Event Guide: Reading the Rust Belt
Image: Reading the Rust Belt
Events
ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Wednesday, September 20
6:00 p.m.
Kickoff
Kennedy Center Second Floor, Hiram College
Join us as we celebrate the start of our community reading program with snacks and games! Grab a free copy of our shared book, Bonnie Jo Campbell’s American Salvage. Check out and respond to our displays about what it means to be connected to a specific place, whether the Rust Belt, the Midwest, another American region, or another country. Stop in at our booths to learn about the many activities throughout Portage County that will connect you to American Salvage.
7:00 p.m.
Keynote Speaker: The Midwest: Past, Present Future
Kennedy Center Ballroom, Hiram College
Author Phil Christman will draw on key ideas from his book Midwest Futures to discuss what comprises the Midwest and how its location, economy, and climate have created its past, present, and future challenges and opportunities. This event is sponsored by a grant from Hiram Community Trust.
Saturday, September 23
9:00 a.m.
Nature Walk
James H. Barrow Biological Field Station, Hiram College
Take a walk through Hiram College’s 500-acre field station with Professors Sarah Mabey and Brad Goodner as they discuss the changes in landscape as Northeast Ohio’s economic fortunes and priorities have shifted over the past thirty-plus years. Look for and think about the local birds, animals, and plants that have come and gone with the changes that humans have made to the region. Coffee and tea will be available beginning at 8:30 am.
Monday, September 25
7:00 p.m.
Rust Belt Femme: Author Reading
Kennedy Center Ballroom, Hiram College
Join us as Cleveland author Raechel Anne Jolie reads from and discusses her memoir Rust Belt Femme about how growing up in 1990s riot grrrl culture and in rural Ohio poverty “shaped her into who she is today: a queer femme with PTSD and a deep love of the Midwest.” This event is co-sponsored by Hiram College’s Center for Literature and Medicine.
Saturday, September 30
2:00 p.m.
DIY Desk Organizer
Reed Memorial Library
Join us to use “salvaged” materials to make a DIY desk organizer. All materials will be provided. Adults and teens are welcome; however, space is limited to the first 10 people attending.
Tuesday, October 3
7:00 p.m.
Keynote Speaker: American Salvage Author Reading
Kennedy Center Ballroom, Hiram College
Author Bonnie Jo Campbell will read from her critically-acclaimed short fiction collection American Salvage, the focus of our community reading program. Campbell is also the author of the novels Once Upon a River, a national bestseller, and Q Road. Her critically-acclaimed short fiction collections include Women and Other Animals, which won the AWP prize for short fiction; and Mothers, Tell Your Daughters.
Thursday, October 5
7:00 p.m.
The Essential Liberal Arts: Historical Sketches of Hiram College
Pritchard Room, Hiram College Library, or via Zoom
Hiram College alumnus Thomas Bacher ’78 will highlight the history that made Hiram College what it is. Hear some of his favorite stories from his book, The Essential Liberal Arts, as well as a few tales that didn’t make it into the book. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Hiram College Library. Visit library.hiram.edu/home/friends to register to receive the Zoom link.
Tuesday, October 10
4:15 p.m.
Where Are Your People From?: Author Reading
Pritchard Room, Hiram College Library
Northeast Ohio author James DeMonte will read from his new novel, Where Are Your People From?, which chronicles the lives of coal-mining Italian-Americans in 20th-century Ohio.
5:30 p.m.
Book Discussion
Randolph Library
Join the Randolph Book Club for an engaging discussion of American Salvage.
7:00 p.m.
Book Discussion
Kent Free Library
Join the staff at the Kent Free Library for a riveting discussion of American Salvage.
Thursday, October 12
7:00 p.m.
Book Discussion
Reed Memorial Library
Join the library staff for a lively discussion of American Salvage.
Tuesday, October 17
5:00 p.m.
Rust Belt Regionalism in Bonnie Jo Campbell’s American Salvage
Garrettsville Library
Part of the mastery of Bonnie Jo Campbell’s story collection American Salvage is the way it effectively captures the people and a sense of place in the rural, working-class Rust Belt. At the same time, the characters in the collection are never portrayed as simple or unsophisticated, and the landscape is not seen as lacking depth of thought or even profound inspiration. This talk by Prof. Jeff Swenson of Hiram College will explore how Campbell infuses the cosmopolitan within her regional fiction to create these vibrant landscapes.
7:00 p.m.
HIV in the Rust Belt: Film Screening
Kennedy Center Ballroom, Hiram College
Filmmakers Holly Hey and Allyson Day from the University of Toledo will join us for a screening from and discussion of their documentary project HIV in the Rust Belt. This event is sponsored by Hiram College’s Center for Literature and Medicine.
Wednesday, October 18
7:00 p.m.
Meth in the Midwest: The Overlooked Problem of Drugs in Rural America
Kent Free Library
This presentation by Hiram College Prof. Laci Fiala will introduce statistics and trends on drug use and abuse in the Midwest, with an emphasis on rural America. Additionally, major contributors to the problem of drugs in rural America will be explored, such as educational attainment, employment, poverty, and isolation.
Thursday, October 19
5:00 p.m.
Economic Instability in the Rust Belt: Opportunities and Challenges for Workers and Economic Development
Randolph Library
Focused on economic challenges and their impacts, this presentation by Hiram College Prof. Morgan Clevenger highlights statistics and trends in the Rust Belt, such as shifts in production from manufacturing to information and technology. Additionally, where and how people form economies will be explored, such as the erosion of downtowns, the rise of malls, and the advent of the Amazon era.
Sunday, October 22
6:30 p.m.
Portage County Stories
Hiram Christian Church
Enjoy an evening of listening to and sharing stories inspired by American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell. At this Moth-style event hosted by Ellen Eckhouse, local storytellers will share stories about their lives in and around Portage County. Attendees who would like to share their own story can put their name in a hat and, if chosen, tell a five-minute story that is true and in which they are one of the main characters. Story content and language should be appropriate for a general audience and must be on the theme of life in rural, working-class America. For all ages: 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. No registration required. For more information, contact moderator@hiramchristianchurch.org.
Tuesday, October 24
6:30 p.m.
History of the Rust Belt through the Eyes of Musicians
Pierce Streetsboro Library
From the early beginnings of rock and roll to modern rap music, the musicians of the Rust Belt have recorded the history of the area through their own eyes. This presentation by Hiram College Prof. Isaac Winland will look at some of the top artists and producers in the 20th and 21st century that told stories of industrial decline and rural struggles.
Wednesday, October 25
5:00 p.m.
Book Discussion
Kennedy Center Brown-Fall Room, Hiram College
Join Prof. Kirsten Parkinson of Hiram College for an informal and engaging discussion of the themes and issues of American Salvage.
Thursday, October 26
4:15 p.m.
Rust Belt Art Icons: Then and Now
Pritchard Room, Hiram College Library
In the 1930s the main field of action for American painters moved from the East Coast to the Midwest and to the challenge of transforming Rust Belt scenes into American icons. This talk by Prof. Henry Adams of Case Western Reserve University will discuss how major American painters of the 1930s responded to this mission as well as how painters are dealing with this challenge today.
Monday, October 30
4:15 p.m.
Place and Segregation in the Rust Belt
Pritchard Room, Hiram College Library
Many Rust Belt cities and metropolitan areas are among the most racially segregated in America. This presentation by Hiram College Prof. James Rhodes will trace the development of residential segregation in the region through processes of zoning and redlining. It will also explore the consequences of this segregation in terms of contemporary social issues such as poverty, education, health, and environmental quality. This event is sponsored by Hiram College’s Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Impact.
