Vintage whiskey bottles, faded newspaper clippings and lengthy historical descriptions are perhaps most likely to be found in a small, eclectic museum. But Toledo, Ohio’s history buffs have found an unlikely place for archiving, research and lasting connection: Facebook. With as many as 15,000+ members and 20+ posts a day that garner hundreds of comments and reactions in a single group, the community is one of the most lively public forums in the mid-sized Midwestern town.
Few things are quite as Midwestern as long, open roads on monotonously flat stretches of land, broken up by fantastically mismatched billboards firmly staked...
Geography, politics and demographics are all typical ways we define regions, but Twitter account @midwestern_ope demonstrates a more creative approach: jokes, memes & good ol’ fashioned self-deprecation that make fun of but also highlight the people and day-to-day characteristics of the Midwest. In the process, these tweets highlight Midwestern identity in a manner often left out of the national conversation recently focused on the region’s politics.
Through conversations with her grandfather, the author unpacks his personal history during the Civil Rights Movement and the Great Migration—one that paved the way for generations to come. Read his story and listen to excerpts from the interview.
For decades, the Midwest was the example of perfect, accentless English. Now, increasing dialectic quirks are changing that perception, and with it, Midwestern identity.
At a moment of social unrest motivated by a struggle for racial justice and framed by a pandemic, protesters haven’t sought policy changes alone; they’ve also sought to recast other facets of our society, including long-standing monuments. A look back in time shows that the ensuing debate on monuments is not a new conversation in American history.
The nationwide protests spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have brought a magnifying glass on the Midwestern city—its people, its politics...
Don’t cry over spilled milk? Well, you’re lucky if you’ve got any milk at all. In part II of our two-part series on the grocery, we talk about how the current crisis is affecting the massive network behind the storefront. COVID-19 is forcing us to re-examine systems that have been in place for hundreds of years, including the food supply chain. Once a robust system maximizing efficiency and profit, the brokenness of the American food system is a shock to consumers and industry leaders alike. Can the problems be a blessing in disguise? How might these pressure points shed light on industry practices, and lead to social and environmental gain?
In January of 2020, Midstory partnered with an architecture studio at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design to host an exhibit of student work premised on designing a community gathering space for the city of Clyde, OH. The Midstory Team sat down with course instructor and architect Pier Paolo Tamburelli to learn about the premise and to share with the Midwest audience the beauty, critical reflection and, ultimately, kindness from the possibility of new collective life in Small-Town, USA.
