Days in Detroit (The Takeaway)

Just in time for the Kentucky Derby, we talk to Luke Song, a Detroit milliner who created the infamous crystal studded hat worn by Aretha Franklin at the inauguration of President Obama. The Detroit business-owner tells us a bit about the cultural history of the hat, and why one's personality matters just as much as the size of their crown when choosing the perfect brim for their brow.  Church ladies, tea ladies and Derby goers have all visited Mr. Song's Millinery for their festive headwear and the milliner shares perspective on his craft and helps Celeste pick out a hat of her own.   Celeste tries on hats (slideshow below):

Author Jeffrey Eugenides was born and raised in Detroit and the city often becomes a central character in his writings. (He lives in Princeton, New Jersey, these days.) He’s based both of his novels, Pulitzer Prize-winning "Middlesex," and "The Virgin Suicides," in the Motor City. He says as a native Detroiter it's still easy for him to love his home town: more so, perhaps, than the average outsider.   We’ve heard about how the media struggles to accurately portray the city, and how recovery is perhaps becoming more possible after the Great Recession. As part of our focus on Detroit and its status as a symbol of both decline and resilience, we talk to the author about his home town. Read a full transcript of our interview with Jeffrey Eugenides here.

After a recent "Dateline: NBC" documentary angered Detroit residents with what they called an overly negative portrayal of the city, we thought to talk with residents well-versed in creating positive imagery: Detroit's creative class. We speak with Toby Barlow, author of "Sharp Teeth" and Chief Creative Officer for marketing group Team Detroit. He helps us look at the city from the eyes of some of those people most committed to its economic and cultural recovery, who are proving instrumental to its urban revitalization efforts.

Arizona governor passed a controversial immigration law and you had a lot to say on the topic. We hear your responses. Beyond immigration, we got a head-start on our special broadcast from WDET in Detroit and asked Takeaway listeners to share their favorite parts of Motor City living. 

Residents of Detroit are up in arms over recent media coverage that they say highlights Detroit's poverty, unemployment and illiteracy, but fails to consider any of the positive aspects of life in Motor City. A documentary by Dateline NBC that aired this Sunday has prompted an outcry from community activists, Detroit media and ordinary residents. We're speaking to two people who help take the pulse in Detroit: Rochelle Riley is a columnist with the Detroit Free Press, and Luther Keith is executive director of ARISE Detroit - a coalition of 400 organizations that works to promote volunteerism and commmunity activism.

Detroit Free Press columnist, Rochelle Riley, tells us what the media is missing about the Motor City; this morning's headlines.