How Flooding Threatens Appalachian Culture and Heritage
Climate change comes for Appalachia.
Breezewood, Pennsylvania: The Most American Place on Earth
The meme-able turnpike is a nexus of American culture.
Indigenous Hauntings
Native grief and resurgence in the Midwest.
Home/Lands
Indigenous diasporas and making 'home' in the Rust Belt.
The Rise of Pennsylvania’s Everyday Left
Candidates like John Fetterman and Summer Lee are charting a more progressive future for Democrats.
The Wisconsin GOP’s Dangerous Attacks on Democracy
Some Republicans in the state want to go so far as to decertify its 2020 electoral votes.
J.D. Vance’s Long Con
The 'Hillbilly Elegy' author's Trumpian transformation is complete.
Pittsburgh’s Broken Bridge is a Warning Sign
The now-collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge is a marker of what’s at stake in the infrastructure fight—and how far we have to go.
The Best of Belt Magazine 2021
Our new anthology of regional writing, available exclusively to Belt members.
On Stony Island Avenue: Boulevard of Black Culture
Ayana Contreras on the creative legacy of the Chicago street.
The Best Rust Belt Books of 2021
A Belt critic's Rust Belt 'Lit List.'
Why Indigenous Place Names Matter
Our origin stories, histories, languages, and cultures are tied to our homelands.