Visit Detroit’s official mobile tourism center, the D-Rover Van, will be at Detroit Bookfest!

The D-Rover Van will be at Detroit Bookfest!

*Special thanks to John Francis, Harriet Carter, Stan Smith and the great staff at the DMCVB for this*

The D-Rover Mobile Visitors Center travels around the region, helping to promote Detroit by passing out free magazines, maps, giveaways and special Detroit promotional materials to anyone interested in hearing more about the area.

Owned and operated by the The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB), the D-Rover will be making its way to Bookfest!

John Francis @ the D Rover from DMCVB (photo by: Detroit’s Debography)

The DMCVB is “the only organization that promotes Metro Detroit regionally, nationally and internationally as a convention, business meeting and tourism destination.”

It is a non-profit economic development corporation which helps generate excitement about the area.

Factoring in all of the ancillary revenue streams (ie: hotels, restaurants, bars, stores, etc), the economic impact of Detroit Festival of Books for the Metro Detroit region is projected to be several million dollars.

Come check out the D-Rover!

Visit Detroit

https://visitdetroit.com/

Visit Detroit calendar of events

https://visitdetroit.com/events/7th-annual-detroit-festival-of-books/

The D-Rover Van will be at Detroit Bookfest!

Here are some fun Detroit facts courtesy of DMCVB’s VisitDetroit.com

Detroit Facts

Photos from the 6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market

Debbie Maciolek is the Official Photographer for Detroit Festival of Books

The 6th annual Detroit Festival of Books (aka: Detroit Bookfest) took place on Sunday, July 16, 2023 at Eastern Market Shed 5 in Detroit.

These photos are courtesy of Detroit photographer Debbie Maciolek and her company DEBOGRAPHY .

Debbie says:

“I had an absolute blast at Detroit Bookfest! Really enjoyed it, especially meeting the book dealers and authors and listening to all the great conversations. Thank you to all the people who interacted with me and helped me get great shots. It was a very diverse crowd of vendors and attendees and I loved seeing all the books, smiles, great food, records, hearing the funk music and I look forward to going next year!”

Debography Email

[email protected]

Debography Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/debographyphotography/

Debography Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/DebographyPics/

Debography Twitter

https://twitter.com/debography

6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

Darren McCarty @ 6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

Deon Forrest @ 6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

John King @ 6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

Ilana Berry @ 6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

Birdie’s Bookmobile @ 6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

Ryan M. Place and Lonni Thomas @ 6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

6th Annual Detroit Festival of Books 2023 @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography) Detroit Bookfest

These photos shot on the Bookfest pocket cam by the Committee

Detroit artist RACHEL QUINLAN does it again with ‘The Escape’ her exclusive painting to celebrate Detroit Bookfest

Detroit artist Rachel Quinlan does it again!

Rachel is the Creative Director for the Detroit Festival of Books and she recently finished her amazing new piece, entitled ‘The Escape‘, made with watercolor, ink, gouache, and digital.

Rachel is an exceptionally talented artist and she will be selling artwork and posters and other goodies at Detroit Bookfest.

You can purchase limited exclusive prints of this artwork from Rachel at Bookfest!

Come buy some of her amazing creations!

Rachel Quinlan Homepage

https://www.rachelquinlan.com/

Buy prints, originals & pins here

https://www.rachelquinlan.com/shop/

Rachel Quinlan Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/rachelquinlanart/

Detroit artist RACHEL QUINLAN Creates Fantastic New Bookfest Logo!

Pong Detroit will be wheeling ping-pong tables over to Detroit Bookfest!

Pong Detroit is an afterhours ping-pong social club, which is located directly across the street from Eastern Market, inside Bert’s Warehouse (2739 Russell Street).

The brainchild of former Honolulu-based radio DJ and pong enthusiast Mal Lang, their slogan is “unplug and play.”

Mal says, “Soccer is # 1 and table tennis is the # 2 participant sport in world. Table tennis is huge in China, India, Europe (especially Sweden & Germany).”

Pong Detroit (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Bert’s Warehouse also features a comedy club, kitchen, and bar, so you can drink and pong all night long.

Lessons are available and they will be doing wheelchair table tennis soon. Their other slogan is “Food, drinks, music and pong.”

Fortunately for Bookfest attendees, Mal will be wheeling over some ping-pong tables to Detroit Bookfest, so everyone can enjoy playing some free ping-pong in the streets.

