by
Jane Reilly
| Mar 01, 2012
It's not called a "tug" of memory for nothing: I'm outside Detroit's railroad station, and I instantly recall my mother's gloved hand pulling mine as we rushed through the vast atrium that was inspired by the imperial baths of ancient Rome. We are in a hurry to get somewhere, and Detroit is, too. Even a little boy in the mid-1960s notices the tempo. The Motor City is in motion. We build America's cars. Thanks to Berry Gordy's Motown, the world hums our songs. The city, fifth largest in the U.S. by population, is at the top of its game.
Today, Michigan Central Station still looks Roman, but it's a Roman ruin. Closed since 1988 and stripped of valuables by vandals, or "scrappers," the empty hulk symbolizes my old hometown's decline, buckling beneath crime, corruption, and events such as the 1967 riots, the 1970s gas shortages, and the rise of Asian auto imports. My family, like others, moved away. A city of almost two million residents in 1950 shrank to 713,777 in 2010.
To visitors, Detroit's attractions verged on the desperate: Three new casinos corralled gamblers inside windowless rooms; a desultory monorail circled downtown. The city's collapse actually created a new business in "ruin porn," as locals escorted tourists eager to experience the postapocalyptic atmosphere of decaying factories and abandoned offices.
But Detroit has been down so long, any change would be up. And "up" is why I've returned. Something's happening in Michigan's southeast corner. Call it a rising, a revival, a new dawn-there's undeniable energy emanating from Detroit. America noticed it first at the 2011 Super Bowl. Chrysler debuted a TV commercial with rapper Eminem, star of the film 8 Mile (named after the road that serves as Detroit's northern border). The ad crystallized the city's spiky, muscular pride and won an Emmy, but Detroit was the real winner.
Read the full story on travel.nationalgeographic.com for a great description of Detroit's architecture, including the Guardian Building where the SAH Benefit will be held on April 21. Story includes a great review of Roast, a popular restaurant in the SAH Conference Hotel.
by
Jane Reilly
| Jan 25, 2012
I've written twice in the past few months about DHCommons, a new centerNet initiative "focused on matching digital humanities projects seeking assistance with scholars interested in project collaboration." In this third and final DHCommons post (at least for awhile), I wanted to let ProfHacker readers know that
DHCommons launched for all users with a preconvention workshop at MLA in January.
We'll be working in the coming months and years to reach out to isolated digital humanities scholars and help connect them to collaborators. If you have a digital project idea and need help, if you'd like to get started in digital humanities by helping on an established project, or if you have expertise to offer, visit DHCommons and:
browse the growing list of projects seeking help, create a new account, and contribute your own ideas.
Find help—offer help—collaborate!
View original post on The Chronicle of Higher Education: Prof Hacker
by
Jane Reilly
| Jan 09, 2012