About MT | Advertise | Contact | Store | RSS

EDITORIAL

Know of a news story we should tell?

E-Mail News Hits or contact news editor Curt Guyette at 313-202-8004.

Have a story idea or tip related to arts, music or culture? Contact one of our editors:

W. Kim Heron, Editor
313-202-8011

Brian Smith, Managing Editor
313-202-8024

Travis Wright, Arts Editor
313-202-8012

Here's how it is - to publish an event, we need essential info i.e. date, place, phone number for readers to call and an event description. Incomplete submissions will not be printed. Those received past the deadline (2 weeks prior to publication) cannot be printed but may appear online.

Mail submissions to:

Listings Editor
Metro Times
733 St. Antoine
Detroit, MI 48226

You can also fax your submissions to 313-961-6598 or e-mail Listings

Another way to get your events listed is by using our online self-publishing form.

Due to the volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee all submissions will appear in print.

Got something to tell us? You may submit a letter to the Editor by e-mailing the Editorial Department.

You may also fax a letter to 313-961-6598 or send them to the following address:

Letters
Metro Times
733 St. Antoine
Detroit, MI 48226

Your letter must be signed and must include your city of residence (which will be printed) and a phone number for verification (which we won't print). Letters without these items cannot be published. If you e-mail us, we'd like permission to print your e-mail address, but that isn't mandatory. All letters may be edited for length and clarity.

W. Kim Heron, Editor

W. Kim Heron,sang the line "Rama-rama watch me now" on the first Was (NotWas) album. He played percussion with a number of obscure bands (Trainable, Warm Jets, Bad Crunch, Dry Guitar), entertaining dozens and dozens of people, including the late MC5 singer Rob Tyner, who once helped cart Heron's drums to the car after a gig. So much for stardom. He grew up in Amherstburg, Ontario, until the age 11 when his family moved to Detroit and took pity on his pleas not be left behind; thus began a long love affair with the city. He attended Cass Tech High School (chem-bio program) and Michigan State (journalism department), then worked at the Lansing State Journal after graduation before going to work for the Detroit Free Press from 1979 to 1995. He reported on homicides and fires, Motown memories, Marvin Gaye's funeral, George Clinton's funkadelia, city politics, nuclear physics, lead poisoning, and the experience (first-hand) of nearly losing consciousness in the cockpit of a fighter jet. Taking a break from reporting to spend three months on the copy desk, he found that he loved editing and more or less stayed there for seven years. He served a stint as managing editor of the strikers' Detroit Sunday Journal during the great newspaper strike the mid-'90s and began work (to be finished years later) on his masters of library science at the University of Michigan around the same time. He became managing editor of Metro Times in 1997 and editor in 2006. For many years, he hosted The Kim Heron Program and its predecessor Destination Out on WDET-FM, playing an eclectic range of jazz. He drags his bongos to jam sessions whenever he can.

Curt Guyette, News Editor

Curt Guyette grew up in the wilds of central Pennsylvania, the son of a police detective and the grandson of newspaper typesetter. "I guess, in some weird way, by becoming an investigative reporter, I've melded their two professions," he says. Guyette first attended college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in keg tapping with a minor in libertine studies. He stayed there off an on for four years, quitting occasionally to embark on cross-country hitchhiking excursions, supporting himself with a variety of jobs. After a few brushes with death while working as a deckhand on a boat pushing barges up and down the Mississippi River, he decided a college education might not be such a bad idea after all and transferred to the University of Pittsburgh. At Pitt he majored in English writing, working during the day and attending class at night. After graduation he stuck his thumb out again, landing for a time on a kibbutz in Israel, where he picked bananas. After that, he found his way to Mexico, hooking up with a traveling circus that hired him on as a roustabout. By the early '80s he'd migrated to Northern California, finding employment in a slaughterhouse. At the age of 27, the woman who would become his wife seduced him into giving up his vagabond ways and goaded him into getting a newspaper job. He worked two years covering sports for a small-town daily, then moved on to feature writing and, eventually, hard news. In 1990 he found a home at an alternative newspaper in Sacramento, Ca. Five years later he came to Metro Times as an investigative reporter. He's still married (although his wife, Beth, frequently thinks she must have done something very bad in a previous life to have deserved such a fate) with two delightful teenage children, who consider him an unrepentant oddball with embarrassingly bad fashion sense. As far as he's concerned, they're right on both counts.

