Detroit theater jams, film fests and more culture and community

Welcome back to all things culture and community.

This week theater lovers are preparing to descend on Detroit, our furry friends are getting some sweet treats (even though some of us roll our eyes at pampered pooches), and new Korean-Mexican food is on offer. Plus, one quick recommendation on a romance novel we loved.

Aren’t you glad we didn’t say NFL draft? Us too. ( But way to show up, Detroit! )

One quick recommendation

Romance book lovers who daydream about going off the grid and escaping to a small town: This one’s for you. “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry follows unlikely heroine Nora Stephens , a shark of a literary agent who doesn’t take no for an answer. When her beloved younger sister Libby begs her for a getaway in fictional Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, Nora grudgingly obliges and is swept into a summertime romance with an equally shark-like book editor who both infuriates and invigorates her.

This book is an easy read. (I finished it in one week!) I love dry, sarcastic humor; so if that tickles your fancy, this book might have you actually laughing out loud. This is the first book I’ve read by Henry. Authors don’t win me over easily, but I’ve already bought her other books.

Community highlights

🎭 🎨 Bask in the city’s art scene: Theater lovers, it’s your moment. The first-ever Detroit Impact Arts Conference is coming to the city at the end of June with a three-day series of workshops, panels and conversations for Detroit’s performing arts community leading up to the Obsidian Theatre Festival .

The free event is hosted by the GhostLight Arts Initiative (GLAI) and aims to uplift artists, art organizations, community partners and funders as part of its theme, “Amplifying Our Stories.” GLAI Executive Director John Sloan III said he wants the conference to be accessible to people with varying interests in the arts.

“What we really focus on is creating different entry points for everyone, regardless of their background experience, skill set or knowledge base,” Sloan said. “Yeah, there’s going to be some sessions … that are more in the weeds for theater professionals, but we’re also doing sessions that talk about what our community is going through.”

Some of the events that caught our eye? In the Young Artist Workshop on playwriting, high school students will learn from Detroit-based playwrights, including University of Detroit Mercy professor Ann Eskridge , and leave with a 5-10 minute play. During the Propulsion Theatre Project Symposium, guests can hear from art professionals around the country like Plowshares founder Gary Anderson , playwrights Jeffry Chastang and Kendra Ann Flournoy , and Detroit Public Theatre’s Sarah Winkler .

GLAI Director of Education and Professional Development Rashida L. Harrison said she’s most excited for the Neighborhood Engagement Program Series, where out-of-town participants can talk to Detroiters who live in rich historic communities across the city.

“The reason why I see Detroit as home away from home is the people,” Harrison, who grew up in the Bronx, said. “There’s so many narratives around what Detroit is, where it’s going, so I think it’s really important for us to stand and amplify the fact that folks are there, have been there, never left, have always been doing, growing, working in the city. And the city deserves to sort of be able to claim that legacy in its own right without outsiders necessarily coming in.”

🐶 🍨 Cups for pups: If you love ice cream and you’re a dog, this one’s for you. Marquita Richardson started Sweet Paws Creamery to give our four-legged friends some sweet treats. (Outlier Media)

😋 🚨 New restaurant alert: Ready for KTown wings, kimchi and birria tacos (or birria ramen)?! Nuevo Seoul opened last week during the NFL draft festivities. The Korean Mexican-inspired restaurant led by brothers Chris and Peter Han , who also own Hanah Steakhouse downtown, is smack in the middle of the action. Food lovers have already begun posting videos on social media, raving about reasonable prices and strong drinks. 😉

“Nuevo Seoul will create an experience for customers that will have them craving more,” Chris Han said in an email. “People are knowledgeable about Mexican food but aren’t too familiar with Korean, and vice versa. It is a great place to get the best of both worlds. We build … everything from scratch to give our customers the authentic flavors they deserve and are familiar with.”

Nuevo Seoul is at 220 W. Congress St., open Sundays and Mondays from noon-6 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays from noon-9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to midnight.

More to explore in Detroit’s culture

📽️ The 26th annual Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival is taking place May 2-14. Pop into the Berman Center for the Performing Arts in the J (Jewish Community Center) in West Bloomfield for nine films, filmmaker chats — including one with Heather Dune Macadam — and music from Eric Gutman and others. (Detroit Jewish News)

🖌️ Artist Tiff Massey will be the youngest Black artist (she’s 41) to have a solo show at the Detroit Institute of Arts when her upcoming exhibit , 7 Mile + Livernois, opens on May 5. The show highlights Black Detroit through sculptures to celebrate the city’s collective identity, “ancestral flyness” and beauty. (WXYZ, Metro Times, Detroit Institute of Arts)

💰 Public voting is open for this year’s Comerica Hatch Detroit contest (paywalled). Amarra Beauty Products, Harry Rich Clothier, Khana and Roller Skate Detroit are the four finalists eyeing a $100,000 prize. They’ll also get accounting, legal, IT and public relations assistance if they win. If you want to weigh in, you can do it once a day. The winner will be announced May 9. (Hatch Detroit, Crain’s Detroit Business)

Detroit theater jams, film fests and more culture and community · Outlier Media