Michigan in Perspective Breakout Sessions Review

Recently I had the pleasure of attending the local history conference, Michigan in Perspective. It was very well organized and informative. My favorite part of the conference (besides the food) was the breakout sessions. There were over 25 sessions during the course of two days so it was hard to choose which ones to attend. All of them were very exciting and were presented by some great presenters.

The first session I attended was presented by Joe Grimm (who was anything but grim) and featured a staple of the Michigander diet, the coney dog. This session was very entertaining and Joe was very funny. My only complaint was that it was before lunch so I was starving the whole time.

Perhaps my favorite session of the conference was presented by Tom Stanton. He presented the history of the Black Legion in the Detroit area. The things that the Black Legion did were horrific but the presentation was fascinating. I'm not much of a true crime fan, but I found this session to be very riveting.

The last session I attended was "If These Waters Could Talk: Maritime Archaeology in the Saint Clair Flats presented by PhD candidate, Daniel Harrison. I've always had a fascination with archaeology so I was pleased to find out the wealth of maritime archaeologic sites and artifacts that the Great Lakes have to offer.

The sessions I attended really inspired me. I hope one day to be a presenter at this history conference in the future.

My First History Conference!

This week I attended my first ever history conference. It was something that I have wanted to do for years, but my comic book convention schedule didn't permit it. 

Since it was my first conference, I decided to attend one near my house and I have to say that I couldn't have chosen a better conference if I tried. Michigan in Perspective is a well organized and informative conference that focuses on little known Michigan History (I'll write reviews for the breakout sessions in the next post).

Historical Society of Michigan

The conference was presented by the Historical Society of Michigan. This is an amazing group that is truly dedicated to sharing the rich history of the Great Lakes State with residents, visitors, and historians. Everyone on the staff was friendly and helpful. They did everything imaginable to make this event an excellent experience.

 At the conference I was pleased to run into my old friend, Alan Dean Naldrett. He's a phenomenal historical writer that focuses mostly on automotive history and the history of Michigan. His books are extremely well researched and are a joy to read. Needless to say, I make sure to pick up his latest book whenever I have the pleasure of seeing him at an event.

Alan Naldrett Author Page

Another awesome thing I picked up this weekend was my Macomb County History Passport. Whenever I visit one of the local museums here in Macomb County Michigan I get a stamp in my passport. After seven stamps I can redeem it for a delicious meal at Culvers. I love to attend museums and I love the delicious hamburgers and shakes at Culvers to this was a win-win situation.

Macomb County Heritage Alliance

It was an amazing weekend. I got to meet some brilliant fellow historians and more importantly, I got to be a part of a community of people who are dedicated to preserving our history for future generations. I can't wait for next year.