More on my journey back to the neighborhood of Poletown razed for the GM plant in 1981. Found Father Joseph Karasiewicz’s grave today against terrible wind and bone-numbing chill in a deserted graveyard. Father Joe was known as the “iron priest of Poletown”, he fought to save the Immaculate Conception church with his life. He died from a broken heart 6 months after GM bulldozed his church.
After searching for an hour, I finally found his grave almost completely absorbed by the earth and forgotten. I tried my best to dig it out with my doc martins (always doc martins). I then drove home blasting Philip Glass, because I’m strange, and also, because there is no other way to listen to Philip Glass! What a dreary & cold, yet blessed day! Right!? 🙃
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Published by Brianne Turczynski
I'm a freelance writer and historical researcher in Detroit. I hold a master’s degree in education from Oakland University with a concentration in English and history. In addition to being the author of the historical fiction novel, Proper Mourning, my fiction and poetry have appeared in Halcyone Magazine, The 3288 Review, The Write Launch, and the Ketchup Press. My nonfiction has been featured in Valley Living Magazine, Michigan Out of Doors Magazine, and Planet Detroit News. I have won awards for my writing through Oakland University, and I'm currently producing and directing a documentary film about economic and social change in one of Detroit’s oldest neighborhoods. In my spare time, I whittle, repair broken violins, and I love to fish. I reside somewhere in Michigan with my husband, children, and the fastest dog that ever lived.
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