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FIELD NOTES
Midwest Modern’s Architectural Road Trip
Josh Lipnik uses his Twitter account Midwest Modern to document regional architecture and design, creating a visual archive across time and geography.
Midwest Modern’s Architectural Road Trip
Josh Lipnik uses his Twitter account Midwest Modern to document regional architecture and design, creating a visual archive across time and geography.
Featured Stories
PERSPECTIVE
In Hudson, Ohio, Whose History Matters?
A recent event highlights the messiness of the town’s white-dominated abolitionist narrative.
HISTORY
Madeline Davis’s Queer History of Buffalo
Davis, who died last month at the age of eighty, dedicated her life to LGBTQ+ history in Buffalo.
PERSONAL HISTORY
Around Lake Michigan on the Circle Tour
Sixty years ago, my parents took us on a driving tour of Lake Michigan. A lot has changed between then and now, but the pull of the open road is as strong as ever.
COLLECTION
Rust Belt Pride
A queer Rust Belt reading list.
Rust Belt Pride
A queer Rust Belt reading list.
Independent, context-driven regional writing. Support Belt Magazine today. »
More Stories
The Long Tail of Indiana’s Oil and Gas Boom
The state’s early industry remade more than the landscape.
The Sweetest Little Town Around
Inside the Shepherd Sugar Bush, an old-school community maple syrup operation in Michigan.
The Forgotten Island Chronicles of Minna Anthony Common
Reclaiming the legacy of an underappreciated ecologist and educator on the St. Lawrence River.
“A City Upon a Hill”
In 1993, the Mississippi River destroyed the town of Valmeyer, Illinois. So residents moved it a mile uphill.
More Ohio Vaccine Incentives
Yesterday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine unveiled a million-dollar vaccine lottery. Here are some other ideas.
Uncovering Pittsburgh’s Black Muslim History
Pittsburgh was once a Black Muslim refuge. Here's one family's story.
Worker-Owned Cooperatives and the Future of Rust Belt Labor
Amid declining union power and attacks on organized labor, some Rust Belt workers are turning to worker-owned cooperatives.
How the Kent State Shooting Changed American Music
From 'the end of the Sixties' to the 'Akron sound.'
The Most Dangerous People in the Country
In 2018, a West Virginia teacher’s secret Facebook group sparked a "union renaissance” in the tradition of Mother Jones.
Trouble
"The jukebox at Pizza King didn’t bump any songs past / 1978 but we fed it quarters anyway"
From Wasteland to Wildlife Habitat
A former Chicago dumping ground finds new life with restoration efforts.
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From the Archives
Armed, Angry Men
Trump, militias, and the long history of voter intimidation and violence in the Midwest.
Racism, Rebellion, and Police Violence in the Midwest
Stories on the long history of racism and police violence in the Midwest—and what to do about it.
Belt News
Centering Community Narratives in the Rust Belt
Watch the full video of our March 31 event "Documenting Home," in partnership with PEN America.
The Best of Belt Magazine 2020
Announcing a new anthology of regional writing, available exclusively to Belt members.
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