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Rust Belt Arcana: Tarot and Natural History in the Exurban Wilds Kindle Edition

by Matt Stansberry (Author), David Wilson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
An insightful take on the Tarot through the lens of the industrial Midwest, and a beautiful piece of nature writing in its own right.
 
What can the Tarot tell us about the flora and fauna of the industrial Midwest? In what ways might this ancient practice connect us to the Rust Belt today? Rust Belt Arcana uses the Tarot’s time-tested structure to answer these questions, juxtaposing the characteristics of the cards with the creatures and plants that surround us every day. The twenty-two idiosyncratic essays here—one for every card in the Major Arcana—bridge biology, natural history, and the human condition. They tell stories of abundance and loss, and they remind us of the Rust Belt’s persistent remnant wilderness, a landscape often dismissed as unremarkable.
 
A magical book both for Tarot enthusiasts and for those who are seeking to see beauty in a beleaguered landscape and define their remarkable place within it.
 
“Original and insightful. A vivid exploration of the beauty and brokenness of life’s community. Stansberry’s writing reveals the many surprising ecological, psychological, and cultural connections among human and beyond-human lives.” —David George Haskell, Pulitzer finalist for The Forest Unseen
 
“A surprising, delightful book, filled with original insights about the rich diversity of nature in the Midwest. Highly recommended!” —Kenn Kaufman, author of Kingbird Highway
 
“The essays in Rust Belt Arcana are like meditations from a parallel world —a magical place of nature which persists against all odds alongside the cities and subdivisions and highway interchanges of the Great Lakes region.” —David Beach, GreenCityBlueLake Institute, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
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  1. Print length
    147 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Belt Publishing
  4. Publication date
    October 30, 2018
  5. File size
    10.4 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Original and insightful. A vivid exploration of the beauty and brokenness of life’s community. Stansberry’s writing reveals the many surprising ecological, psychological, and cultural connections among human and beyond-human lives." ―David George Haskell, author of The Songs of Trees and Pulitzer finalist for The Forest Unseen

About the Author

Matt Stansberry was born in Akron, Ohio and graduated from Kent State University. He writes about the intersection of natural history and myth. Matt spent six years in Oregon writing about wild trout and salmon and advocating for sustainable fisheries management. He currently lives in North Carolina with his wife and three sons.

David Wilson is an illustrator from Stow, Ohio who has worked for The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Harvard, The Boston Globe, and many more. He also produces independent comics and films. He currently lives in Ohio with his wife and two daughters. More of his work can be found at workdavidwork.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07JN168KT
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Belt Publishing (October 30, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 30, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 10.4 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 147 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
15 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Valeria B. Benner
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a MUST HAVE with the Rust Belt deck!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I received the deck as a gift so I purchased the book to help get a better understanding of the cards. Wow! I learned so much about the meaning behind each card and my readings are much more now. Beautiful artwork and so much to learn about our Midwestern ecosystem. Quite lovely work!
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  • Jenna Matlin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it For the Book
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2019
    Usually in the land of tarot the emphasis is placed on a tarot deck's art with the book being usually an afterthought, or an anticlimactic accompaniment. I think this is the case because it is the artist (who is great at art) writing the book (but they may not be writers).

    Rust Belt Arcana is one of a very few deck and book pieces that you need to buy because of the book. This is nature writing at its finest. The way the author weaves ecology, personal narrative, and tarot card interpretations is truly well done. Buy this book because you love nature writing and are curious about its intersectionality with tarot.

    The author doesn't pull punches and the wistful sadness for a world in crisis is evident. However, he does add stories of hope and renewal, too. We cannot go back to what we had, but perhaps we can foster something new.

    Tarot is essentially a tool to clarify questions, to approach a tarot deck is to seek the answer to some vexing issue. The approach of this book and deck is essentially one big question: what will we be willing to save? What will our children know or get to enjoy? What mysteries are left in the world that is in the Anthropocene?

    Evocative. Approachable. Wistful. Hopeful. this is a truly wonderful piece of work that I hope gets the credit it deserves in the tarot community.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Judy Auer Shaw
    5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect escape and insight into ourselves
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Matt and David offer us stupendous story and images. I’m fascinated by this exploration and knew nothing about Tarot cards until I was introduced to them through Rust Belt Arcana. I also purchased the cards which are stunning. So happy to feel part of this team!
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Mooky
    5.0 out of 5 stars Magical.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I devoured this book in two sittings. Magical essays for a magical tarot deck.
    Report

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