Brian Smith, Managing Editor

Brian Jabas Smith was born to a huuuge family of critters under a shining star in Tucson, Arizona, some time in the last century. The nearby military installation shot it down, and Smith's been misguided ever since. Early attempts at childhood were met with moderate success; the enduring words being "shy," "skinny" and "dropout." Also "fast," as a lifelong habit of being able to vanish from sticky situations manifested itself in an early promise as a professional cyclist. But visions of Greg Le Mond in his underpants in Paris vanished in a newfound love of Creem magazine, Ramones and beer. Ever the competitive one, Smith became the 98-pound king of his own teenage wasteland in the Arizona punk rock explosion that has matured to yield so many of our critical darlings of today. Fortunately, maturation wasn't what Smith had in mind - fuck that, he wanted to be a pop star! A total rock 'n' roll love letter, an absolute pop obsessive, Smith became a walking vinyl crush, a marinated and opinionated pain the arse. Along the way, he learned how to write a decent pop song, one of which wound up on a record that sold a million copies worldwide. Almost as an afterthought, he learned how to write, which is a good thing, since rent was one of those universal truths with which had eluded Smith for years. Toss in a handful of journalism awards, spills and black eyes and here he is, walking in the ghost of Creem and supporting bartenders all over Detroit.

Michael Jackman, Associate Editor

Michael Jackman is a fire sign, just like Omar Sharif, who played Dr. Zhivago (except that Sharif is an Aries and Jackman is a Sagittarius). This is important because some people think he looks like Dr. Zhivago. Others say he looks like "that guy from Queer as Folk." Born in 1969 at Mt. Carmel hospital in Detroit, Jackman grew up just 100 yards from the Detroit city line in east Dearborn. His construction worker dad and homemaker mom did their best to raise this middle child and his older brother and younger sister. After a brief misadventure in the Army that ended with Jackman being fired for refusing to get out of his pajamas, he escaped to New York City for twelve years, where he developed an aversion to people who stand in front of elevator doors and a deepening hatred for those who block crosswalks with their cars. Jackman has attended New York University, the School of Visual Arts, Northwestern University and Wayne State University, though he never got a degree. He has worked as a bar back busboy, pool hall manager, office manager, foot messenger, truck driver, combustible electrician, perfume salesman, record store clerk, bouncer, bodyguard, landscaper and sandwich artist. According to a highly scientific test from the Internet, Jackman values love more than money. Or he really prefers sheep to pigs. He can wiggle his ears and prides himself on being an autodidact. Jackman has no felony convictions.

Dennis Shea, Proofreader

Dennis Shea has been proofreading at Metro Times nearly 20 years, 18 of them paid. He wrote short reviews and event articles in the 1990s. Now his writing concentrates on personal poetry and his ever-astounding Wayne State University-area apartment building. Dennis was born in Berkley, Mich., in 1951. He attended Berkley High School, got an English B.A. from WSU, and after about a dozen years of lost weekends, landed in middle age at MT in 1988. He has read voraciously since age 3 or 4; being legally blind in his right eye (lazy eye) distinguishes him from other proofreaders. Dennis plays guitar and sings, golfs and bicycles, all at about intermediate proficiency. His poetry has appeared in the anthology Abandon Automobile and in several small magazines. Of the headlines he's written for MT, his favorite appeared on a Savage Love column discussing condom use: "Don't rubber the wrong way."

Metro Times is consistently recognized for the quality of our newspaper. Following is a list of some of the awards we've been given. The Society of Professional Journalists, Michigan Press Association, and Association of Alternative Newsweeklies have all recognized Metro Times with awards for editorial excellence.

2011

• Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest (Class A Weeklies)
  • Design: First place
  • Special Sections: First place - The Pot Issue, Second place - Best of Detroit, Third place - Hamtramck Blowout
  • Photo Essay: First place - Travis Wright
  • Feature Writing: First place - John Carlisle/ aka Detroitblogger John (Desolation Angel); Second Place: Matthew Wolfe (Letterman)
  • Column Writing: Second place - Jack Lessenberry
• Association of Altnerative Newsmedia 2011 AltWeekly Awards (circulation 50,000 and over)
  • Column Political: Third place — Larry Gabriel (for Sexy Detroit Men, Why to be Paranoid, and Bing's Open-Secret Plan)
  • Innovation / Format Buster: Second place — Sandra Svoboda (To Bobb or Not to Bobb)
• SPJ Excellence in Journalism 2010
  • Journalist of the Year: John Carlisle (aka Detroitblogger John)
  • Innovation / Format Buster: Second place — Sandra Svoboda (To Bobb or Not to Bobb)
• Class A Print publications
  • Criticism: : First place — Jeff Meyers (film reviews); second place — Bill Holdship (rock’n’roll book reviews); third place — Brian Smith, W. Kim Heron, Metro Times Staff (Detroit's Greatest Hits That Should Have Been)
  • Single editorial: Second place — Curt Guyette (End the War)
  • Feature page design: First place — Sean Bieri, Cybelle Codish (Lust cover)
  • Feature photo: First place — Detroitblogger John (Signs of Faith); second place: Detroitblogger John (Custom Revival); third place — Joe Gall (Fash club)
• Online journalism
  • Website: Second place — Casey O'Neil and Metro Times Staff

