Detroit's current situation provides a media coverage hook for a kind of national teach-in about public pension plans, municipal bonds, Chapter 9 and the role of the arts in a distressed city.

That last topic is the focus of an all-Detroit issue of Cultural Weekly, a two-year-old digital magazine based in Los Angeles that says it's "a place to talk about our creative culture with passion, perspective and analysis."

Eleven diverse features, most locally written, went online Thursday. Topics span architecture, music, photography, poetry, theater and other aspects of life in Detroit.

"The city has always been more complex and dynamic than the facts of decline would suggest. That’s true for anyone paying casual attention to the city’s creative community. . . . It’s difficult to convey the engagement happening in the city today," W. Kim Heron writes in the lead article, headlined "Wake Up, America! Detroit: From Economic Turmoil Comes a New Cultural Trajectory." The writer, a former Metro Times editor and WDET jazz show host, now writes Kresge Foundation web content and publications. 

Here's a summary of content at Cultural Weekly:

While metro area residents may not spot too much that's new, the collection is a refreshing reminder that Detroit's assets aren't (or weren't) just in bonds, industrial heritage and population statistics.

Plus, even homeowners can enjoy eye-catching photography, legendary record producer Don Was' list of "6 Seminal Detroit Tunes" and broadcaster Ann Delisi's take on how "The Motor City Music Legacy Continues."

Read more: Cultural Weekly