There’s something special about the way nature creates its own art and it’s even more special how creativity can live, breathe, and grow right alongside those green spaces.

Visitors will get that experience as it comes to life at Palmer Park with Art and Music in the Trees. It’ll turn the old growth woods themselves into an open air gallery. The festival is a celebration of sustainability, community, and the power of art to transform how we connect with the world around us.

Mark Loeb is the president of Integrity Shows. He joined me to talk more about the Earth Day experience that is Art and Music in the Trees at Palmer Park. The event is on Saturday, April 25.

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Bookstock Michigan, one of the largest used book and media sales in the country is back.

Each year at Laurel Park Place in Livonia, thousands of volunteers help collect, sort, and organize hundreds of thousands of donated books and media items. The result is an affordable marketplace for readers of all ages.

But beyond the size of the sale, the collective effort behind it, from neighbors, to educators, and community members keeps the spirit of Bookstock alive.

Proceeds from sales go directly back into literacy and education programs across the region, helping expand access to reading materials and learning opportunities.

Honorary Bookstock chair Neal Rubin joins The Metro to share more about the annual event. 

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Young people have stories to tell. The Detroit Teen Truth Film Festival is a place for them to share those stories. It started in 2019 and has been growing ever since.

Teens from Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties create films that are just fifteen seconds long.

Watch the 2025 grand prize film from the 2025 Detroit Teen Truth Festival, directed by Johan Calderon.

Fifteen seconds to share a perspective. Fifteen seconds to express what matters to them. Each year, the festival chooses a theme. The teens help pick it, so it reflects what they care about most. The films are creative, honest, and often really powerful. This year’s is “My Mental Health, Myself.”

Finalists can win cash prizes and scholarships. But even more important, they get a chance to be heard. These films help communities see the world through young people’s eyes. It gives teens a voice and empowers them to share it.

In this conversation, we were joined by Y Arts Executive Director Margret Edwartowski and Y Arts Board member Nicolas Cucinella. We learned more about the importance of giving teens space to express their ideas.

The 2026 festival is Saturday April 25 at 2:00 p.m. at the Marlene Boll Theatre at the Boll Family YMCA.

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Food is more than what’s on your plate. It’s a direct reflection of identity, of history, it’s a reflection of access and or lack of justice. 

In communities across this country, where you live can shape what you eat, how you eat, and even how long you live. The truth is that our food systems are rooted in histories that include displacement, inequity, and harm.

Who’s responsibility is it to actively repair these systems, when we all collectively share this knowledge? 

The Joy Project is not only asking those questions, but working to create space for education, and community healing through food.

Founded by Detroit native Gabrielle Knox and Oakland California native Josmine Evans, The Joy Project wants to reconnect people with ancestral foodways and land practices. They aim to educate and spread joy through building historical and cultural relationships between Black, brown, and Indigenous communities and the soil.

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This summer, up to 200 Detroit high school students will have the chance to turn their creativity into a paycheck.

Through the Summer Arts Employment Training program, also known as SAET, young people ages 14 to 17 will receive hands-on arts training, while gaining real-world job experience. 

The program is led by Heritage Works in partnership with Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts (DEYA), along with Grow Detroit’s Young Talent and over 10 arts groups across the city.

Program leaders say the goal is simple: to create pathways to success. The program runs from late June through mid-August with funding support from the State of Michigan and Grow Detroit’s Young Talent.

Nafeesah Symonette is the co-founder and executive director of DEYA.  Alvin “AJ” Lockett is the founder of Que Blackout Youth Theater. Both joined The Metro’s Tia Graham to talk more about summer jobs and having a space for teens to learn and grow.

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This week is national Black Maternal Health Week. It’s not only a time to raise awareness, but a time to have honest conversations about what families are experiencing right now.

In the U.S., Black women are still significantly more likely to face serious complications or even die from pregnancy-related causes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was nearly 45 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024.

What would it look like to center families, to bring birth back into the community? What would it look like for families to have options like birthing centers? 

Leseliey Welch is the co-founder of Birth Detroit  and Birth Center Equity. She is a poet and social entrepreneur. She joined The Metro’s Tia Graham to explore the culture of birthing in this country and what needs to be done to protect Black moms.

