Leviathan Bookstore, St. Louis, Mo., hosted the launch for the anthology Best of the Rust Belt (Belt Publishing), featuring local contributors (from l.) Vivian Gibson, Nartana Premachandra, and Michael Allen. The bookstore's first-ever author event took place at STL Style House, which puts local merchandise in service to civic advocacy.
Incidentally in its most recent newsletter, the store discussed the renewed popularity of Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, Ohio Senator and now Republican candidate for Vice President. The store wrote in part, "Nominally a story of self-reliance and a bootstrap-tugging rise out of poverty, it was first championed by a handful of conservative pundits, but it exploded in popularity when it became the go-to title for more liberal readers who desperately wanted to understand their political opponents. [But] if authentic Appalachia is what you seek, look elsewhere. You can start that search with a list created by people who really know that region well, our colleagues at Carmichael's Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky." The Carmichael's list includes 35 titles and can be seen here.