2010

• Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest: Weekly Class A - 100,001 or more circulation
  • Design: First place
  • Special Section: First place - Best of Detroit
  • Picture Story: First place - "Faces of the Meltdown," Andy Cook
  • Enterprise Reporting: Second place - "Too poor to parent," Curt Guyette
  • Feature Story: Third place - "To Bobb or not to Bobb," Sandra Svoboda
  • Feature Story: Honorable mention - "Home free," Detroitblogger John
    
    
• Best Music Scribing Awards 2009 from Pop Matters
  • Bill Holdship: "Come on, Ronnie, tell 'em how I feel!"

2009

• Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest: Weekly Class A - 100,001 or more circulation
  • Sports Feature: First place - "Fighting for life," Michael Jackman
  • Feature Story: Second place - "Shut Down," Detroitblogger John
  • News Enterprise Reporting: Second place - "In the Blink of an Eye," Sandra Svoboda
  • Design: Second place
  • Local Columnist: Second place - Larry Gabriel, Stir It Up
  • Local Columnist: Honorable mention - Jack Lessenberry, Politics & Prejudices
  • Feature Picture: Second place - Doug Coombe's "Invincible"
  • Sports Picture: Second place - Cybelle Codish's "Fighting"
  • General Excellence: Third place
  • Special Section: Third place - Lust Issue
    
    
• Association of Alternative Newspapers (circulation above 60,000)
  • Format Buster: Second place - Curt Guyette, W. Kim Heron and Sean Bieri, "The Adventures of Kwame-man"
  • Column Political: Third place - Curt Guyette and W. Kim Heron, "Just Go, Guilty as Charged, and Obama's Moment"
  • Public Service: Third place - Curt Guyette, "Detroit's Big Burn"
    
    
• Detroit Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Media Awards (Print, Class A):
  • General reporting: Honorable mention - Sandra Svoboda, "Beyond Innocence"
  • Investigative Reporting: Second place - Curt Guyette, "An Incinerator Made Interesting"
  • Features Reporting: First place - Rebecca Mazzei, "Method to Madness"
  • Features Reporting: Second place - Brian Smith, "Invincible Summer"
  • Criticism: First place - Rebecca Mazzei, "A Manifesto"
  • Criticism: Second place - Bill Holdship, "Raw Power"
  • Criticism: Third place - Jeff Meyers, for a selection of film reviews
  • Editorial cartoon: Third place - Mikhaela Reed
  • News Graphics: Second place - Sean Bieri, Curt Guyette, W. Kim Heron, "The Rise and Fall of Kwame-Man"
  • Feature page design: First place - Sean Bieri, "Just go"
  • Feature page design: Second place - Sean Bieri, "Love is not the Enemy"
  • Wade H. McCree Jr. Awards for the Advancement of Justice: Third place - Sandra Svoboda

2008

• Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest: Weekly Class A - 100,001 or more circulation
  • Feature Story: First place - "Torch Song," Michael Jackman
  • Feature Story: Third place - "Jesus of Suburbia," Brian Smith
  • Enterprise Reporting: Third place - "Nightmare on Highbury Court," Curt Guyette
  • Picture Story: First place - "Pain and Hope," by Cybelle Codish
  • Local Columnist: Second place - Larry Gabriel, Stir It Up
  • Sports Feature: First place - "Long Shots," Sandra Svoboda and Meghana Keshavan
  • Special Section: Third place - Arts Issue

• Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Awards (Print, Class A):
  • Features Reporting: Second place - Brian Smith, "Jesus of Suburbia: A holiday tale, of sorts"
  • Open Government Reporting: Third place - Sandra Svoboda, "Let the sunshine in: WSU students test your right to know"
  • Criticism: Honorable Mention - Bill Holdship and Metro Times staff, "The 100 Greatest Detroit Songs Ever"
    

