Why an episode on Detroit?! It’s got a great story. Standalone, this episode is a fascinating look at a metropolis that swelled and thrived during the auto boom, then declined, and is navigating a rocky rebirth of sorts. Aaron Foley was Detroit’s first official City Storyteller and wrote the book “How to Live In Detroit Without Being a Jackass.” I’ve wanted to have him on Ologies for five years, and we finally sat down to talk about MoTown, car culture, square pizza, $1000 houses, gentrification, urban infrastructure, underground salt mines, amusement park slides, Diana Ross, emerging rappers, and the city’s abandonment issues. Stay tuned for the March 21 Domicology episode on how buildings and neighborhoods decay, and what people – and science – can to do about it. Also, if you’re looking for a book to read, I’m loving Aaron’s debut novel, “Boys Come First,” which he describes as “very Black, very gay, and very Detroit.” 

Visit Aaron Foley’s website and follow him on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok  

Buy Aaron’s debut novel: Boys Come First

Buy Aaron’s non-fiction books: The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook and How to Live in Detroit Without Being a Jackass

A donation went to the Detroit Justice Center

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Other episodes you may enjoy: Domicology (ABANDONED BUILDINGS — out March 21, 2023), Mythology (STORYTELLING), Genealogy (FAMILY TREES), Maritime Archaeology (SHIPWRECKS), Classical Archaeology (ANCIENT ROME),  Metropolitan Tombology (PARIS CATACOMBS), Deltiology (POSTCARDS), Ferroequinology (TRAINS),  Nomology (THE CONSTITUTION), Urban Rodentology (SEWER RATS), Meteorology (WEATHER & CLIMATE), Melaninology (SKIN/HAIR PIGMENT), Futurology (THE FUTURE)

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Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media

Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn