200+ Photos from the 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market

Debbie Maciolek is the Official Photographer for Detroit Festival of Books

The 5th annual Detroit Festival of Books (aka: Detroit Bookfest) took place on Sunday, July 17, 2022 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]

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

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

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https://twitter.com/debography

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

Elyssa (Rautiola) Kayser & Terry Kayser @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography)

Mia Odeh and Don Soenen @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography)

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

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

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

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

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

Lauren Rautiola and Ed Clark @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography)

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

DJ Seven Whales and Ryan M. Place @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5 (photo by: Debbie Maciolek, aka: Debography)

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

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

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

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

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

These photos shot on the Bookfest pocket cam by the Committee

5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Paul Rambo, Lauren Rautiola, Corey Needham, Ed Clark @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Corey Needham & Paul Rambo @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Char’latte Coffee Company (Lex and Jazz) @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Clickondetroit Channel 4 Priya Mann @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Tony “T-Money” Green and Ryan M. Place @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Dale Climer, Joei Burton, Renee Shimanek @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Lauren Rautiola, Heidy Rautiola, and Cierra Rautiola @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Joe Bowman and Sarah Koitek and Cheyenne and Chris @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Gideon Shimanek @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Detroit Bookfest founder Ryan M. Place & influencer Cierra Rautiola @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Tony “T-Money” Green and Tom Pascoe (TNT Authentics) @ 5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

5th Annual Detroit Festival of Books @ Eastern Market Shed 5

Detroit Bookfest 2022 Festival Guide

Detroit Bookfest 2019 (photo by Ryan M. Place)

The Detroit Festival of Books, aka: Detroit Bookfest, is a FREE annual in-person event at Eastern Market in Detroit, Michigan.

Eastern Market

Shed 5

2934 Russell Street

Detroit, MI 48207

Sunday, July 17, 2022

10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Facebook event page

https://www.facebook.com/events/682806536217456/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/DetroitBookfest

We are also hosting Virtual Detroit Bookfest on our website from July 15-17, 2022

https://detroitbookfest.com/vendor-application-2022/

Eastern Market Detroit map

The phrase “Eastern Market” refers to both the large district/neighborhood and also the series of Sheds owned by the city of Detroit and run by the Eastern Market Partnership non-profit organization.

Opened in 1891, Eastern Market is the largest historic public market in the United States.

Featuring 43 acres of space, Eastern Market is comprised of a series of indoor and outdoor sheds which function as thriving year-round consumer markets.

This year, Detroit Bookfest will be located inside Shed 5 where vendors will be selling all sorts of books (ie: used, rare, antiquarian, authors, children’s, new, unusual, ephemera, etc), comic books, vinyl LP records, creative arts, and more.

Detroit Festival of Books (photo by Debography)

DJ Seven Whales will be providing the vibes.

Debbie Maciolek will be documenting the experience with her keen and perceptive eye.

Two food trucks, Delray BBQ and Treat Dreams will be on the south side of Shed 5 on Alfred Street (east of Russell Street)

Char’latte Coffee Company: Two Metro Detroit sisters are bringing their Mobile Coffee Cart to Detroit Bookfest

The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau’s D-Rover van will be outside Shed 5.

Pong Detroit, the ping-pong social club, will be wheeling some ping-pong tables over to Bookfest!

Deon Forrest (aka: Greektown Hotbox) Detroit’s own world-famous street performer will be live on Russell Street (at Alfred Street) outside Detroit Bookfest.

Detroit’s own Arts & Scraps is bringing the ScrapMobile to Bookfest! Kids will be able to build their own books here!

Detroit artist Rachel Quinlan created an exclusive painting for Detroit Bookfest

And more!

Health and safety is our #1 concern.

Whatever safety protocols are in place on Bookfest Day, we will be following them 100%.

We ultimately have no idea what to expect this year but we will do our absolute best to make it fun and safe.

JR Jones and Lonni Thomas, two of Eastern Market’s finest and also members of the Detroit Bookfest Committee (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Our festival footprint has grown to include:

The Official Bookfest Afterparty down the street at Eastern Market Brewing Company (runs 10am-8pm)

https://detroitbookfest.com/bookfest-afterparty-embc/

Bookfest Bash inside Bea’s Detroit (runs 10am-4pm)

https://detroitbookfest.com/beas-detroit-bookfest-bash/

Please explore the Detroit Bookfest Festival Guide below.

We also encourage you to make a day of it and explore the entire Eastern Market district, which is packed with hundreds of fun shops, restaurants, and experiences.

Eastern Market’s Shed 5 Detroit (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Here’s our totally professional graphic designer-approved not flawed in any way screenshot MAP of the Bookfest Festival Footprint

Detroit Bookfest festival map

Eastern Market Brewing Company

2515 Riopelle Street

Located three blocks southeast of Shed 5, Eastern Market Brewing Company (EMBC) is one of the most popular destinations in Eastern Market.

Currently, the street they’re on, Riopelle, is closed to vehicle traffic. It is pedestrian-only and they have tables in the street, food tent, live DJ Sam Morykwas, and of course beer, glorious beer.

Some of their most popular beers are:

Elephant Juice, Market Day IPA, Mae Blanc, Wonderboy, and White Coffee Stout

Bookfest Afterparty

https://detroitbookfest.com/bookfest-afterparty-embc/

Beer list

https://easternmarket.beer/beers/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/easternmarketbrewing/?hl=en

Special thanks to Dayne Bartscht (owner) and his team

Eastern Market Brewing Company Detroit (photo courtesy of EMBC)

EMBC Detroit (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Bea’s Squeeze Detroit

1533 Winder Street

Half a block around the corner from EMBC is Bea’s lovely combination eatery and co-working space. This beautiful addition to the market is the brainchild of Beatrice Wolnerman and they now have a walk-up window.

Bea’s was recently voted the # 1 special occasion venue in Metro Detroit.

Be sure to try Bea’s signature lemonade (bottled lemonade or lemonade slushies) and some tasty scones.

Bookfest Bash

https://detroitbookfest.com/beas-detroit-bookfest-bash/

Homepage

https://www.beasdetroit.com/

You can even buy this awesome duffel bag from Bea’s

https://beassqueeze.com/products/duffel-bag

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/beasdetroit/

Special thanks to Beatrice Wolnerman (owner) and Connar McLeod (events director)

Bea’s Detroit (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Bea’s Detroit warehouse (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Bea’s Detroit (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Bea’s duffel bag (photo courtesy of Bea’s)

Live boxing inside Bert’s Warehouse (2739 Russell St, Detroit)

directly across from the Eastern Market Sheds

Sunday, July 17, 2022

2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Buy tickets here:

https://www.detroitgoldengloves.org/

Live boxing inside Bert’s Warehouse during Detroit Bookfest

Pong Detroit

This afterhours ping-pong social club is located 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).”

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.”

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/

Thanks to Mal Lang (owner)

Pong Detroit (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Pong Detroit

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

Michigan shaped ping pong paddle (courtesy of Pong Detroit)

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

Red Bull Arts Detroit

1551 Winder Street

Directly next door to Bea’s is the 14,000-square foot two-story Red Bull Arts warehouse. Inside they have a library and recording studio.

The basement of the warehouse is the old Eckhardt & Becker Brewery and is basically a cool subterranean brick-walled cavern. The brewery was here 1891-1969.

New York City and Detroit are the only two Red Bull Arts exhibition spaces in North America. There’s also one in Sao Paolo, Brazil called The Station. Red Bull’s global HQ is in Austria and their North American HQ is in Santa Monica, California.

Red Bull, yes the energy drink company, pays 9 artists from all over the world a $12,000 stipend to live and work at the warehouse for 3 month intervals (ie: January-April, April-July, August-November). The stipend allows the artists to focus on making art full-time while in Detroit. Being an artist is not easy and the money and dedicated time for free-flowing creativity are a blessing to struggling artists.

Homepage

http://redbullarts.com/detroit/

RBA Detroit Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/redbullartsdetroit/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/redbullarts/?hl=en

Special thanks to Matt Eaton (director)

Red Bull Arts Detroit (photocourtesy of Red Bull)

Red Bull Arts Detroit warehouse (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

The Dequindre Cut

Closest entrance located at 3017 Orleans Street.

“The Cut,” as it’s called is a lovely greenway/urban recreational pathway for walking, biking, jogging.

It is 2-miles long and runs from the Detroit Riverfront to the northern tip of Eastern Market.

Near the Wilkins/Orleans entrance, you can find the Freight Yard Bar, this is an outdoor bar made out of shipping containers.

To get to the bar:

Enter at Orleans St & Wilkins St, walk down to the Cut, make a right, then it’s down on your left.

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/DequindreCutFreightYard

Dequindre Cut (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Dequindre Cut Map

Dequindre Cut (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Dequindre Cut Freight Yard bar (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Dequindre Cut (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra concert @ Dequindre Cut Freightyard Bar (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Detroit City Distillery

2462 Riopelle Street

The Riopelle taproom of DCD is down the street from Eastern Market Brewing Company.

Here you will find a lively outdoor vibe, including music, cocktails and food from Midnight Temple, the Indian gastropub located above DCD. (hint: try the tandoori wings and gobi rollup).

Homepage

https://www.detroitcitydistillery.com/

Midnight Temple

https://www.midnighttemple.com/

Special thanks to JP Jerome (co-founder), Mike Forsyth (co-founder), Akash Sudhakara (Midnight Temple)

Detroit City Distillery (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Midnight Temple Indian food Detroit (photo courtesy of Yelp)

Trio of great shops

1337-1353 Division Street

This trio of great shops, Detroit Hustles Harder, Signal-Return, the 37th Shield Library, is located along Division Street, west of Russell Street.

37th Shield Library sells books and records and more.

https://www.facebook.com/The37thshieldlibrary/

Signal-Return is a letterpress studio.

http://www.signalreturnpress.org/

Detroit Hustles Harder is a globally recognized clothing store.

https://divisionstreetboutique.com/

Special thanks to Andrew Potvin (37th Shield), Toby Barlow and Lynne Avadenka (Signal-Return), and Brendan Blumentritt (Detroit Hustles Harder)

37th Shield Library, Signal Return letterpress, Detroit Hustles Harder (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

37th Shield Library (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

The Eastern (event venue)

3434 Russell Street

The Eastern is a lovely 5,000-square foot industrial space you can rent out for special events.

Built in 1888, this is the old Hook and Ladder # 5 fire station. The Eastern has capacity for 300 seated or 600+ strolling and a 3,000 square foot outdoor patio.

Note: The entrance is not directly on Russell St, rather the main entrance is located on the north side of the building next to Wasserman Art Gallery.

Homepage

http://www.theeasterndetroit.com/

Virtual Tour

http://www.theeasterndetroit.com/virtual-tour

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/theeastern

Special thank you to Scott Rutterbush (owner).

The Eastern event space Detroit (courtesy The Eastern)

Elsewhere in the Eastern Market district….

Eastern Market sculpture at Orleans and Erskine (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Eastern Market graffiti on Orleans Street, north of Erskine (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Eastern Market graffiti on Orleans Street, north of Winder (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Eastern Market graffiti on Orleans Street, north of Alfred (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

J’adore Loft

2501 Russell Street, ste. 400

This fun event space is 2,000 square feet and has capacity for 50 seated or 125 strolling.

Great for meetings, weddings, photo shoots, events of all sorts.

Homepage

https://www.jadore-detroit.com/the-loft-1

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/jadoredetroit

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/jadoredetroit/

Special thanks to Candice Simons (owner).

J’adore Loft in Eastern Market (photo courtesy of J’adore Loft Detroit)

Dyno Indoor Climbing Gym

3500 Orleans Street

This place is really cool! Inside you will find 12-15 foot tall boulders and a 49 foot tall rope section.

You can get a day pass, punch pass, or membership.

Climbers must be over 4 years old and you have to be over 16 years old to belay.

Homepage

https://www.dynodetroit.com/

Special thanks to Dino Ruggeri (owner)

Dyno indoor climbing gym (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

Dyno indoor climbing gym (photo courtesy of Dyno)

Dorais Park Velodrome

601 Mack Avenue

Located on the NW edge of the Eastern Market district, this is also another really cool place!

