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The Best of Belt Year One
When Belt Magazine launched one year ago, we did so for one basic reason: We felt that Cleveland and other cities in the Rust Belt were being defined by outside media that didn’t know us. We wanted to tell our own story ourselves.
Friday Link Roundup
Midwest rankings in (stagnant) median household incomes, the rent is too damn high, Rust Belt beekeeping, careful what you wish for re: gentrification, how writers get paid in a virtual world of writing.
The Woman in the Red Glasses: Jane Scott Gets a Documentary
Jane Scott, the Cleveland music writer beloved by the rock stars she covered, was honored this week at a fundraiser for the documentary about her life and career and the iconic red glasses.
Sewing in the City
Cleveland has always been a sewing town. The White Sewing Machine Company called the city home for over a century, and JoAnn Fabrics, the national mega-retailer, was born here in 1943.
Personalized Propaganda: On Guns, Governance, and Grumpy Old Men
Back in July, I stood in front of about 40 people holding rifles and guns on Cleveland’s Public Square, holding a sign that basically said that guns kill people and shouldn’t be carried around in public by the public.
The Rust Belt Refugees III
These profiles tell the story of Rust Belt refugees who are happy with their lives but sometimes can’t help thinking they’ve lost something they’ll never get back by joining the Michigan and Ohio diasporas.
The Only Thing You Ever Regret Is the Typewriter You Don’t Buy: Attending the 2014 International Typewriter Collectors Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The rules and copy for the “Fastest Typewriting Contest” at the 2014 International Typewriter Collectors Convention, which took place August 7-10, are the same as those used at the International Typewriting Contest held in New York City
Friday Link Roundup
Whether or not fracking actually helps Rust Belt economies, a new journal of midwest culture, the Cleveland Fed talks to reporters, and where people go when they move out of your city.
Roadway Battleground: Bicyclist vs. Motorist
Most car drivers don’t like me. I’m one of those people who rides a bicycle in the street, and over the years I’ve had cars swerve toward me, throw garbage, honk, shout nasty crap, and give me the finger when they ride by.
Robbing the Pillars: Frugal, Poor, or Sustainable in Rustbelt 1977
When I was in high school in the late 1970’s and people I didn’t know well would drive me home from my summer job, I would ask to be dropped off at a neighbor’s house.
Sweeping the Streets: Poetry and Boxing in Pittsburgh
Jimmy Cvetic, also known as “the Dog”, is a boxing trainer, ex-police detective—and prolific poet.

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