Between the River and the Railroad Tracks

I am sure many of you will share my enthusiasm for Nicole Fleetwood’s “Between the River and the Railword Tracks,” which is a remarkable micro-history of a beautifully and tragically intense neighborhood, the Second Ward of Hamilton, Ohio, the historically segregated African-American district where Nicole grew up. I came to Nicole’s scholarship through her book on art and mass incarceration, Marking Time, and then we have come to know each other as fellow Ohioans — a theme that comes through in this conversation! Through the recollections of her childhood, we get clearer views of the Black Midwest, on the second half of the twentieth century in the United States, and on the most tender and painful of our national crises. We get to the general though through the particular, through the life of a young person and her family, remembered and told (and researched!) with care and pain and love. The book will be officially released early next month but you can pre-order a copy by pressing the button. TS Syracuse NY 10 October 2026 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit snyder.substack.com/subscribe