We are finally in that time of year where you can relax for the day on your front porch or at the park with a good book in hand. I’ve been doing that lately with “Happy Place” by Emily Henry, a breezy, romance novel about a couple who recently broke up, but are keeping it a secret from their friend group.
Speaking of books, next week the Detroit Writing Room is starting up the second year of its monthly Summer Author Series. Held in the garden and patio at the Whitney mansion in Midtown, the gatherings feature drinks and hors d’oeuvres along with author meet-and-greets. General admission tickets are $60.
All event proceeds will support the Writing Room’s nonprofit arm Coaching Detroit Forward, which offers free writing and photography programs for Detroit high school students.
The series kicks off at 7 p.m. May 29 with children’s book authors Gerry Boylan, Eli Clark and Writing Room children’s book coach Amy Nielander.
Last month, I interviewed Bridgett Davis, the author of “The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers,” who will make an appearance July 31 with fellow author Felicia George. The Detroit native tells the real-life story of her late mother Fannie, who ran an underground lottery business in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
Here is a snippet of our conversation on the book, which is in the process of being developed into a movie by Brad Pitt’s production banner Plan B Entertainment.
BridgeDetroit: Why was it time to write this story about your mother?
Davis: I waited decades and finally decided that I wanted my children to really know who their grandmother was. And my son was old enough to ask me about her, so I felt it was the right time to share her story. I understood finally that what she did to make a way out of no way was really worth celebrating and not hiding.
BridgeDetroit: Why was it important to add the historical context of what was going on in Detroit while your mother was running her business?
Davis: When I started working on my book, I felt that I had not seen Detroit captured in the way I wanted it to be. It felt to me like it was often written by outsiders, even those who lived in the suburbs. I wanted to write a book that was written from the inside that showed readers a Detroit of the 60s, 70s and 80s that I knew to be true. And this is how you get to understand how Detroit is today. You can’t really truly understand a place unless you understand its history.
BridgeDetroit: What are some of the things you learned about the numbers while doing your research?
Davis: Felicia George saved me because she shared much of her research with me when I was working on my book. She was just finishing her dissertation on the same subject, Detroit’s numbers operation. I learned from her research that Joe Louis’ career was funded by a numbers man. That man became his manager, John Roxborough. And Felecia George is the one who told me that my mother operated at the highest level of pretty much any woman in the city at that time.
BridgeDetroit: The book is also a family story and shows the relationship you had with your mom. How was it going back in time and getting some of those anecdotes about her from family members?
Davis: It was really beautiful and humanizing because we know our moms a certain way and it was really something that had first of all, the perspective of my own maturity. I’m a mother now. But also, hearing what other people had to say made me understand her as a more well-rounded person. I always wanted this to be a story about a mother-daughter dynamic as it was about her work as a numbers runner. They were both equally important to me because they were connected.
Hope you all have a great week!
Cheers,
Micah
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- Last week, I wrote about the premiere of Plowshares Theatre Company’s new production, “The House That Will Not Stand.” The play, set in New Orleans in the early 1800s, tells the story of Beartrice Albans and her three daughters. Originally scheduled to debut last week, the show will premiere Thursday at The Carr Center. Tickets are $15.
- Detroit’s Civil Rights, Inclusion and Opportunity Department has extended the deadline for its Juneteenth Detroit Student Poetry Contest to May 31. Students in grades 9-12 living in the city or attending a Detroit school can apply. Cash prizes range from $100 to $250 for the first place winner. Winning poets will read their work at the Detroit Celebration of Freedom on June 14 and again at the Juneteenth Freedom Fest on June 16.
- Detroit City Football Club is moving its soccer stadium from Hamtramck to the D. The team acquired the former Southwest Detroit Hospital site at the corner of Michigan Avenue and 20th Street, with plans to build a new soccer-specific stadium to open by the 2027 season.
What’s Going on in the D?
- Movement, one of the world’s biggest techno festivals, is back at Hart Plaza beginning Saturday. Attendees can check out Detroit talent throughout Memorial Day weekend like Tee Grizzley, Stacey Hotwaxx Hale and Sheefy McFly as well as national acts such as Ludacris, Idris Elba and Fatboy Slim. Tickets are $159 for a day pass and $309 for a three-day pass to the festival.
- If tickets for Movement are a little too steep for your budget, several Detroit clubs and bars are hosting festival after parties. Featherstone Garden is hosting a pre-Movement party at 8 p.m. Friday at its downtown garden, 600 Plum Street. Called Synergy, the event will include music and an art installation curated with the fungi, algae and plants from the garden. Tickets are $20. Plus, Glitterbox: Official Movement Opening Party takes place 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday at Spotlite. Tickets for that gathering start at $45. Also, Northern Lights is hosting BahayParty at 7 p.m. Sunday featuring DJ teams HouseParty and Barangay. Tickets begin at $22.
