Drew Philp

Official Website of Author, Journalist and Screenwriter, Including the Award-Winning Book

A $500 House in Detroit: Rebuilding an Abandoned Home and American City

Praise For A $500 House

Engrossing... Philp is a great storyteller.

-Booklist

"Fascinating... Philp writes with exuberance and sincerity... Inspiring."

-Star Tribune

"An important and powerful metaphor...a timeless gift to be shared and passed along."

-New York Journal of Books

"Deeply felt, sharply observed... Philp ably outlines the broad issues of race and class in the city, but it is the warmth and liveliness of his storytelling that will win many readers."

-Kirkus (Starred Review)

Available anywhere books are sold and in audiobook:

Excerpts

"Just a few years earlier, at age 23, I had purchased an abandoned house in Detroit from a live auction for $500, less than the price of a decent television. It had been empty for more than a decade and was still a shell, its bones exposed, anything of value stolen long ago."

The Beloved Essay with millions of worldwide readers, and one of BuzzFeed's most-read longform stories ever. "As we rebuild this ashen city, we’re deciding on an epic scale what we value as Americans in the 21st century. The American Dream is alive in Detroit, even if it flickers. ..."

"This makes gardens dangerous. They are the zygote of an idea that can spread and grow and multiply into a worldview. They can take us from "theirs" to "ours." They can take us from an abandoned plot of land owned by a bank to a garden owned in community."

Bidding on the soul of my city:

Excerpt in The Guardian

Why I Bought a House in Detroit for $500: Essay in BuzzFeed

How Gardens Can Be Dangerous: Excerpt in The Metro Times

Photo by Garrett Maclean

Drew Philp is an award winning author, journalist, screenwriter, and TED speaker. His work regularly reaches millions and has been published internationally including appearing in The Guardian, BuzzFeed, and De Correspondent

among other publications. He regularly appears in the media speaking about his work and as an expert on Detroit.

In 2017, Philp delivered a TED Talk that has reached more than 1.3 million people worldwide in a dozen languages. He has worked as a theater and book critic, an adjunct professor, a screenwriter an advertising copywriter, a keynote speaker, a games writer and as a full-time journalist. He is the recipient of numerous artistic and writing fellowships.

CONTACT

For inquiries, please contact Drew directly at:

Drewphilp@gmail.com

Literary Agent, Jenni Ferrari-Adler:

jenni@unionliterary.com

Additional information available upon request.

Drew is available for hire: speeches and keynote addresses, journalism assignments, ghostwriting, script writing and editing, game narrative and more.

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