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POSTCARD
Featured Stories
PERSONAL HISTORY
Paper House
"I never would have called it homelessness, if you’d asked."
POLITICS
DISPATCH
Power and Peril at the Great Lakes
Lessons from one 1971 near-disaster for the future of nuclear power in the region.
RETROSPECTIVE
The Rebirth of a Regional Library
After a long period of disinvestment and decline, Chicago’s first regional library is returning to prominence.
The Rebirth of a Regional Library
After a long period of disinvestment and decline, Chicago’s first regional library is returning to prominence.
Independent, context-driven regional writing. Support Belt Magazine today. »
More Stories
The Poisonous Legacy of Portsmouth’s Gaseous Diffusion Plant
The plant was erected in Pike County, Ohio during the cold war to enrich uranium. Then people started getting sick. Now, they're stuck cleaning up the mess.
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."
Will Minneapolis’s Upper Harbor Terminal Project Be Good for Its Neighbors?
The city wants to develop public land in a majority-Black neighborhood. What would equitable development look like?
3666 Warren Avenue E. Detroit, MI 48207
"Somewhere the houses are rebuilding themselves./Sanding away the lead-coated paint from their siding."
Cleveland and the Biden-Trump Debate
The city illustrates, starkly, the challenges and opportunities of the country in 2020.
Ancient Places
"Every curve & angle of us was a sign to the end of times; / ... but we were too high and mighty to hear the trumpet"
The Brief but Spectacular Life of Youngstown’s Tomorrow Club
In the early Seventies, the venue embodied the “golden age of rock music”—and saw the early years of some of the industry’s most iconic acts.
Detroiters are Fighting for the Right to Water
Can an income-based water affordability plan solve the city’s water shutoff problem?
Between the Lake and Emmett Till Road
An excerpt from "The Chicago Neighborhood Guidebook."
How Chef Chanell Hale is Feeding Her Community in a Pandemic
A look inside the Chicago operation where Hale and her team cook and deliver hundreds of meals per week.
When Asked to Describe Gary “In Your Own Words”
"I get to say that I’m from here."
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From the Archives
Fear and Loathing on Euclid Avenue: Dispatches from the RNC in CLE
“I’m not here because I agree with everybody.”
How Michigan’s Municipal Policies Led To Crises In Detroit and Flint
Michigan has the most decrepit cities in the United States...It’s not just a result of neglect. It’s a result of policy.
Belt News
Call for Submissions: Pittsburgh Neighborhood Guidebook
Announcing the Pittsburgh Neighborhood Guidebook, to be published by Belt Publishing.
Call for Submissions: Gary Anthology
Announcing an anthology of stories about Gary, Indiana, to be published by Belt Publishing.
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