Sunday, December 2, 2012

Escape from (writing about) Flint

I won't miss staring at this computer or the City of Flint map of abandoned structures.

I recently moved out of the tiny office I was renting on Treat Street in San Francisco, a sure sign that my work on Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City is nearly complete. The editing process is almost finished, and the book will be published by the University of California Press in April 2013. It's been a long process that really started in the fall of 2007 when I launched the Flint Expatriates blog. I feel like I know Flint better now than I ever did when I was growing up off Dayton Avenue in Civic Park.

 Five years of Flint research looking for a new home somewhere in my 700 sq. ft. house.


14 comments:

  1. Really happy for you, Gordie. Can't wait to read the whole thing. You've seemed to approach this with massively conscientious good reporting and a lively affection for the material. You're honoring your old hometown with your passionate and professional curiosities.

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    1. Thanks, Jan. You and Ted sure helped make this happen. I'm glad there are people like you who still believe in Flint.

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  2. Another Point Of ViewDecember 2, 2012 at 11:29 AM

    But also remember the words to "Hotel California".

    You can check out any time you like,
    But you can never leave.

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  3. Congratulations, and I'll certainly get the book when it is available. The "teardown" of Flint I'll read in the book. What is probably not in the book is how you were transformed during this long effort. I'd like to hear that story.

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    1. Thanks. And my personal transformation is a big part of the book as well. Reconnecting with Flint changed me a lot.

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  4. cannot wait to read it. as someone who moved TO the Flint area 6 years ago, Flint Expats has helped me and my wife come to understand better understand the city and its people, mostly how it's shaped by a past we didn't know, but also where it might be going. I'm sure the book will do that and much more.

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    1. Glad to hear that. I really had no idea how the blog would connect with people when I started it. Great to know that it served some purpose.

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  5. I hope this won't be the end of the blog. I look forward to reading it everyday while I should be working.

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    1. Oh no, the blog is still going strong. Now I'll have more time to devote to it.

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  6. Gordie-I will certainly buy your book. I second those who are eager for you to continue the Expats blog. Thanks for your work.

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  7. I second what SGC said. I'll buy one but you'd best be keepin' this blog alive. And by the way, that plant above looks suspicious. Don't make us have to rat you out.

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  8. Its my day off and I checked out Flint Ex Pats for the first time in about a week. Thank you Gordon for the wonderful news of your book. I cant wait to have it in my hands. I am 54 now and you have brought many great memories back to life for me. Sincerely, Lanny Hayes

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  9. Really great to hear that people like the blog. As you've noticed, I didn't exactly have a master plan of how to approach the blog, but it's been a lot of fun. I'll definitely keep plugging away at it.

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.