Woman with red hair at bar, smiling

Hi there. I’m Mickey Lyons,

Freelance journalist, author and content creator.

My work has appeared in NBC News, Fast Company, VinePair, Punch, World Literature Today, Lonely Planet, Eater and other publications. I’m the author of two history books: Wicked Detroit: The Scoundrels and Charlatans Who Founded Detroit (History Press: 2018) and City On A Still: Detroit During Prohibition (in progress).

Photo by Cybelle Codish for Hour Detroit

Featured Work

  • NBC News: The Heritage Turkey Makes a Comeback

    Grandma’s Thanksgiving turkey probably doesn’t look — or taste — anything like it did when she was a child.

    The way the average American family's gastronomic centerpiece gets to the table these days is an industrialized, technology-fueled story of genetic meddling and commercialization.

    But in recent years, an unlikely animal is making a comeback, much to the delight of "slow food" fans and epicureans: The heritage breed turkey.Just 15 years ago, these smaller, leaner, free-range birds were on the brink of extinction in the United States. Breeds such as the Narragansett were down to about a dozen birds nationwide. The prognosis for the survival of anything but the top-heavy Broad Breasted White breed looked grim.
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  • Hour Detroit: Dry Times: Looking Back on Prohibition, 100 Years Later

    Michigan’s May 1, 1918 enactment of Prohibition made Detroit the first major city to abolish alcohol. With booming population and manufacturing growth, Detroit drove full-force into the 20th century, but in many ways, it was still a provincial town in its mindset.

    When asked how Detroit went dry, Michigan Anti-Saloon League superintendent Grant M. Hudson crowed: “The Prohibition of today is … the war cry of all classes, all industries, of all professions.”
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  • Lonely Planet: Michigan on a Budget

    Almost completely surrounded by water, the two peninsulas of Michigan combine natural beauty and bustling city life. Plenty of activities in the state don’t cost a penny, like hunting for glow-in-the-dark Yooperlite stones on Lake Superior beaches or checking out classic cars in one of Detroit’s many car shows.

    In line with the fact that Detroit was the center of the automotive industry in America, there are unfortunately few public transportation options in Michigan. None of its cities has a subway system, and navigating the spotty bus service is a challenge. Renting a car is the most practical way to see the state and should be factored into your budget. That said, food and drinks are generally quite inexpensive.

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  • Fast Company: 15 Years of Affirmative Action Ban in Michigan

    Michigan is one one nine states with an affirmative action ban. According to students, universities, recruiters and employees it’s had devastating impacts on diversity at all levels. Here’s a deep look inside the challenges of working around it and how a national ban would change everything.
    With the Supreme Court expected to announce a decision in a related case this summer, the state of Michigan can serve as a test case for how affirmative action hampers diversity in representation at the college level all the way up to the C Suite. It’s a sobering look at the potentially devastating impact on advancement opportunities for underrepresented groups—and the societal and financial tolls of reduced equity and representation.
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  • Punch Magazine: Nobody Knows Detroit After Dark Like Larry Mongo

    Tucked into a quiet street in downtown Detroit, a tiny nightclub with an outsize personality pumps out jazz and soul on select weekend nights. Cafe D’Mongo’s Speakeasy hosts politicians, celebrities, rappers, power brokers, scene kids and not a few underworld characters. Presiding over all of the genial chaos is Larry Mongo.
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  • Detroit Free Press: Belle Isle Rumrunners Scandal Involved Police, Elite Detroiters

    The Belle Isle Rumrunning Scandal, also called the Police Rum Scandal, involved elite Detroiters at a private club, crooked cops, a drunken zookeeper and the James Scott fountain on Belle Isle. It also destroyed the reputation and health of the city’s harbormaster.

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  • Detroit News: "Coastal Grandmother" Style Familiar in Great Lakes

    Nancy Meyers is having a moment, as they say. The filmmaker is known for her nuanced portrayals of women enjoying middle age, speaking fearlessly and breezing through life. It’s not her clever dialogue that has Meyers films trending, though. It’s the aesthetic of her movies.

    The term “Coastal Grandmother” may have only recently appeared on the social media scene, but for residents of the Great Lakes state, it’s a well-loved and familiar style.

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  • VinePair: Making Vermouth is Easier Than You Think

    2020 was a dumpster fire of a year, so it’s only fitting that career wine educator and Bloomsday Café co-owner Zachary Morris went ahead and made Dumpster Juice vermouth. After tinkering with vermouth recipes for years, Morris saw Pennsylvania’s bar shutdown as an opportunity to get creative about reducing waste and promoting local ingredients. What started as a pandemic shortcut has turned into one of Morris’s more profitable ideas.
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