The Carnival
Excerpted from Rust Belt Chicago: An Anthology, coming in August from Belt Publishing. By Paul Dailing When I was a kid, [...]
The Oil Pipelines Putting the Great Lakes at Risk
Two hundred feet below the surface of the Straits of Mackinac, oil is moving through the Great Lakes.
RIP, Unknown Skeletal Remains
Excerpted from The Akron Anthology available from Belt Publishing. By Jennifer Conn The dirt path to the Summit County potter’s field in Tallmadge, [...]
Two Letters: Jackie Kennedy, Ray Bradbury, Suburbia, and Me
By Amy Kenyon This is a memory of two letters written during the last years before home computers and social [...]
“Grand Rapids Grassroots: An Anthology” Now Available For Pre-Order
Grand Rapids Grassroots: An Anthology Edited by Dani Villela and Ashley Nickels November 1, 2017 Grand Rapids, Michigan is known [...]
The Last, First Miami Speakers
The story of the Miami language over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is one of fracture and dissolution. In this it is not unique among Native languages—or cultures. In fact, it’s difficult to talk about one without the other.
The Seeds of Rebirth
On a snowy, ten-degree day in January 2009, my girlfriend and I woke up and randomly found our way to Gary, Indiana. We had Broadway to ourselves. At that time, the former Sheraton Hotel (since demolished) loomed menacingly over downtown.
When Ruby Jones Was Here
Excerpted from The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook, coming in August from Belt Publishing. By Lakisha Dumas When Ruby Jones was here, Detroit was [...]
“The Whiskey Rebellion and the Rebirth of Rye” Now Available for Pre-Order
The Whiskey Rebellion and the Rebirth of Rye: A Pittsburgh Story By Mark Meyer and Meredith Meyer Grelli November 15, [...]
The Urban Rural
When I have written about Roseland it is usually about tragedy and trauma as the result of generations of neglect. When I tell white people where I live, their response always begins with a recollection
Blue City, Red State: Call For Submissions
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
Men Of Steel
Lorain, Ohio used to be louder. In the steel corridor, along West 28th, you’d hear the roar of the blast furnace from inside U.S. Steel’s plant, the melting of iron ore into hot slabs or billets, the ding of pipe crashing down off the lifts.