Rust Belt Lab

Big news: @rustbeltlab.bsky.social has launched “Rust Belt Studies"! We're proud to see KSUP represented in the inaugural issue, which has @jlauck1941.bsky.social's essay from “Where East Meets (Mid)West,” plus a review of Deborah Fleming’s “Ghosts of an Old Forest.” www.rustbeltstudies.org/journal

Excited to share our newest project: a comic about the many ways Cleveland has played a central role in our democratic experiment! You can read more and see the full art here: clereviewofbooks.com/cleveland-la... @natepowell.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social

We're currently accepting articles for our 2026 issue, The Regenerative Rust Belt. Send us your articles and write with any questions. Also, please share the CFP far and wide! @katietrostel.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social #academicsky #booksky

When we hosted @andrewaydin.bsky.social in Cleveland, we had to have him do a reading of Taste of Justice--a superhero webcomic about superheroes and food, 2 things #CLE is known for--@dccomicsreal.bsky.social @literarycleveland.bsky.social Read it here: www.dcuniverseinfinite.com/comics/book/...

When we hosted @andrewaydin.bsky.social in Cleveland, we had to have him do a reading of Taste of Justice--a superhero webcomic about superheroes and food, 2 things #CLE is known for--@dccomicsreal.bsky.social @literarycleveland.bsky.social Read it here: www.dcuniverseinfinite.com/comics/book/...

Last week we hosted @andrewaydin.bsky.social at the Cleveland Foundation for the 90th anniversary of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards and Congressman Lewis, who won the award in 1999. Dawn Arrington, Dir of Comics at the Corner led the interview @katietrostel.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social

Need some good news? smokymountainnews.com/news/item/39...

Good Trouble Comics announces the Appalachia Comics Project aiming to spotlight the devastation of Hurricane Helene and history of the region #comics #comicbooks @andrewaydin.bsky.social

What a weekend! We'll be sharing highlights from our 2nd Rust Belt Symposium, a chance to tell our own stories and imagine new futures rooted in community. Like the #splicecreamtruck, we are "powered by North East Shores" ... and stories! ❤️ @valentinolzullo.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social

It was a true honor to host one of comics' greats this weekend when @andrewaydin.bsky.social visited Cleveland for the first time. He fit right in! Look for picture and videos: here is a sneak peek @katietrostel.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social @topshelfcomix.bsky.social #CLE #RustBelt

Books at the Market today at the West Side Market with @literarycleveland.bsky.social, Cleveland Public Library and more! @andrewaydin.bsky.social will be signing books at 1pm! #comics #comicssky #booksky #CLE #RustBelt @rustbeltlab.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social

Thanks to everyone who’s stopped by our exhibit at today’s Rust Belt Humanities Symposium at Ursuline College—featuring books by @jlauck1941.bsky.social and more. And thanks too to the organizers at @rustbeltlab.bsky.social!

@andrewaydin.bsky.social, @katietrostel.bsky.social, and @valentinolzullo.bsky.social will be on the Sound of Ideas this morning! #CLE #RustBelt #booksky www.ideastream.org/show/sound-o...

Thanks for the writeup, Cool Cleveland! #RustBeltLab @katietrostel.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social coolcleveland.com/2025/03/ursu...

We met w/ Dawn Arrington of Comics at the Corner today to plan her conversation w/ @andrewaydin.bsky.social at the Cleveland Foundation this week. Let's celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and John Lewis' legacy @valentinolzullo.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social

Our reading of John Lewis, @andrewaydin.bsky.social, and @natepowell.bsky.social’s March with students from Tri-C and Ursuline College continues. Pictured are some of our book club members. @topshelfcomix.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social #comics #Cleveland #rustbelt

Our reading of John Lewis, @andrewaydin.bsky.social, and @natepowell.bsky.social’s March with students from Tri-C and Ursuline College continues. Pictured are some of our book club members. @topshelfcomix.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social #comics #Cleveland #rustbelt

We have a handful of additional tickets available for our April 4th Symposium. Please email katharine.trostel@ursuline.edu if you're interested! @valentinolzullo.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social

Next week @andrewaydin.bsky.social will be at the Cleveland Foundation in honor of the 90th anniversary of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, which John Lewis won in 1999. #booksky #comicssky @topshelfcomix.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social #comics #Cleveland #RustBelt

Next week @andrewaydin.bsky.social will be at the Cleveland Foundation in honor of the 90th anniversary of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, which John Lewis won in 1999. #booksky #comicssky @topshelfcomix.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social #comics #Cleveland #RustBelt

Look for my KSU Press colleagues at the symposium's exhibit, and if you're writing a book on a Rust Belt topic, drop me a line!

Getting our swag ready for our Rust Belt Symposium at #ursulinecollege! Our bags are from Found Surface "Manufacturing eco-friendly soft goods in Cleveland, Ohio." Our event is sold out but you can learn more about our work: www.rustbeltlab.org. @katietrostel.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social

Next month: Books at the Market at Cleveland's historic, West Side Market w/ @andrewaydin.bsky.social. Will we see you? Join @literarycleveland.bsky.social, Cleveland Public Library, Comics at the Corner, more! #comics #booksky #CLE #RustBelt @valentinolzullo.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social

Students @ Ursuline College & Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland are reading March 1-3 by John Lewis, @andrewaydin.bsky.social, & @natepowell.bsky.social this Spring! Prepping for Andrew's visit! @topshelfcomix.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social #comics #CLE

Join us on 4/4 & hear from Midstory "a non-profit thinkhub that progresses the narrative of the Midwest by incubating bright, diverse and interdisciplinary thinkers to ... envision the future of our region." secure.acceptiva.com?cst=6DKzh4 @katietrostel.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social

Interested in how comics document place? Consider submitting an abstract for a proposed panel on Rust Belt comics for the 2026 MLA conference in Toronto--@modernlanguage.bsky.social. @katietrostel.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social #academicsky #rustbelt #comics Learn more www.rustbeltlab.org

Join us on 4/4 for our Rust Belt Humanities Lab Symposium at Ursuline. Learn about the amazing work of the Charles W. Chesnutt Archive Team as they spotlight the legacy of a transformative Cleveland writer & build community around his work. @katietrostel.bsky.social @valentinolzullo.bsky.social

Our symposium will feature the Splice Cream Truck: "An ice cream truck with an analog recording studio, splicing communities together through stories!" Tell a story about place for an ice cream! Register: secure.acceptiva.com?cst=6DKzh4 @valentinolzullo.bsky.social @katietrostel.bsky.social

"So much of our present culture seems obsessed with obliterating what makes a place unique." Not Jon Wlasiuk! New interview with @riotnerrrd.bsky.social about An Alternative History of Cleveland live now --> beltpublishing.com/pages/interv...