Inside the 64,000 square foot dome you will find an indoor wooden bicycle track.

Bicyclists beware, you can actually go up to 50mph on your bicycle inside here!

Homepage

https://lexusvelodrome.com/

Special thanks to Dale Hughes (owner)

Dorais Park Velodrome (photo courtesy of the Velodrome)

Dorais Park Velodrome (photo by: Ryan M. Place)

That’s not everything in Eastern Market.

Merely a small sampling of some of the fun and exciting things you can do.

Be sure to explore the entire district and enjoy your experience in Detroit!

Detroit Bookfest 2022 Food Trucks: DELRAY BARBECUE and TREAT DREAMS ICE CREAM

Eastern Market Shed 5 map

The Detroit Festival of Books, aka: Detroit Bookfest, is a FREE annual in-person event at Eastern Market in Detroit, Michigan.

Eastern Market

Shed 5

2934 Russell Street

Detroit, MI 48207

Sunday, July 17, 2022

10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Where will the Food Trucks be located at?

There will be two food trucks, Delray BBQ and Treat Dreams Ice Cream on the south side of Shed 5 along Alfred Street, just east of Russell Street.

Delray Barbecue

Delray Barbecue BBQ Detroit

Delray BBQ is located in the Delray neighborhood of Southwest Detroit. They have some of the best BBQ food in the state of Michigan.

They will be selling slow smoked ribs, homemade mac & cheese, pulled pork sandwiches, cheeseburgers, and Dearborn hot dogs. All sandwiches are served on toasted Delray bakery buns and all local products.

Delray’s top sellers are: ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, and mac & cheese.

Delray BBQ was co-founded in 2020 by Collin Karcher and Steven Sladovnik. Both with a love for creating homemade dishes, saw a demand during the covid shutdown for quality BBQ in the Delray/Detroit area. Soon after the founding, both owners took the leap to running a business full-time. In addition to the food truck, they now have another location in Ferndale at 9 mile and Woodward.

They are a locally owned and operated business with roots in the Old Delray neighborhood.

https://delraybarbecue.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DelrayBBQ/

https://www.instagram.com/delraybbq

Delray Barbecue BBQ Detroit

Treat Dreams Ice Cream

Treat Dreams Ice Cream is a phenomenal ice cream truck.

They will be selling ice cream scoops, ice cream sandwiches (aka: Super Sammies) and pooch pops.

Their top-sellers are: Kooky Monster, Double Chocolate Chip, Honey Lavender.

Treat Dreams was founded by Scott Moloney in Ferndale in 2011. They opened their Detroit location in 2015. And……they have a third location coming soon!

https://www.instagram.com/treat_dreams/

https://www.facebook.com/TreatDreams/

https://www.facebook.com/TreatDreams313/

Exclusive Interview: Deon Forrest (aka: Greektown Hotbox) Detroit’s own world-famous street performer will be live outside Detroit Bookfest

Deon will be located on Russell Street at Alfred Street from 11am-3pm during Bookfest. Please bring money to tip him. Paper money, small bills are appreciated.

Considered a Detroit street legend and one of the top street performers in the Midwest by many, the musically gifted Deon Forrest, has built a reputation for doing his own thing.

Self-taught and ambidextrous, Deon “plays the pots” on the streets of Detroit, most notably drawing massive crowds in the neighborhoods of Eastern Market, Greektown and Downtown.

Videos of Deon have gone viral numerous times. Some of the videos online have over 60 million views. He was featured on the Jimmy Kimmel Show and some fans of his work include Eminem, Janet Jackson, Post Malone, Jermaine Dupri, and many others.

Deon’s sense of rhythm, timing, theatrics, audience engagement and overall musicianship are what sets him apart from the competition.

Big Sean’s Detroit 2 album cover (featuring Deon Forrest on the front cover)

Let’s hear from Deon directly:

“I love Detroit. Straight up. I grew up on the streets, didn’t have nothing. Then In 2008, I got shipped here and lived in a group home in Southwest Detroit at Fort and Schaefer. I got myself together in Detroit. I found out who I was in Detroit, this city made me who I am.”

