The Columbus Anthology

The Columbus AnthologyColumbus, Ohio, is a place whose identity centers on its supposed lack of identity an American "every place" that has launched countless chain dining concepts. Enter the contributors to this wide ranging volume, who are all too happy to fight back against that reputation, even as they recognize it as an inevitable facet of the ever growing city they call home. "Maybe we're not having trouble designing a definitive identity," writes Amanda Page in her

Columbus, Ohio, is a place whose identity centers on its supposed lack of identity-an American "every place" that has launched countless chain dining concepts. Enter the contributors to this wide-ranging volume, who are all too happy to fight back against that reputation, even as they recognize it as an inevitable facet of the ever-growing city they call home. "Maybe we're not having trouble designing a definitive identity," writes Amanda Page in her introduction. "Maybe we are a city that is constantly considering what it will become."
Race, sports, the endless squeeze of gentrification, the city's booming literary and comics scenes, its reputation as a haven for queer life, the sometimes devastating differences in perspective among black and white, native and transplant residents-and more than one tribute to Buckeye Donuts-make this anthology a challenging and an energizing read. From Hanif Abdurraqib's sparkling and urgent portrait of Columbus's vital immigrant culture as experienced through Crew games to Nick Dekker's insights into breakfast as a vehicle for getting to know a city to the poetry of Maggie Smith and Ruth Awad, the pieces gathered here show us a Columbus far more textured than any test marketer could dream up.


Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Published: 03/17/2020
ISBN: 9780814255742
Pages: 184
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.51w x 0.44d