Would the rust belt benefit from a journal of its own—a medium chronicling its resurrection or continued decay?
I emailed Trubek some questions.
“At the same time, it is indeed the differences that define each place as well—and also what we do at Belt. What is unique and worth recording, remembering, and reflecting upon in each city? In each neighborhood? Here again Chicago may gain back its asterisk, because one purpose of Belt is to write about (surprisingly) under-written about places. but Chicago has a robust, healthy tradition of writing about itself.” But that said, the city teems with untold stories. She named one told in Belt that I hadn’t seen anywhere else: a piece by Jake Austen on the old south-side amusement park, Fun Town.
OK, Buffalo.
Trubek wrapped it up. “I will say this: I’ve learned a lot about how different cities perceive themselves through doing our city-based anthologies. For instance, the Cleveland book, our first, taught me how incredibly Cleveland-obsessed are many Clevelanders. I mean, the intensity of the obsession Clevelanders have with their city—positive, love-hate, negative, but mainly positive—is profound. As a non-native Clevelander, it can sometimes be a bit scary. . . . Detroiters, on the other hand, seem more fascinated and flummoxed and curious about their city—but not so consumed/obsessed/infatuated with it. Cincinnatians (who also are on the edges of the rust belt proper), just seem more generally self-content. They live there; they like living there; it’s no big thang either way.”
