Blue City, Red State
Belt Publishing Fall 2018

Blue City, Red State is forthcoming anthology from Belt Publishing, to appear in October 2018. We’re collecting essays about living blue in a red state—whatever that means to you—by writers who live in or have ties to a Midwestern state.

In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, much has been made of the role of conservative factions in the Midwest and Rust Belt. This region of the country, in contemporary political discourse, is often synonymous with rural voters, right-wing values, and the infamous, monolithic “white working class.”

But it’s not that simple.

“Red states” are home to a diverse collection of people at the crossroads of specific social, economic, and cultural forces. And there is no one story that can encompass them all. But too often it’s the easy narratives, the trite stereotypes that dominate the conversation. Even our title—Blue City, Red State—echoes established assumptions about the nature of Rust Belt progressivism. This anthology is a chance to complicate the discussion, to bring to light the unseen (and overlooked) politics of flyover country.

Submissions for Blue City, Red State are currently open.

About Belt Publishing

Belt Publishing is an independent, Cleveland-based publisher producing quality non-fiction by and for the region. Our titles have been praised by the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Ebony, Ploughshares, and numerous other publications. Become a member and support independent publishing.