Introducing Cle’s New Online Magazine
By Sarah Valek
Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology was a great success. Not only did the book provide a much-needed outlet for Clevelanders to read and reflect on our city, it gave name to a growing phenomenon. A phenomenon that isn’t so much a fad but an appreciation of what we are — authentic, ethnic, real.
The co-editors of Rust Belt Chic, Richey Piiparinen and Anne Trubek, want to further the conversation. They’re in the process of creating BELT, an online magazine focusing on “thoughtful, in-depth reporting and commentary on culture and economic development in Cleveland and other industrial cities.”
According to Anne Trubek, “BELT will offer in-depth essays and articles about Cleveland’s past and present. We will take our time to produce well-written, well-edited literary journalism. BELT will also offer a new outlet for commentary on Cleveland’s economic development.”
Instead of publishing short blurbs on news items, BELT will focus on long-form journalism — something that can be hard to find in a 180-character world.
Says Trubek, “[O]ur stories will not necessarily be timely or related to current events. For instance, we’re planning to run a piece on the history of the Anisfield Wolf Awards, one of the nation’s oldest and best literary awards, which
many Clevelanders don’t know much about.”
Columns will run on days BELT doesn’t feature long-form pieces and may focus on domestic issues, like raising chickens.
“We also plan to have a section written by readers,” says Trubek. “We will offer a topic once a month (say ‘South Euclid’ or ‘Red Right 88’) and ask readers to submit essays based on those topics. We will then edit and
publish our favorites.”
Sounds cool, right? But BELT isn’t going to happen without support. The editors have created a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to a) design a fully functional site and b) pay editors and writers to produce quality writing.
Funding is the main issue right now. Click here to see how you can help get BELT off the ground. Let’s keep the conversation going — with Cleveland writers giving voice to our vital region.
http://Kickstarter.com/projects
Cool Cleveland editor Sarah Valek studied art and writing at Ithaca College. After graduation, she came back to Cle and served two years as an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. She can be found on all sides of the city in pursuit of homeschooling activities for her son and the perfect soy latte. Contact her at CoolEditorATCoolCleveland.com.