Thank you, Mal!

Michigan shaped ping pong paddle (courtesy of Pong Detroit)

Pong Detroit (inside Bert’s Warehouse)

2739 Russell Street

Detroit, MI 48207

Regular Hours

Tuesday-Thursday

5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Cost

$10/hr from 5-7pm, then $15/hr 7pm-11pm

Homepage

http://pongdetroit.com/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pongdetroit/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/pongdetroit/

Pong Detroit inside Bert’s Warehouse (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Pong Detroit

Debbie Maciolek is the Official Photographer for Detroit Festival of Books

Iconic photo of Detroit Bookfest taken by Debbie Maciolek in 2018 (Eastern Market, Shed 5, Detroit)

Native Detroiter, Debbie Maciolek, runs Debography, a local photography company. She expertly photographed some early incarnations of Bookfest for us in the past. And now, thankfully, she’s back!

The quality of her work is superb, and we are immensely fortunate to have her documenting the event.

You will see her running around at Detroit Bookfest taking photos. Please treat her with courtesy and respect.

Debbie Maciolek self-portrait (photo by Debbie Maciolek)

Here’s Debbie:

“I’ve got lots of books to donate. I can’t throw out a book. It goes against everything I believe in.”

“My early years? Wow, well, I grew up on Detroit’s Upper Eastside. I lived on Lansdowne, between Yorkshire and Grayton and attended Guardian Angels at Kelly and Whittier and also Bishop Gallagher.”

“I attended Wayne State University, studying business and have my certificate of Photographic Arts from Macomb Community College.”

“For the past 28 years, my husband Bob and I have lived in Macomb. He’s a Colonel in the National Guard and we’ve owned a software business for 16 years now called Static Line Software.”

Abandoned Detroit building (photo by Debbie Maciolek)

“We have a son and a daughter, Blake and Claire, both finishing up college at Western Michigan and University of Michigan respectively and two furry kids. Our two dogs are Bella – a Lab-Pit mix, and Dexter – a Great Pyrenees-Siberian Husky mix.”

“I come from three generations of Detroit firefighters. My grandfather and father both retired as Chief of the city and my brother is a current Sergeant on the Eastside.”

“When I was young, my dad used to race stock outboard boats all over the state in short courses and marathons. This is actually how I started photography. To this day, I love photographing live sports, especially hockey, and capturing the raw in-the-moment action. Traveling frequently allowed us to camp all over the state. There is nothing like Michigan in the summer, the forests and lakes are incredible.”

“Debography was started November 2016. I was able to leave my job with a software services company and move into being a photographer full-time. I shoot senior photos, lifestyle, off the beaten path type stuff, abandoned buildings, nature photography, events, etc. Not weddings, never weddings.”

Detroit River photo (photo by Debbie Maciolek)

“My camera setup consists of a Canon 5D Mark IV and I use primarily Canon lenses, and Sigma Art lenses. My preferred editing software is Photoshop and I’ve found the absolutely best company for lighting supplies and support – Flashgear.net.”

“My advice for aspiring photographers is to understand the manual settings and remember that lighting is everything, it will always make or break your shots. Take the time to understand how light affects your subject.”

“As for hobbies, I love traveling, seeking out new adventures, experiencing off the beaten path type stuff. I’m an avid reader, mostly mysteries. I belong to a book club that’s…really more of a wine club, but hey, it’s fun. I’ve also been getting back into running, I’ve completed four half marathons and am looking to fit in a fifth one.”

“Michigan is a wonderful state, we love it here; there is always something new to do. My husband and I have a cottage in Gladwin on Secord Lake and have made some fabulous friends up there. I grew up going to Burt Lake and Indian River, which are about a half hour south of Mackinaw City, and will always be one of my favorite spots. The State Park is great and the swimming and hiking can’t be beat. Locally, we love spending time outdoors at Stony Creek Metropark and Dodge Park. Favorite restaurants near our house include Da Francesco’s Ristorante for Italian food and Golden Fleece in Greektown for Greek food.”

“Outside of Michigan, my favorite spot hands down is Ireland. Stunningly beautiful country. I recommend renting a car and driving around southern Ireland, especially the Killarney area. And yes, for some reason, the Guinness really does taste better over there, the rumors are true! It tastes like Irish Magic.”