Did Art Walks Cause Trumpism?
(Or, let's stop with the economic anxiety.)
The Moral Power of Rust Belt Labor
As recent strikes by unions across the region demonstrate, collective action remains as vital as ever.
Returning to Pittsburgh
"For all the intervening years, Pittsburgh had lived in my memory...viewable but not touchable, sequestered behind a one-way mirror of time."
2014
"Yes, I have been here before / On the threshold of justice’s door / Half a century ago / In Selma, Oxford, / And Birmingham." [From "The St. Louis Anthology"]
Cleaving
"I unfold my maps and trace my finger / across searching for the most authentic-looking / ruins."
Call for Submissions: Reimagining Rust Belt Infrastructure
In search of features, essays, and commentary on the connections between infrastructure and issues of climate, environment, equity, and democracy in the region.
Urban Ecology and Animism in the Landscape of the Great Lakes
An interview with Matt Stansberry and Gavin Van Horn.
Losing Lordstown
General Motors announced plans last week to close its plant in Ohio’s Mahoning Valley. But it’s not only jobs that are at stake.
Squirrel Hill is a Special Place—and It’s Not by Accident
On tragedy, Jewish faith, and the intentional community that makes this Pittsburgh neighborhood unique.
Conjuring Steel
Fly-fishing for steelhead in the Cuyahoga—with a touch of tarot.
No Surprise: The Rust Belt Knows What the Pundits Don’t
After months and months of media coverage declaring “economic populism” the theme of the presidential campaign – and for both parties, no less – it would be easy to succumb to short-term amnesia...
Weekly Links Roundup
A roundup of links to important Rust Belt-related pieces from this past week.