Except for the Cancer I’m Fine
"Is disease something we’re born with and prone to, or the result of a life lived in a place that can make anyone sick?”
An Ordinary Day in Charlottesville
Excerpted from "Pure America: Eugenics and the Making of Modern Virginia."
Creating Space for Virgil Cantini in Pittsburgh
Cantini, who was a vital part of Pittsburgh's public art scene in the twentieth century, believed art should be free and available to everyone.
Lancaster is Burning
"The landscape of Fairfield County, Ohio sprouted the seeds of my imagination, helped them take root." [Excerpt]
The Tomato Man
How growing heirloom tomatoes helped me find community—even in a pandemic.
Following the Yellowlined Road
Yellowlining—the lesser cousin of federal-government redlining—was a discriminatory force that historians and economists have only begun to explore.
On the Van Galder from Wisconsin to O’Hare
"In Wisconsin, the Van Galder is a rite of passage for budget travelers of all stripes—students, retirees, the frugal, the working poor."
Between the Lake and Emmett Till Road
An excerpt from "The Chicago Neighborhood Guidebook."
Cleveland and Chicago: Cities of Segregation
An excerpt from "Black in the Middle."
Life After the Derecho
In eastern Iowa, we’re a long way from recovery.
Switch and the Pride of Youngstown
An excerpt from "The Youngstown Anthology," Second Edition.
A Night at the Drive-In During a Pandemic Summer
"It feels so foreign now, this kind of shared experience in real time."