The Des Moines-based t-shirt company Raygun has together and published a book about the history and culture of the Midwest called The Midwest: God’s Gift to Planet Earth. The book is extremely funny, chock full of illustrations, and gorgeously bound with an embossed cover—and aside from the humor, there is quite a bit of affecting conversation regarding what it means to be a Midwesterner, how that has changed, and how people have and continue to perceive us from around the country.
The wonderful people at Raygun interviewed me for the chapter devoted to arts in the Midwest—about Midwestern Gothic and its mission, as well as my stance on the region (and Regionalism in general) and why I believe we’re starting to make a comeback—and I’m happy to say I made the final cut!
But really, more than anything, it’s awesome to see others who are promoting the Midwest so enthusiastically, and for those interested in a fun read that treads on very real topics, I highly recommend this book.
You can find details on the book here (as well as info on where you can buy), and you download the first chapter for free here.