The Rust Belt is Indigenous land. From time immemorial, Indigenous people have been an integral part of life in this region. To that end, Belt Magazine is seeking features, essays, poetry, and photography for a series on the “Indigenous Rust Belt.” We are particularly interested in stories that engage with the geographies and everydayness of Indigenous life in the contemporary Rust Belt.
The series will be guest edited by Dr. Deondre Smiles. Dr. Smiles is an Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Victoria. Dr. Smiles focuses on critical Indigenous geographies, tribal cultural resource protection and preservation, political ecology, and science/technology studies. Dr. Smiles holds a PhD in Geography from The Ohio State University, where he also spent a year as a President’s Postdoctoral Scholar in the History department.
Deadline for pitches and submissions: October 18, 2021. Send pitches for features/photography and completed essays/poems to [email protected], with “Indigenous Rust Belt” in the subject line. Please also include a short bio (<50 words).
This series is generously supported by Ohio Humanities, an advocate for the public humanities in Ohio. All contributors will be compensated.
Cover image by Pat Nabong, from a photo essay on Chicago’s First Nations garden.
