Support independent writing by and for the Rust Belt. Become a member today. »
(Cancel anytime.)
Independent, context-driven regional writing. Support Belt Magazine today. »
(Cancel anytime.)
More Stories
The Mystery of the Underwater Crucifix
About twenty feet underwater in Lake Michigan there’s a white marble crucifix from Italy. Diver Denny Jessick used a trail of rumors to search for its origin story.
New York, Los Angeles, Columbus?
How art can grow from Midwestern roots.
Moses of Cairo (Illinois)
The idea that non-white immigrants are, generally speaking, new to the Midwest could not be further from the truth.
Boss Elegy
A poem by Kelsey Kerin.
Whole Bottle of Red Pills
Belt Magazine presents an excerpt from distinguished reporter Jeff Sharlet's disturbing, brilliant, and important new book about the threat of American fascism "The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War."
Labor, Solidarity, and Nursing
Soon, nurses saw the gulf widen between their values and those of an increasingly commodified healthcare system.
Blust’ry Flakes
A poem by Andre Peltier.
Three Short Stories from “Sidle Creek”
In the hills of Appalachia in western Pennsylvania lies a bruised, stripped and timbered town of miners, mill workers and farmers called Sidle Creek. Award-winning author Jolene McIlwain's debut collection Sidle Creek unearths themes of class, health, trauma and the unexpected human conditions that happen in close-knit communities. To be released by Melville House on May 16, 2023.
“All-In” – Professors on the Picket Line at Eastern Illinois
Like faculty and staff at other institutions, those at Eastern Illinois University face an administration that continues to operate as if austerity is the only way. Yet upon closer examination, the University finances reveal a different story.
Lamb of God
A poem by Jason Irwin.
The Witch and the Virgin Mary
What had I expected to find here, in this place named for another religion’s saint? This was a shrine to the mother of God - but not the mother of any of my gods.
Get the latest stories from around the region sent straight to your inbox.
Get the latest stories from around the region sent straight to your inbox.
Support independent, context-driven regional writing.