Rebekah Modrak is an artist and writer whose practice is at the intersections of art, activism, and creative resistance to consumer culture. She is a professor in the Stamps School of Art at the University of Michigan, where encounters with institutional arrogance led her to co-edit Radical Humility: Essays on Ordinary Acts (Belt 2021). The collection brings together twenty writers from philosophy, psychology, consumer culture, race theory, and other fields to imagine whether it’s possible to de-center the self.How I Found Belt
I first learned about Belt through Aaron Foley’s How to Live in Detroit Without Being a Jackass. Appreciating his honesty, I was curious to learn more about this press that supports candid observations and individual stories connected to larger the fabric of culture. I love that Belt Publishing takes risks, such as supporting essay anthologies with multiple authors (my favorites!).
Recommended Titles
I love Sara Bir’s Pawpaw cookbook, which is an amazing introduction to these mysterious fruits that I’d never seen before moving to Michigan. I especially love her PawPaw lassi.
As a fan of anthologies with multiple authors, I was absorbed by Terrion L. Williamson’s Black in the Middle: An Anthology of the Black Midwest, which is alternatively personal, political, historical and contemporary.
Jonathan Foiles’ This City is Killing Me and his individual stories helped me make human sense (or fail to make sense of) the trauma caused by mental health issues, urban violence, and urban disinvestment.
Where to Find Me
Twitter: @RethinkShinola
Instagram: @rebekahmodrak
Website: http://rebekahmodrak.com/