The We Poke Along Writers Project is inspired by the Depression-era state guides written and published under the auspices of the Federal Writers' Project, a program initiated by the Roosevelt administration's Works Project Administration (WPA).  The 2020 census indicates that our region is hemorrhaging people and there will probably not be another manufacturing boom in what was "Vehicle City."  But places are more than their productivity and average income.  Let the writers on this project guide you into our communities, along our rivers.  Be daring enough to board a public bus to see where it goes or hop in your car to a place exotic as tuna casserole.  See how wonderful it can be to explore "uncool" areas of Michigan where tourists never tread.  Let's cozy up to every sign of life, human, natural, creaturely, and develop an eye for rusty beauty--because ya know ... nothing that is "perfect" can be truly alive.

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Contact Project Lead

mkietzma@umich.edu