2007

• Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest: Weekly Class A - 100,001 or more circulation
  • General Excellence: Third Place
  • News Story: First place - "Forever in their Debt," Sarah Klein
  • Feature Story: First place - "T-Girl," Brian Smith
  • Picture Story: Second place - "Detroit when it sizzled," by Doug Coombe
  • Local Columnist: Second place - Jack Lessenberry
  • Special Section: Third place - Blowout X
    
    
• Association of Alternative Newspapers (circulation above 60,000)
  • Feature Writing: Honorable Mention - Curt Guyette, "Pulp friction"
  • Web Site design: Second place - "metrotimes.com," Metro Times
    
    
• Society of Professional Journalists Metropolitan Detroit Chapter
  • Criticism: First place - Rebecca Mazzei, "Object orange alert," "Diary of marks," "Suburban scrawl"
  • Magazine cover design: First and second place - Sean Bieri, "Splashback," "Last of the independents"
  • Magazine spread design: First place - Sean Bieri, "Wright or wrong?"
  • Editorial page design: Second place - Sean Bieri, "Across the great divide"
  • Investigative reporting: Third place - Curt Guyette, "Pulp Friction"
  • Feature news reporting: Third place - Brian Smith, "T-Girl, How activist Tom Ness became transsexual singer Steffie Loveless"
  • News columnist: Third place - Jack Lessenberry, "The Big Three are driving on E," "Dr. Death gets out of prison," "Living in the zoo"
    
    
• Casey Fellowship from the Journalism Center on Children & Families fellowship
  • Sandra Svoboda - To attend "Reporting from the Home Front: Families, Work and Money," at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

2006

• University of Michigan-Dearborn
  • Mentor of the Year - Eve Doster
    
    
• Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest: Weekly Class A - 100,001 or more circulation
  • General Excellence: First Place
  • Design: First Place
  • Enterprise Reporting: Second Place - "Blood Money," Joseph Kirschke
  • Feature Story: Third Place - "Romancing the Hood," Jonathan Cunningham
  • Website (publications of 20,000 or more): Third Place
    
    
• Society of Professional Journalists Metropolitan Detroit Chapter
  • New Media Website: First Place
  • News Columns: Second Place - Jack Lessenberry, Metro Times
  • Criticism/Reviews: Third Place - "Got What You Want," Brian Smith
    
    
• Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards
  • Web Site (above 50,000) Honorable Mention - "metrotimes.com," Metro Times

2005

• Michigan Press Association: Weekly Class A - 100,001 or more circulation
  • Feature Story:
    • First place - "Building the Better Vagina," Sarah Klein
  • News Story:
    • First place - "Lessons in Denial," Ann Mullen
    • Third place - "Off the Deep End," Curt Guyette
  • Spot News Story:
    • Third Place - "Internal Affairs?," Curt Guyette

2004

• Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards
  • News Story: First place - "Confessions and Recantations," Ann Mullen
  • Education: Honorable Mention - "School of Life," Lisa M. Collins
    
    
• Michigan Press Association: Weekly Class A - 100,001 or more circulation
  • Feature Story:
    • First place - “Captivating Art,” Sarah Klein
    • Second place - “No Smoking Gun,” Jeremy Voas
    • Third place - “Road to Baghdad,” Curt Guyette
  • Enterprise Reporting:
    • First place - “Ill begotten,” Curt Guyette
    • Second place - “Dearth & Taxes,” Lisa M. Collins
    • Third place - “Open for Foreclosure,” Lisa M. Collins
  • Special Section: Third place - Summer Guide
    
    
• Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Awards
  • Best Web Site
  • Journalist of the Year - Finalist - Curt Guyette
  • Journalist of the Year - Finalist - Ann Mullen
  • Young Journalist of the Year - Finalist - Lisa M. Collins, Investigative reporting
  • First place - “Dearth and Taxes,” Lisa M. Collins, Business reporting
  • First place - “Open for Foreclosure,” Lisa M. Collins, Best feature
  • Honorable mention - “Detroit is not alone,” Lisa M. Collins
  • General news reporting
    • First place - “Conspiracy Theory,” Ann Mullen
    • Second place - “When crime pays,” Curt Guyette
    • Third place - “No smoking gun,” Jeremy Voas

2003

• Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards
  • Third Place - Photography
    
