Blair is gone

Detroit poet David Blair has passed away. I don't have any details as of yet, but I do know that there's a big hole in the world now. He was a friend to many people and a vibrant part of Detroit's poetry community. He will be dearly missed.

Ken Meisel's Detroit

Poet Ken Meisel takes you on a tour of Detroit in this week's Metro Times.

While you're there, why not read the latest Wonder Twins column?

Richard Wohlfeil in Metro Times

Travis R. Wright profiles Detroit poet Richard Wohlfeil in Metro Times.

Writes Wright, "It's hard to fault the guy for being turned on by reading poetry enough to make it his art. After all, poetry is the epitome of thankless art."

Word.

Detroit Twitter poetry

PoeTweet is a terrible name, but it sounds like a pretty cool concept. Poets collaborating line by line to write about Detroit. Not surprisingly the source is M.L. Liebler and the Scarab Club, Detroit's poetic forces of nature.

Spend your Mondays at the Scarab Club

If you're looking for stuff to do around town this summer, the June 17-23 issue of Metro Times has you covered. One thing they suggest is hanging out at the Scarab Club on Mondays:

Summer Poetry Scarab Mondays (July 6-August 10)
Formerly known as Poets @ the Opera House, the reincarnation of the series will be born at the Scarab Club, a longtime refuge for arts, both visual and literary, in Detroit. Located behind the Detroit Institute of the Arts, the Scarab will present a lineup of poets each Monday night (at 7 p.m.) that promises to provoke the mind. From beat poets to performance poets to those who get their kicks in the slam scene, each week will be different than the last. On July 20, Springfed Arts will present the 2009 winners in fiction and poetry, and the Metro Detroit Writers group will host an open mic for anyone who wants to read on July 27. If poetry's your bag, the Scarab has you covered all summer long. At 217 Farnsworth St., Detroit; 313-831-1250; scarabclub.org.

And hey, speaking of Metro Times, that same issue happens to feature a Wonder Twins column as well.