Arts & Culture

Spearfishing Makes a Splash in Michigan

How one man’s passion brought new life to the sport in the Great Lakes

Barbara Damrosch’s Life in the Garden

The acclaimed garden writer’s latest book is part memoir, part garden guide and part call to action

When Fantasy Meets Reality: The Folly of Kings

“The 21st century seems replete with examples as to why autocracies are, to put it mildly, very stupid”

In Times of Trouble, My Mother’s History Tells Me We Shall Overcome

Our lives are marked by our creative journeys, both inward and outward

With Rural Libraries Under Attack, a Washington Town Rallies to Defend Its Own

A state senator pulled funding from the Republic Library. Citizens responded by organizing to protect its inclusive community.

Carín León Says There’s Nothing ‘Regional’ About His Music

A review of the latest album by the Grammy-winning Mexican artist and his challenge to the gringo music industry’s pigeonholing labels

Going Off the Grid in the Midwest

What walking an arbitrary line through Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa reveals

The Arts Organization Helping Transform Appalachia’s Craft Economy

Creative entrepreneurs are getting needed support to grow and sustain their businesses after Hurricane Helene
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From Midwest Connections

Midwest Connections

On Caucus Day in Iowa, a Different Kind of Spin Cycle

Ordinary acts of care teach us to look beyond false claims to glory

Read column
Culture
January 2, 2025

How Rural Post Offices Sustain Community

Reflections on the post offices of Benzie County, Michigan, as a living map

Mary Welcome, essay & photography
Culture
December 25, 2024

The Best Country Album of 2024 You’ve Never Heard Of

In Blackgrass, an old Dogg shows he has plenty of new tricks

Culture
December 15, 2024

In Rural News Deserts, Trump Won Big

The election results show “that some of the most common victims of the collapse of local news” are the same people who support Trump, says Steven Waldman, the president and founder of Rebuild Local News.

Paul Farhi & John Volk, The State of Local News