FIELD NOTES
Sentencing the Old Iowa State Penitentiary
Once the oldest operating prison west of the Mississippi, the facility is now empty, falling apart, and waiting for its next chapter.
Sentencing the Old Iowa State Penitentiary
Once the oldest operating prison west of the Mississippi, the facility is now empty, falling apart, and waiting for its next chapter.
Featured Stories
PERSONAL HISTORY
Motor Nation
"Sometimes when I am driving down the freeway...I think of the reasons I love Detroit."
POLITICS
How a Western Pennsylvania Police Shooting Sparked a Political Movement
In Pittsburgh, a new brand of local politician is gaining influence.
COMMENTARY
The Future of Chicago is the Future of Us All
On history, the mayoral election, and the work of black women.
POSTCARD
Detroit’s Eastern Market
Scenes from the city’s historic food and culture hub.
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More Stories
The Marrow of Tradition: An Introduction
From the introduction to a new edition of Charles W. Chestnutt's "The Marrow of Tradition," published by Belt Publishing.
Stories of Ohio: An Introduction
From the introduction to a new edition of William Dean Howells' Stories of Ohio, published by Belt Publishing.
When Did the Milwaukee River Become ‘Unswimmable’?
An excerpt from The Milwaukee Anthology.
A Palace for the People
The fight to make Chicago's South Shore Cultural Center a space for community arts.
On Chances
"I heard we got the city doing front flips // where every father/mayor/rapper jump ship"
Hospital Withdrawal
In Chicago, many people with opioid use disorder avoid going to the hospital for fear of becoming ‘dopesick’.
Remembering Jimmy Cvetic
Pittsburgh's legendary boxing trainer, ex-police officer, and poet passed away this past weekend at the age of sixty-nine.
The Real Walleye Capital of the World
A writer goes in search of a community worthy of the title—and her own Midwestern identity.
A Skillet of Suns and Oceans
"and there I was,/wearing a two-hundred-dollar wool coat/in my own kitchen.../homesick and hungry"
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From the Archives
Beyond ‘White Flight’
What the history of one Cleveland neighborhood can teach us about race and housing inequality.