    
• Investigative Reporters and Editors - Local Circulation Weekly
  • Finalist - "Prescription For Profit and A Tale of Two Hospitals," Curt Guyette
  • Finalist - "Dearth and Taxes," Lisa M. Collins

2002

• Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards
  • Second place - Arts Feature, "N'Namdi's Biggest Gamble," George Tysh
• Livingston Award
  • Finalist - Lisa M. Collins
    
    
• Michigan Press Association - Weekly Class A
  • Human Interest Feature - Third Place: "Polyamory," Jeremy Voas
  • Enterprise Feature - Second Place: "The Big Stink," Ann Mullen
  • Enterprise Feature - Third Place: "Waste Knot," Lisa M. Collins
  • Cover Photo - Fourth Place: "Why?," John Smock
    
    
• Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Awards
  • Journalist of the Year - Jack Lessenberry
  • Young Journalist of the Year - Lisa M. Collins
  • General Reporting
    • Third place - "The Big Stink," Ann Mullen
  • Feature Reporting
    • Second place - "The Matchmaker," Ann Mullen
    • Honorable Mention - "The Pastor's Secret," Ann Mullen
  • Columnist
    • Third place - Jack Lessenberry

2001

• Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards
  • Third place - Arts Feature
    
    
• Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Awards
  • Best Web Site
    • Third place - www.metrotimes.com
  • Feature Reporting
    • Third place - "Detroit Blues History," Keith A. Owens
  • Columns
    • Second place - Jack Lessenberry
  • General Reporting/Non-Daily
    • First place - "When Cops Shoot," Ann Mullen
    • Second place - "Shot In The Dark," Curt Guyette

2000

• Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards
  • Third Place - News Story
    
    
• Michigan Press Association: Class A Weekly - 100,001 or more circulation
  • First place
    • Design
    • Special Section
    • Lifestyle Section
    • Human Interest Feature
    • Enterprise Feature
  • Second place
    • Local Column, Lifestyle Section
  • Third Place
    • Sports Feature

1999

• Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards
  • First Place - Column
    
    
• Association of Food Journalists
  • Third Place - Awards Competition
    
    
• Michigan Press Association
  • First Place
    • General Excellence
    • Editorial Writing
    • Special Section (Alternative Visitors Guide)
    • Enterprise Feature
  • Second Place
    • Local News Reporting
    • Lifestyle Section
    • Local Columns
  • Third Place
    • Enterprise Feature
    • Local News Reporting
    • Spot News Story
  • Honorable Mention
    • Local Columns

1998

• Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest
  • First Place
    • Enterprise Feature
    • Local News Reporting
    • Spot News Story
    • Picture Story
    • Lifestyle Section
  • Third Place
    • Special Section (Home Universe)
  • Honorable Mention
    • Special Section (Alternative Visitors Guide)
    • Local News Reporting
    • Design
      
      
• Michigan Press Association Classified Advertisement Contest
  • Second Place
    • Best Classified Automotive Idea - Black and White
  • Third Place
    • Best Classified Directory Idea
    • Best Classified Recruitment Idea
    • Best Classified In House Promotion
    • Best Overall Classified Sections
      
      
• Maggie Award from Planned Parenthood of America
  
  
• EMMA Award from National Women's Political Caucus
  
  
• Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood of Southeast Michigan for Coverage of Issues of Reproductive Freedom

1997

• Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards
  • First Place - Political story
  • Honorable Mention - Investigative Story
    
    
• Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest
  • First Place
    • Enterprise Feature
    • Local Columns
    • Design
  • Second Place
    • Local Columns
    • General Excellence
  • Third Place
    • Local News Reporting
    • Picture Story
      
      
• Michigan Press Association ADCON 97
  • Second Place
    • Best Ad Idea: Color
  • Third Place
    • Best Special Section
    • Best Multi-Color Ad
      
      
• Citizens Environmental Alliance Excellence in Environmental Coverage

1996

• Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards
  • Second Place - Media Writing
  • Third Place - Music Writing
  • Honorable Mention - Local Political Story or Series
    
    
• Media Award from Michigan's Lesbian and Gay Community

1994

• Alternative Press Award
  • Winner - Investigative Journalism
    
    
• Awareness Achievement Award Honorable Mention from National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

1992

• The Bernard Gottfried Award from American Civil Liberties Union for Broadening the Marketplace of Ideas
  
  
• Aldo Leopold Award from Michigan Environmental Defense for Excellence in Environmental Journalism

About Metro Times

Departments

• Top Jobs
• Homes
• Attorneys
• Autos