KEN MEISEL, 2012 Kresge Artist Fellow in the Literary ArtsBiography
 Ken Meisel is a poet and psychotherapist from Detroit. He is the author of five poetry collections, most recently “Beautiful Rust” (Bottom Dog Press, 2009). Much of his work comes from studying how pain becomes healing, and healing becomes hope. Being Irish, he believes that pain and joy walk as travel companions, and that there is no escape from what we must witness and communicate to one another. He believes that creativity is a hammer and a nail inside a forest fire, and so he donates proceeds from his book sales to charities as a way of giving back to his community.
Interview
You have an interesting background both as a poet and as a marriage and family therapist. How do these different worlds impact each other?
My work as a psychotherapist places me intimately within human interest stories. Specifically, I have intimate engagement with the poetics of how people navigate significance, meaning and change in their lives. Poetry and psychotherapy stimulate the Watcher, or Gazer within. It is the Gazer within me that is able to translate experience and write poetry effectively.
Tell us briefly about your current work.
I’ve completed a manuscript entitled “The Drunken Sweetheart at My Door.” It’s a book of love poems that celebrates the devotional aspects and particularities of love. Many of the poems are in couplets and triplets. I wanted more expansive space in my work. I wanted to get away from longer, narrative poems. The poems are more surreal and gentle. They carry the hunger of love in them.
Your recent work has addressed the significance of human wounding and healing. Where does this interest emerge from?
My interest in wounding and healing derives primarily from my work as a psychotherapist. I am fascinated by the wounding and healing cycle characteristic of all human relationships. I’m also fascinated by the way that this cycle is playing out in Detroit right now. The injury and recovery cycle is an essential ingredient in the durational resilience of all life forms. It shows all who witness it what really matters in life.
What inspires you about Detroit right now, and how does Detroit directly influence your work?
I’m inspired by the re-imagining of Detroit. Detroit needs to be re-imagined as a location that provides a harmonic space for gathering groups. I appreciate the death-change-rebirth cycle in the city right now. Detroit as a life form always fascinates me – its tragedy, its pathos, and its heroics inspire me.
In what ways do you engage the Detroit community?
As a poet, I engage Detroit whenever I read a love poem to it. I also make a point to donate the proceeds of my book sales to a Detroit cause. This practice ensures that I stay in harmony and balance as an artist by tithing the muse that inspires my work.
Work Sample
to read two poems by Ken.
MARSHA MUSIC, 2012 Kresge Artist Fellow in the Literary Arts
Biography
 Marsha Music, daughter of a pre-Motown record producer, grew up in Highland Park and lives in Lafayette Park, Detroit. She is a self-described “primordial Detroiter” and writes about the city’s music, and its past, present and future. She is a former activist/labor leader and a noted speaker. She has contributed to significant Detroit narratives, including Untold Tales, Unsung Heroes: An Oral History of Detroit’s African American Community, University of Michigan’s “Living Music Oral History Project“, and Thanks for the View, Mr. Mies: Lafayette Park, Detroit, as well as HBO’s documentary on the Detroit Tigers. Music is an executive assistant in the judiciary, has two sons and four stepchildren, and is married to the artist David Philpot.
http://marshamusic.wordpress.com
Interview
Your writing is strongly influenced by your experiences growing up in Detroit and being engaged with music. How has your background influenced your writing style and/or voice?
I grew up in Highland Park, when that city had one of the best public school systems in the United States; my exemplary primary/secondary education is the foundation for my writing. I also grew up around my father’s gospel and blues record shops, which gave me extraordinary exposure to sermons, music and Detroit life. I came of age in the social tumult of the ’60s. Because of these influences, I have a literary voice that reflects our emphatic, eloquent Detroit style. I strive to be rhythmic and soothing, spiritual and lucid, inclusive and compassionate.
Tell us briefly about your current work. What are you working on, and what is your process for this work?
I am writing a book about my father, his music, and the profound changes in Detroit. The success of my one-woman show “Live From Hastings Street,” which debuted at Art X Detroit 2013 and was based on this story, has inspired me to adapt my presentation for future audiences and to explore other treatments, such as film. This requires critiquing my work, being open to performance opportunities and collaborations, studying the history of the city, and listening to voices in and out of Detroit.
You have a blog for your writing - in what ways has the internet changed the way you approach your writing and how do you think it has impacted the literary field at large?
Although I had been published in an anthology and independent periodicals, in the ‘90s I began to write in early online communities. I discovered a national and international audience, which eventually led to my blog. The web reduced the reliance on publishing to reach readers, but it also created new challenges and opportunities for financially supporting one’s work.
What inspires you about Detroit right now, and how does Detroit directly influence your work?
All of my work is about Detroit, and is a reflection of its historically “working man’s town” attributes: non-fussiness, discipline, hard labor, good preaching, social consciousness – and musicality.
I am inspired by the sheer earnestness and amazing energy of the young people who are moving into the city, and by the hope and perseverance of neighborhood heroes who often withstand soul-breaking circumstances in their efforts to keep their communities alive. I am inspired by the amazing opportunity that we have here in Detroit - for I believe that we can do something absolutely unprecedented in this town.
In what ways do you engage the Detroit community?
By reaching outside of the Downtown/Midtown buzz to publicize events and activities; engaging groups, churches, schools, etc.; and encouraging attendance at a broader variety of events and awareness of the artists in the neighborhoods. People come here from all over the world and feel the energy of creativity in this place because Detroit has always been a city of the arts.
Work Sample
to visit Marsha’s blog.
XIAO DONG WEI, 2012 Kresge Artist Fellow in the Performing Arts
Biography
 Xiao Dong Wei began studying the erhu at the age of five and graduated from the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing after 10 years of intensive study. Xiao Dong went on to perform with the Chinese Motion Picture Orchestra for four years. After moving to Detroit in 2005, she began playing various gigs with many diverse musicians and musical styles. Xiao Dong continued to expand her classical career, with such notable appearances as guest soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She teamed up with pianist Yuki Mack and they continue to expand their repertoire and dazzle audiences.
www.xiaodongwei.com
Interview
You are originally from China and moved to the United States in 2005. How has your music evolved since you relocated?
Unlike China, I have found that Detroit is a melting pot of many different cultures and musical styles. Since coming here, I’ve collaborated with tremendous musicians from all corners of the world to explore a variety of musical styles. Since moving to Detroit, my musical repertoire has greatly expanded.
What are you currently working on, and what is your process for this work?
I’m currently recording a new classical album featuring Chinese music. Right now, my process is filled with many decisions: what music to record, where to record, graphic design of the album, and what music to include.
You uniquely play both classical and hard rock music. Is there a different mindset or creative activity that is distinct to each of them?
The actual arranging and writing processes are pretty much the same, just with different instruments and styles. But the audiences are very different. Rock music is more casual and fun and classical music is a little more serious, but not too much!
What inspires you about Detroit right now, and how does Detroit directly influence your work?
I am inspired by Detroit’s artistic community and its supporters who are helping transform the city through the arts. There’s no way to be a musician in Detroit and not be influenced by its diverse and rich and musical heritage and the talented musicians who call Detroit home.
In what ways do you engage the Detroit community?
I engage the Detroit community through performances at local schools and cultural events and through my teaching at the Confucius Institute at the University of Michigan.
Work Sample
to watch Xiao Dong play “Csárdás” on the ehru. |
Residence: Detroit, MI