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We all know music can be a powerful conduit to tell stories, exchange energies and connect across cultures. One note can paint a thousand pictures or tell thousand year old histories. 

Xiao Dong Wei is an internationally recognized erhu master. Her journey into music began in China at the tender age of 5. Her work has taken her across the globe and landed her in the Detroit area. 

She blends traditional Chinese instrumentation with contemporary styles like jazz, rock, and orchestral performance, playing over 20 instruments.

On April 24, 2026, the Michigan Philharmonic presents “Sounds of the Pacific Rim,”. It invites audiences to explore the sounds of the Oscar-winning score for Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

The concert creates a space for global conversation with local connections. A pre-concert talk, featuring Pacific Rim instruments, erhu, and Japanese taiko drums. 

Xiao will also premiere her own piece “Hometown Reflections.” Xiao and Charles Ezra Ferrell joined The Metro to talk more about her music and global connections in Detroit. 

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The Anishinaabe alliance makes up the the Three Fires Confederacy. It includes Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi. This land was and remains spiritual.

It was a place to gather and hunt. A place to convene with nature and flow with the river, no matter where it led. 

A new land acknowledgement plaque is being unveiled this weekend at Greenfield Village. It’s a step toward visibility, toward truth-telling, and toward honoring a history that too often goes untold.

But moments like this are about more than a plaque, they’re about the ongoing work of making Indigenous voices seen and heard.

Heather Bruegl is the curator of political and civic engagement at The Henry Ford. Travis Schuyler is director of programming for the North American Indian Association of Detroit. They joined The Metro to talk about the unveiling and the new plaque.

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Detroit is a city where culture doesn’t just live, it moves like the river that shares a name. And this weekend, that energy comes together in a powerful way in Waawiyaatanong.

The Curved Shores Concert: A Native Artists Showcase takes over Spot Lite Detroit on Saturday, bringing together a unique lineup of Native American artists and storytellers.

It’s part of the larger Concert of Colors Neighborhood Programs, an effort to bring global sounds and meaningful conversations directly into Detroit’s neighborhoods. 

SouFy is a Southwest Detroit native and Native American hip-hop artist. When he’s not on stage performing, he’ll be helping bring this entire experience to life as co-founder of Vibes With The Tribes, the producers of the showcase.  

Charles Ezra Ferrell, the director of neighborhood programs for Concert of Colors and SouFy, joined The Metro to talk more about the event and its importance to Detroit’s diverse Native community.

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About 1 in 31 children in the U.S. is now diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. Behind every statistic is a family trying to figure it out in real time, searching for support, resources, and spaces where their children feel understood and included.

One Detroit mother hustled harder for more. 

After her eldest son was diagnosed with autism, Tiera Moultrie saw first-hand just how much was missing for families like hers.

In 2020, she founded Autism In The D, with a mission to build community and create safe, inclusive spaces for children on the spectrum and their families. Since its founding, Tiera has had three children, with two living with ASD. The work she does is personal but it’s about more than her family. 

Autism In The D is hosting its 6th annual Weekend of Inclusivity, one of Detroit’s largest autism awareness walks. It’s not just about awareness, it’s about access to resources, connection, and making sure families don’t feel alone. This year will also welcome Detroit’s first autism-inclusive adaptive kids gym.

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The WNBA and its players association have reached a new collective bargaining agreement, one that many say could reshape the future of women’s sports.

The momentum was already building.

Before the announcement, The league was already set to expand to 18 teams by 2030, with new franchises launching in Toronto and Portland this year, followed by Cleveland in 2028, and Detroit and Philadelphia in 2030.

Of course, player salaries are going up, but this seven-year deal goes far beyond pay.

The WNBA isn’t just adding teams, it’s adding games. The regular season could grow from 44 to as many as 50 games by 2027, and 52 games by 2029. 

And just as important, the agreement addresses what players call “cadence” or the pace of the schedule. It’ll add in new safeguards aimed at reducing long road stretches and improving travel demands.

Risa Isard is Director of Research and Insights at Parity. She joined The Metro to discuss why this deal is so crucial, and what means for the future of women’s professional sports. 

