Casey Rocheteau in front of the house. Photo by Sarah Cox.

The non-profit Write-a-House offers a twist on a typical writer’s residency: It provides writers with the opportunity to own a home, for free, in Detroit, as a way to promote the literary arts. The group, a Knight Arts Challenge winner, is currently accepting applications through June 5. Here, the first recipient, poet Casey Rocheteau, writes about 5 things she has learned since moving to Detroit.

Here are Rocheteau’s insights:

1. Detroit understands potential

A number of articles have acknowledged the “rebirth” of Detroit in the sense that business is expanding in certain areas in the city. This is not what I mean by potential. On a national level, there is less discussion of the work Detroiters put in every day to re-imagine and build towards a sustainable future. I think of the work being done at the Boggs School, the writing in Octavia’s Brood, the creative historical/community-based productions of Complex Movements, the number of community gardens and farms within city limits among other things. This city has faced a slow and destructive economic downturn, but the people who live here and love it are deeply invested in creating space to deal with immediate issues on a grassroots level and open new avenues for envisioning both life in the city and the world we live in.

2. Art matters here

Detroit is filled with art. It was perhaps the first thing that struck me about the city. From the Dequindre cut to the Grand River Creative Corridor to MOCAD and the Detroit Institute of Art, this city values artistic expression. Most of the artists I’ve met are incredibly versatile—sculptor/DJ/magicians and actor/rapper/web designers. Creativity hums through the city in this way. I came to be here through an organization that believes literary art matters enough to give writers homes, and it makes perfect sense to me that an idea like Write A House would come out of Detroit.

3. Collaboration over competition

One major thing about Detroit that I’ve noticed is the spirit of collaboration. I’ve met so many people who will go out of their way to connect you to other people working on similar projects or interested in similar subjects. I came to Detroit from Brooklyn, and New York City has a far more competitive atmosphere – from people practically knocking each other down for a seat on the train to the maneuvering it takes to get noticed in any artistic medium. Detroit seems to me to embody the spirit of do-it-together in many capacities.

4. Detroit vs. Everybody?

There’s a pervasive atmosphere of protecting Detroit from outsiders that is embodied by the motto/clothing line Detroit Vs. Everybody. While in the process of moving, I wondered what that meant for me personally, coming as an outsider in this strange way. So far, I have felt nothing but welcomed. I often ask long-time Detroiters about the city’s history and where it is now to try to better understand where I live. I’ve heard from many people that part of the issue is newcomers who move to the city because of the low cost of living, yet show little cultural or historical understanding of their adopted home. When you combine this issue with national and international attention garnered through ruin porn and bankruptcy reporting by non-Detroiters, it’s easy to understand the skepticism or distrust that long time residents might have towards outsiders. Overall, I see it as a kind of catch-all rooted in a sense that it’s worth protecting the pieces of the past that remain, and holding on to all the things that make Detroit unique.

5. History lives here

The landscape here is rich with stories. The history of the city itself is fascinating – from its role in the abolitionist movement to its centrality to American production through today. All of those things intrigue me as a historian. Yet as a writer, what I find most interesting or valuable are people’s personal stories. So much has happened in the city over the last 50 years alone, and the people who have lived through it have incredible insights and pasts. It’s worth really getting to know people around here. You will often find yourself surprised and inspired.

Learn more about Write a House and apply by June 5.