Coming Next
free with your pledge
Twice in Belt Publishing’s lifetime, a local NPR station has chosen one of our titles to give away as a gift to those who make a pledge during their pledge drive. Most recently, WOSU did so for their listeners in Columbus, who received a copy of Columbus in 50 Maps. I gotta say: having one of our books chosen for this purpose makes me inordinately happy. Both times the stations came to us, and I am here to encourage anyone who helps decide the non-tote bag gift at their station to consider us for their next fund drive.
Oh and speaking of maps, Boston in 50 Maps publishes next week, and it’s full of fun, including ducklings and Dunkin’s.
Oh wait still speaking of maps—for fans of this series and those waiting for your city to get on the roster: we are publishing Twin Cities in November (cover reveal coming shortly), and in 2027 we plan to bring you DC, Chicago, and —-my hometown!—Madison. It’s funny: I am pretty staunchy anti-nostalgia, and I bristle when people look to city-based Belt books for sentimental reliving of beloved moments from childhood. But when I saw the sample maps for the Madison book, and was suffused with happy memories, I got the allure.
Under contract and hopefully coming in 2028: Milwaukee, Portland, and Knoxville. We are always looking for more cities and cartographers for this now national series (Kansas City? Oakland? Baltimore? Dallas?), so tell your mapmaking friends.
Meanwhile, at Belt Central, early May saw a slew of manuscript deliveries, so Phoebe and I are rushing about to get them ready for winter 2027. Get excited for The Pocket History of Pączki, which may be the happiest book we’ve ever published, to publish around Fat Tuesday/Thursday (did you know it’s Thursday in Poland? So much you will soon learn…). Also coming soon, a fascinating history of American newspapers, with a new arguments about what really went wrong (not so happy), and a photo-heavy book about horse racing subcultures (why not?). Plus, for December, an anthology about regional music scenes, Midwest Calling, which will feature essays by some of your favorite musicians in your favorite bands (!!). Think Bloodbuzz Ohio and the pride of Eau Claire in the long shadow of Paul Westerberg, jug bands, and broken down vans. By the end of the month we should have lots of fun covers —as well as official tiles, ISBNs, and pre-order links—to announce. But first:
Ready for you to order now are two new titles in our series of reissues, Belt Revivals—one centered on Wisconsin and another Chicago. It’s gonna be a Chicago summer, in fact, as we are giving our now-classic book about gentrification, The Battle of Lincoln Park, a spiffy new edition, including archival photos of the Young Lords protesting housing, and publishing a book of photographs of Beverly/Morgan Park architecture. In October we are going further north with Literary Voyagers, a fascinating history of Michigan, writers, and women beautifully told (galleys of this one are just ready for reviewers, hit us up). That just leaves the book I spent much of 2025 on, a collection of oral interviews with workers, conducted by writers working for the federal government as part of the New Deal. Think of it as a counter to the likely saccharine America250 celebrations coming our way.
I’m thankful to be able to do such fun and meaningful work—-and to you guys (and all NPR stations), for taking an interest in what we do.
Reminder that I am teaching a nonfiction book proposal course — starts July 6!
I am curious now to see the Madison one -- my parents met and married there when my dad was a PhD student at UW, and they retired there in the early 2000s. Sounds like it might be a good gift for them. (I confess that I bought Radical Maps of Ferguson out of an odd kind of nostalgia, since I grew up there).
Sound's like the 50 Maps series is a winner and congrats