On Friday, May 29, 2015, Car Bombs to Cookie Tables: The Youngstown Anthology (Belt Publishing, May 2015) will be unveiled at a special launch event from 6 to 9 p.m. at B&O Station, 530 Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown.
“Car Bombs to Cookie Tables: The Youngstown Anthology (Belt Publishing, May 2015) is filled with stories born of struggle and conflict, stories that have shaped the values and lives of people from the Mahoning Valley. It elevates works that capture life as it was, is, and will be lived in the Youngstown area.”
The book, which is co-edited by JMC associate professor and Youngstown native Jacquie Marino and Will Miller, chronicles Youngstown’s history and includes stories of Loss, Family, Work and Transcendence.
“We weren’t looking for nostalgia,” Marino said. “We were looking for brave, honest accounts about how being from Youngstown has influenced people’s lives and art.”
The book ‘s 45 contributors include includes contributions from Sarah Stankorb, C Lee Tressel, former Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, Modern Family star Ed O’Neill, former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett, and many more. JMC grads Anthony Dominic,’13; Tom Wood, ’90; Nicholas Baker,’10; Leah Perrino,’14; and JMC associate professor Joe Murray, Ph.D., also contributed original stories, photography and design elements to the book.
The experiences captured in the book challenge the stereotypes about living and working in Youngstown, and instead shift the focus to offer a narrative about a side of the city that only its residents know and understand.
The Youngstown anthology is part of a larger, growing movement toward authentic literature about the rustbelt. Belt’s city-based anthologies are written by and for Rust Belt communities and each volume focuses on a different city. Other rustbelt volumes include Cleveland, Detroit, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh–and more are scheduled to come.
The editors and many contributors will be at the lunch event, and there will even be a cookie table. Books will be available at the event and can also be purchased online.