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Sometimes, history reaches out to make itself known. 

A historic preservationist was going through an old, forgotten truck when she discovered something extraordinary: decades old journals. 

As she began to read through them, she realized they held more than family memories, they held the words of her mother’s journey to the United States. The long forgotten journals revealed a surprising connection to one of Detroit’s most famous figures. 

During World War II, Albert Kahn, the legendary architect who shaped much of Detroit’s skyline, quietly helped support her family. 

Nancy Finegood is the former director of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, preservation consultant and a board member of the Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation Detroit. 

She joined The Metro and explained what she found and the unexpected ways the past can show up in our lives.

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Something a little different is happening at Michigan Science Center— something that blends culture, community and creativity in a way you don’t see every day.

“House of Harlōw 011: The Quantum Rave” is taking over, turning a space that’s usually about inspiring curiosity in science, technology, engineering, and math, into a dance floor.

The show is for all ages and is a pay what you can event. It’s built around the idea of giving people a space to decompress through music and movement.

So what does it look like when a science institution opens its doors to a cultural movement like this? DJ With Love, Harlow and MI-SCI’s managing Director of Engagement Melanie Depcinski,  joined The Metro to talk about the upcoming event.

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The preservation of history doesn’t belong only to institutions, it lives in the hands, voices and memories of everyday people. In Detroit, a new generation of community historians is stepping forward.

Through oral histories, archival research, and creative storytelling, Black Bottom Archives’ Preserving Black Legacy Fellowship, builds living records of Detroit’s footprint. The year-long program trains Black Detroiters to document, preserve, and share the stories rooted in their own neighborhoods.

All of the fellows’ work will culminate in a public exhibit and a festival in 2026 celebrating Black Detroit history.

Lex Draper Garcia Bey is Director of Community Engagement and Programs for Black Bottom Archives. 

We begin the conversation talking about “From the Bottom, Up,” an exhibition by Black Bottom Archives on display at the Detroit Historical Society. It’s guided by the principle of Sankofa: “go back and get it.” Its closing ceremony is April 5 at the museum. 

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Detroit’s musical contributions can not be denied. Musicians from across the globe have planted roots here in Detroit that have influenced the sound of Detroit for generations. 

Now, another genre of Detroit’s musical legacy is ready to take center stage nationally and internationally at South By Southwest, a yearly film and music festival that acts as a talent pipeline.

Headlining the showcase are:

• Bruiser Wolf
• Nasaan 

Additional featured artists include

• Neisha Neshae
• DJ Beastie
• B Free
• Asaka The Renegade
• 2Down
• Demaciiio
• Golden Boy Noel
• Que The Boy
• South North Southwest

Adrian Tonon is co-producer of Detroit 313 Selects and former night mayor of the city of Detroit. Neisha Neshae is a recording artist and a featured artist in this year’s showcase. 

Detroit 313 Selects is a local organization with the goal of putting Detroit’s artists in front of global audiences, while growing the creative economy in the city. 

Both Adrian and Neisha stopped by the studio to talk more about Detroit’s Hip Hop community, being an independent artist and the excitement surrounding this year’s SXSW showcase. 

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The music once sung by enslaved Africans is foundational to modern Christian and Gospel music. The music that was once used to give hope is preserved in various places throughout the co untry, including right here in Detroit. 

In 1972, The Brazeal Dennard Chorale was founded by Brazeal Dennard, an American educator and arranger. He wanted to discover new musicians while preserving the spiritual music of the African American experience and culture.

On the evening of October 29, 1978 in Detroit, the first Classical Roots Concert happened on the eastside. The concert included the best musicians in the area, local leaders and spiritual leaders.

Dr. Daniel Washington is a bass-baritone and tenured Professor of Music – Voice at the University of Michigan. Dr. Washington is also a board member for the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) and president of the Detroit Musicians Association.

LaToya Cross is the Communications and Advancement Content Specialist at DSO. Both join Tia Graham on The Metro to talk more about the exhibition and the importance of diversity within classical music.

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Right now, across the country, communities are facing growing pressure from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to the American Immigration Council, six people died in ICE custody in January of this year alone, in Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and California, raising concerns and fears about what could happen next.