“At that time, nobody knew who I was. I didn’t even know who I was. I didn’t know what I wanted to be or what I really wanted to do. But I knew I needed a hustle. Couldn’t let my kids stay on the streets and I didn’t want to beg for money, so one day I’m at my friends and being a percussionist, I’m always tapping on stuff, and I’m getting into the rhythm and right then and there I realized Deon you’re going to be a street performer.”

“I started off as a techno drummer without the speaker. Now I got a TopTech Audio speaker specially rigged on wheels. Built my pots because I wanted to do something unique and different. And now I got a whole mobile orchestra! My kit includes: piano, pots, slider, etc. I use ten pots and one cymbal. The buckets provide the bass. My favorite drumsticks are the plastic-tipped marching band Vix Stix (aka: Vic Firth).”

“My style is like Daft Punk mixed with Stomp (the British percussion group) and I can remix any song.”

Deon Forrest (aka: Greektown Hotbox) Detroit’s own world-famous street performer (photo Deon Forrest)

“The streets is like a big petri dish for testing your skills. To be a street performer, you have to battle underground to see who’s the best. I earned the title ‘King of Greektown’ because I’m 10-0. You set up near a big crowd and try to take the crowd. Whoever draws and keeps the crowd is the winner and you earn that spot.”

“I beat the five Chicago bucket drummers. We were rivals for a minute but now we’re cool. I outmaneuvered the marching band and they even had big bass drums. Also whooped a few horn players. I’ll go toe to toe with anybody on the streets. You play something? Bring it. Let’s see what you got. I’m in Eastern Market, Greektown, all over Downtown, come find me.”

“I play outside a lot of sports games, especially the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings, and outside live music venues, especially the Fox Theatre and Masonic Temple. The most money I ever made in a short time was I made $1,200 playing drums for about 1h30min. On a typical night, I average around $500.”

“I did a performance for Post Malone in Greektown. I played Martha Reeves birthday party. I’ve been in an NFL commercial with Barry Sanders. I’ve done all sorts of stuff.”

Deon Forrest (aka: Greektown Hotbox) Detroit’s own world-famous street performer and Detroit rapper Big Sean (photo Deon Forrest)

“One of my main inspirations is Michael Jackson. I also find some parallels between his life and my life. For instance, there was the Jackson Five. I used to perform on the streets with five people, including my man Miles Hubbell, but gradually the group started shortening until it was just me. Plus, how he did the moonwalk, I built a slider on my kit so I can kick the pot out and moonwalk it back.”

“Believe it or not, I only practice in my head. I get the music on my phone and listen to it. I have a special ability to instantly memorize music. I have a song of list of hundreds of songs in my head. I also do requests. My favorite stuff to play is pop, dance, techno, R & B, etc.”

“I love Detroit because there’s all kinds of wonderful and different people here. The best advice I can give y’all is just be who you are. Because whether you like it or not, the Real You’s gonna come out eventually. Just let it shine.”

“I’m a big basketball fan, would love to do something with the Detroit Pistons.”

“Currently, I’m building a special set. It’s a 360-degree chair that spins. I sit in the middle and there’s four different drumming stations where I can spin and play multiple, different songs interchangeably.”

Come check out Deon on the pots!

Deon Forrest (aka: Greektown Hotbox) Detroit’s own world-famous street performer (photo Deon Forrest)

Contact (hire Deon for gigs)

[email protected]

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/greektownhotbox/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100017094069837

CashApp

$Greektownhotbox

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh-cH6eDaRrko8HKeeYp9bw/videos?view=0&sort=p&flow=grid

Deon Forrest (aka: Greektown Hotbox) Detroit’s own world-famous street performer (photo Deon Forrest)

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A post shared by Deon….$greektownhotbox (@greektownhotbox)

Deon Forrest playing in Detroit for rapper Post Malone

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Deon….$greektownhotbox (@greektownhotbox)

Deon Forrest is featured in this commercial with Barry Sanders

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.”