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ESSAY
In Pittsburgh, Local Journalism Is Worth the Fight
Having two major news sources in the city owned by notoriously anti-worker management can’t be good. For local journalism to be good, local journalism jobs need to be good.
In Pittsburgh, Local Journalism Is Worth the Fight
Having two major news sources in the city owned by notoriously anti-worker management can’t be good. For local journalism to be good, local journalism jobs need to be good.
FEATURE
Painting the Past on the Ohio River
You can put your finger on a map and trace it down the Ohio River. From Steubenville to Paducah, it’s nearly a thousand miles, an artery pumping through the heart of America.
Painting the Past on the Ohio River
You can put your finger on a map and trace it down the Ohio River. From Steubenville to Paducah, it’s nearly a thousand miles, an artery pumping through the heart of America.
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More Stories
James Purdy’s Outrages Against the Establishment
Purdy’s harshest words were consistently aimed at the literary apparatus that he felt was inherently unable to appreciate his formally deliberate but thematically audacious fiction.
Cincinnati Has a Bridge to Sell You
A massive new highway project in the Queen City could reclaim valuable downtown acres and right a decades-old racial injustice, but only if leaders act.
Carrie Furnace’s Blood, Sweat, and Fire
These hulking behemoths with their slag and hot metal are rarely described as beautiful, but yet I am drawn to them over and over again.
In the Voice of the Prophet
An excerpt from Daniel Torday's novel The 12th Commandment, available January 17 from St. Martin's Press. [...]
Unspooling the Cassette Tape in Springfield, Missouri
The National Audio Company is keeping the cassette tape —and tape culture —alive in the [...]
Not Without Its Sweetness
A poem by Andrew Taylor-Troutman.
They Shrink From Hard Work
I don’t have enough memories to draw on to fit the form, and I can’t fake it without moving into the realm of fiction, without lying to myself, no matter how nice a story it would make, no matter how very rural or Appalachian these stories could present me.
Kindness is Its Own Memory
On terrible pantyhose, bad sports writing, and the eternal kindness of the late great Franco Harris.
Belt’s Top Stories of 2022
By Ed Simon This year, Belt Magazine has ranged over quite a lot of topics [...]
The Nature of Chicago Music
Music and nature are two core places where people report to experiencing and channeling the divine.
Wind Resistance
Wind turbines are being built in ocean waters off the east and west coasts. But why don’t we see any in the Great Lakes?
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From the Archives
Climate Emergency and Environmental Justice in the Rust Belt
Stories on climate change, industrial legacies, and planning for a just future.
Rust Belt Pride
A queer Rust Belt reading list.
Recipe: Rudy’s Humble Paczki
A Fat Tuesday tradition.
Recipe: Slovenian Sauerkraut Soup (Jota)
Feeding the holiday spirit.
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