So how are people responding? How are communities making their voices heard? For some, the answer is public art.

Outdoor exhibitions have long had the power to democratize art. Displaying the works outdoors brings it out of galleries and into public spaces. It allows any and everyone to engage in shared cultural experiences and meaningful community connection.

A new installation called “ICEBREAKER”, created by multidisciplinary artist Rogerio Pinto, honors the lives lost to ICE and in detention centers.

He joined The Metro’s Tia Graham to talk more about the exhibition and the impact ICE has had on communities.

“ICEBREAKER” will remain on display at the corner of Harbrooke Avenue and Arbana Drive in Ann Arbor through April 19.

Names honored in the exhibit

Listed below are names featured in the exhibition.

Names of Lives Lost to DHS Enforcement

• Genry Ruiz Guillén
•  Serawit Gezahegn Dejene
•  Maksym Chernyak
• Juan Alexis Tineo-Martinez
• Brayan Garzón-Rayo
• Nhon Ngoc Nguyen
• Marie Ange Blaise
• Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado
• Jesus Molina-Veya
• Johnny Noviello
• Isidro Pérez
• Jaime Alanis
• Tien Xuan Phan
• Chaofeng Ge
• Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez
• Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas
• Oscar Rascon Duarte
• Silverio Villegas González
• Santos Banegas Reyes
• Ismael Ayala Uribe
• Norlan Guzman-Fuentes
• Miguel Ángel García Medina- (shot by a sniper)
• Huabing Xie
• Leo Cruz-Silva
• Hasan Ali Moh’D Saleh
• Josué Castro Rivera
• Gabriel Garcia Aviles
• Kai Yin Wong
• Francisco Gaspar-Andrés
• Pete Sumalo Montejo
• Shiraz Fatehali Sachwani
• Isaias Sanchez Barboza
• Jean Wilson Brutus
• Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir
• Delvin Francisco Rodriguez
• Nenko Stanev Gantchev
• Keith Porter
• Ray Ruben Martinez (not included on Fences)

2026

• Geraldo Lunas Campos
• Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres
• Luis Beltrán Yáñez-
• Renee Nicole Good
• Parady La
• Víctor Manuel Díaz-
• Heber Sánchez Domínguez-
• Alex Pretti
• Lorth Sim
• Nurul Amin Shah Alam
• Emmanuel Damas
• Alberto Gutierrez Reyes
• Daphy Michel 

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They called her the girl behind the camera, but make no mistake, Leni Sinclair wasn’t standing in anyone’s shadow. She was shaping history from the other side of the lens.

After emigrating to the United States in 1959 and studying at Wayne State University, Sinclair immersed herself in the cultural pulse of Detroit. In the 1960s, she documented revolution, both musical and political, capturing icons like Aretha Franklin and the raw passion of the MC-5. 

Her photographs didn’t just freeze moments in time, they helped define an era.

Leni wasn’t only observing movements, she was leading them. A political activist, cultural catalyst, and champion for generations of artists, she transformed Detroit’s creative landscape while chronicling it.

The Detroit Historical Society is honoring Sinclair’s extraordinary legacy with a year-long exhibition, “Leni: Looking Through the Lens”.

The celebration kicks off March 12 at the Detroit Historical Museum. The evening will be moderated by WDET’s Ann Delisi with an ensemble performance led by Kasan Belgrave, son of legendary trumpeter Marcus Belgrave.

Leni joined The Metro’s Tia Graham to chat briefly about her career and upcoming event.

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For generations, we’ve all heard fairy tale love stories. We learn early on in life who gets to be loved and who doesn’t. 

Oftentimes, those characters from those stories are written through a specific lens. Rarely do these great romantic tales center Black characters or characters of color at all. 

Black love stories are seen as a niche genre.

The State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing Study tracks the publication of books written by authors who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color) in the traditional romance genre.

According to findings, only 11% of the books published within the romance genre were from writers of color. 

So, what does it mean to call Black love “niche”? And who decides which love stories are universal?

Sylvia Hubbard is an author of over 70 romance novels. She joined The Metro’s Tia Graham to talk more about diversity within the romance genre.

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