Riverwise is a community-led/driven/created social justice magazine emerging from organizing, arts, culture & liberation work being done in Detroit and beyond.
Movement. This is a word that gets bandied about regularly. It is also one that isn’t always so clear and carries many meanings. Meditation. This is a word that we… Read More
In the fall of 2025, the federal government came to a halt, unable to reach an agreement on a national budget. By October, word spread across the US that, beginning… Read More
I don’t like explaining my work. I like to leave it up to people to decide.I like to joke that their interpretation is usually better than mine. If I have… Read More
Writer. Birthworker. Abọriṣa Abolitionist. Mother. All of my identities are grounded in birth, transformation, and new ways of being. In my youth, I considered myself an activist. As a younger… Read More
In 2017, artist Barbara Fox (BF) designed a coin for the state of New Jersey, celebrating immigrant families as they enter through Ellis Island in pursuit of the American Dream.… Read More
Mural by Mary Gagnon located at the Artist Village in Brightmore, MI. I grew up in East Dearborn, the daughter of Arab immigrants, learning early that my body was always… Read More
My earliest memory is of a red metal wagon, a little rusty, covered in “No Scab Papers” bumper stickers. My childhood best friend and I remember holding hands from atop… Read More
I’m writing this to you because you love Detroit; you build communities of care and survival here. I love talking about writing and art with you. We’ve known each other… Read More
During Black History Month, Black people are reminded about the importance of history. It is a time of posts spotlighting the significant advancements of exceptional Black elders and ancestors, a… Read More
The quilt, Strange Fruit, is named after a song by the late Billie Holiday, and it is dedicated to Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, an African American newspaper journalist and author… Read More
For most of history, stories have been passed down from person to person, sharing tools, lessons, values, forewarnings and healing. I recently hosted a story and ceremony workshop, sponsored by… Read More
photos taken at Belle Isle by Kenneth Smith Every spring, access to Belle Isle is shut down. The most popular end of the island is closed to Detroiters for almost… Read More
Reconnecting to Nature and the Land Saved My Life by Lottie Spady In 2014 I started my formal herbal education and healing journey. In many ways I had lost my… Read More
A revised version of this article was previously published in the February 9 edition of "The Detroit Socialist." Now that General Motors has announced its decision to close the Poletown… Read More
The lessons of the last decade and a half fighting for a real Water Affordability Plan (WAP) in Detroit may shed some light on what’s ahead for the Green New… Read More
Winter is giving way to spring. As the seasons shift, there is new energy emerging in our neighborhoods. Critical questions are taking on a sense of urgency as people are… Read More
As we approach the end of the harvest season and a tumultuous year, let’s take a moment to look back and reflect. Sometimes in the midst of change, the most… Read More