Author Steve Hughes Finds Inspiration and Hope in Detroit’s Dives

Long-time local author Steve Hughes talks about his new book.

Stiff Book Cover

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Local author Steve Hughes is the brains behind the long-running zine, Stupor, where he relates the stories of heartbreak, despair, hope, and resignation he hears in dive bars around the city.

Now Hughes is releasing Stiff, his first collection of short stories.

CultureShift’s Amanda LeClaire speaks with Hughes about his new book and why Detroit has been a consistent setting in his stories.

“This area is inspiring to me,” says Hughes. “I’ve lived here for almost 25 years now. I feel like it’s truly my home and it’s a really interesting area. Detroit…is such a tough and gritty and beautiful place to live.”

Hughes says writing stories is similar to putting a puzzle together.

“Some of them come together pretty easily, but I don’t think any of them are done when you first sit down and write it,” he says. “There’s always a process of revising, revising, and thinking about it.”

Hughes will be reading from his book at Pages Bookshop on Thursday, November 15. Find more info here

Author

  • Amanda LeClaire is an award-winning journalist and managing editor and lead reporter of WDET's new environmental series, the Detroit Tree Canopy Project, as well as WDET's CuriosiD podcast. She was the host of WDET’s CultureShift and a founding producer of the station’s flagship news talk show *Detroit Today*. Amanda also served as a Morning Edition host at WDET and previously worked as a host, audio and video producer, and reporter for Arizona Public Media.