may not have the same backgrounds, nor will we agree on everything. We aren’t as cosmopolitan as the East Coast; not as eclectic as the West Coast. But collectively, our stories create a unique vibe, as we strive to reinvent and rebuild metro Detroit.
So let’s get on with the storytelling.

 

P.S. Magazines and Sausages

A quote often attributed to German statesman Otto von Bismarck goes like this: “Laws are like sausages; it is better not to see them being made.”

The same could be said of producing magazines. Attentive readers may notice that several long-serving editors recently departed Hour Detroit. They left a strong foundation — a truly great, award-winning, regional/city magazine.

But I also want to give a huge shout-out to the entire staff and contributors (each with his or her own stories to tell). Behind the scenes, they have helped make sure that the issue you hold in your hands — and future issues — honor that foundation, without missing a beat.