The Forgotten Legacy of Buford Gordon
Buford Franklin Gordon’s name is unlikely to ring any bells among most residents of South Bend, Indiana. Part of this is understandable — Gordon only lived in South Bend for a period of five years...
Of Bibles and Body Slams: The Story Of Flint Wrestler Leo “Father Time” Napier
Leo Napier is walking around each side of a wrestling ring in Dearborn, Michigan, teaching the audience assembled there how to be his fan. They are willing. They are eager.
One Block, Two Businesses, Three Families: A Detroit Story
The building at Mack near Chalmers resembles thousands of Detroit properties: abandoned, in tax foreclosure, burned-out, dangerous, overdue for demolition.
The Chatpattey Room: Refugees Creating a Home — And A Business — In The Rust Belt
Nestled between a modern-day bistro and a jewelry shop, just inside of Akron’s North Hill neighborhood, sits a small inconspicuous building.
“A Flair for the Scare”: Inside Ohio’s Nationally Ranked Haunted Hoochie
Sometime around 9 p.m., a hollow-eyed corpse in coveralls will appear on the balcony overlooking a 1,000-odd patrons dancing in place in the 40-degree Ohio evening.
The ArtPrize Tension Machine: Power, Politics, And Populism At The World’s Strangest Arts Competition
Ruben Ubiera, shirtless on a humid night in early September, runs back and forth across Front Avenue under US-131 in Grand Rapids, shaking a can of spray paint.
Environmental Peril Or Economic Promise? What’s At Stake In The Debate Over West Virginia’s Wilderness
The Monongahela National Forest comprises 917,000 acres of protected land in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia. Within its borders are the headwaters of six rivers ...
As Goes Ohio: Why the Buckeye State Remains the Key to the Presidency
There are certain places every politician with national ambitions wants to be seen. Iowa in January. Martha’s Vineyard in the summer. And Ohio, in the autumn of a presidential campaign.
Of Rumor and Riot
In late summer of 1967, waves of rumors moved through metropolitan Detroit, announcing a series of race divisions across the city and between city and suburb.
From Comp Lit to the Adjuncts’ Champion: The Academic Odyssey of Maria Maisto
In the spring of 2004, Maria Maisto, a doctoral student in comparative literature at the University of Maryland and a long-time Washingtonian, decided to leave Washington, D.C. for an uncertain future in the Rust Belt.
A State Of Quakes
As sun set on the final evening of 2011, a loud boom interrupted New Years’ Eve revelries in eastern Ohio. Valerie Dearing, who was ringing in the New Year in her living room in the small town of Poland ...
How to Grow a Music Festival: The Nelsonville Music Festival Story
Just before 5pm on Sun., May 31, Seattle-based singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile looked out at the large, energetic and sweaty crowd from her perch, front and center on the Nelsonville Music Festival’s Main Stage...