Boat’s second issue seeks to tell stories of the hopeful and the beautiful to be found in the buildings, streets and homes of Detroit. Writers include Jeffrey Eugenides and Megan Abbott. We catch up for a chat with Detroit it girls Alex Winston and Jessica Hernandez, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva of the Detroit Pistons and director David Robert Mitchell, amongst others. Meanwhile, James Naylor takes photographs of suburbia, James Griffioen goes on a trip to the mall and Giles Price examines looks at the city from the air.

Boat’s third issue stayed anchored in London. With the coverage of the Olympics and the Jubilee, London was in full swing as being presented to the world in a wash of pomp of ceremony. We packed away the bunting and tried to get to grips with what it really means to live and work in this city of seven million. Writers include Nick Hornby and Jon Ronson. We talked to Diana Athill about her experiences of the city, went training with Olympic 400m Runner and Youth Worker Conrad Williams, and looked at some of the more unusual places Londoners have chosen to live to. Simon Roberts took photographs of the extremes of the city’s financial landscapes, and Will Robson-Scott and James Pearson-Howes viewed the city from the top deck of a bus.