Are West Chicago’s Radiation Worries Over?
A local factory in West Chicago, Illinois was once the largest producer of thorium in the world. This fall the “radioactive capital of the Midwest” is doing one last cleanup.
How Malls Shaped the Rust Belt (and Vice Versa)
A conversation with architecture and design critic Alexandra Lange on malls in America.
In the ‘Rubber Capital of the World,’ Health Consequences Linger
In Akron, Ohio, toxic exposures to benzene and asbestos made people sick and cut lives short.
Painting a Future for North Braddock
An upcoming art show asks of Braddock, Pennsylvania, 'Where do we think this is going?'
Event Video: Indigenous Rust Belt
Watch the full video of our February 2 event on Indigenous life and history in the Rust Belt.
The Best of Belt Magazine 2021
Our new anthology of regional writing, available exclusively to Belt members.
A Very Rust Belt Reading 2021
Watch the full video of our December 16 event "A Very Rust Belt Reading" with Ed Simon, Vivian Gibson, and Gretchen Kalwinski.
The History and Possible Futures of an American Steel Town
McKeesport, Pennsylvania has been through two Great Depressions. Its recovery from the first holds lessons for today.
Call for Submissions: Indigenous Rust Belt
In search of features, essays, and poems that engage with the Indigenous Rust Belt.
Rust Belt Labor: A Reading List
Stories of Rust Belt workers--their lives, histories, memories, and resistance.
Inside the Decades-Long Fight Over an Ohio Superfund Site
In Uniontown, Ohio, outside of Akron, residents and officials have clashed over cleanup of the Industrial Excess Landfill.
Climate Emergency and Environmental Justice in the Rust Belt
Stories on climate change, industrial legacies, and planning for a just future.