RNC Watch
OK, let's be real. No one in Cleveland was thinking about the RNC this week. But now that the tickertape's [...]
RNC Watch
Here at Belt's RNC Watch we have our eyes on the windup in Cleveland to the Republican National Convention in July [...]
RNC Watch
What happened this week on the road to Cleveland? Where's Donald? Trending topics on the official RNC website included "Hillary [...]
Belt Books at Chicago’s Printers Row Lit Fest, the Cleveland Flea, and more
Publishing is a funny business. Here we are, with a warehouse full of books, ready to sell them to you. But doing [...]
RNC Watch
Well. It's finally here. Summer that is, and along with it ... convention season. In just six weeks, thousands upon howevermany [...]
Call for Submissions: Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook
Detroiters need to get to know their neighbors better. Wait -- maybe that should be, Detroiters should get to know their neighborhoods better.
The Blob Isn’t Toxic, but the Politics Are: The Story Behind Lake Erie’s Mass of Sediment
If you believe the sensational headlines, Cleveland has a “toxic blob,” a silent menace that sits just nine miles off the coast of Lake Erie, and is said to be migrating towards one of the city’s water supply pipes.
Announcing Belt’s RNC Fellows
When we cooked up the idea of inviting journalists to come to Cleveland this summer for the Republican National Convention, we thought it would be a fun experiment ...
On Leaving Detroit
I have a dear friend who is planning to leave Detroit very soon to move West. After living in and around Detroit all his life, he is taking a new job in sunny California. He is, by definition, the very demographic Michigan wants to hold on to...
No Surprise: The Rust Belt Knows What the Pundits Don’t
After months and months of media coverage declaring “economic populism” the theme of the presidential campaign – and for both parties, no less – it would be easy to succumb to short-term amnesia...
Call for Submissions: The Chicago Anthology
Here at Belt we’re in the business of covering the Rust Belt. But what exactly does that mean when it comes to Chicago?
Belt is on Break
We're going dark for two weeks for the holidays. We will return January 4, 2016 with more news from around the Rust Belt. Until then, stay warm browsing our archives!