Belt Publishing imprint: 24 books

Pittsburgh toilet, squeaky cheese, city chicken, shampoo banana, and Chevy in the Hole are all phrases that are familiar to Midwesterners but sound foreign to anyone living outside the region. This book explains not only what Midwesterners say but also how and why they say it and covers such topics...

Written by residents of Cleveland, this collection of essays and art speaks to the city from an insiders' view and presents a distinct sense of place. The book was prompted by hearing the echoes for a revitalization of Cleveland and aims to find the future through the history of the city. Citizens...

This anthology brings together some of Cincinnati's most notable residents, native sons and daughters, creatives, and contemplators to tell tales of a city's triumphs and tribulations through essays, artwork, and photography. The work reflects the complexity of the city: its present and its past,...

A collection of essays and personal narratives, the book captures a confounding, contradictory city, proving that Flint is far more than the common narrative of an industrial town picking itself up after a big company has moved out or as the site of a devastating public health crisis. The stories...

Hugh McVey moves from Missouri to the agrarian town of Bidwell, Ohio. He invents a mechanical cabbage planter to ease the burden of famers, but an investor in town exploits his product, which fails to succeed. His next invention, a corn cutter, makes him a millionaire and transforms Bidwell into a...

Main-Travelled Roads collects 11 short stories, originally published in 1891, set in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota, or what Hamlin Garland called the “Middle Border.” Depicting an agrarian life of exploitation, misogyny, and poverty, Garland's radical, realist stories refute romantic conceptions...

A social guide to Detroit for all coastal transplants, wary suburbanites, die-hard natives, and everyone in between, this book will help readers avoid falling into the "jackass" trap and become a productive, healthy Detroiter. The book covers topics such as how to do business, how to drive,...

While Grand Rapids, Michigan is known for large-scale events like ArtPrize; major businesses like Meijer, Steelcase, and Amway, and the philanthropic and political contributions of its wealthiest residents, there are hundreds — if not thousands — of grassroots activists working day-in and day-out...

In recent years, Minneapolis has become a literary powerhouse. Under Purple Skies: The Minneapolis Anthology collects some of the most exciting work being done in, or about, Minneapolis and the Twin Cities area, with narrative threads that stretch back not just to Scandinavia, but across the world....

Science fiction has historically been seen as a masculine domain, but from the very beginning women have made their mark. To the ranks of Mary Shelley and C. L. Moore, we should add Clare Winger Harris, whose pulp stories in the early twentieth century influenced the boom of modern writers such as...