Conversation with Rachel León

In your intro to this anthology, you write that "city pride has made a comeback." Tell me about some of your favorite moments of Rockford pride that show up in this book. 

That line echoes the sentiment from an old Rockford Art Deli t-shirt that said, “Rockford, Illinois… Making a Comeback.” It’s one of the Easter eggs hidden throughout the book that likely only Rockfordians will pick up on (like the dedication, which echoes what hometown hero Fred VanVleet said after the Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship). But I think it’s true; Rockford pride is much more prevalent than it was when I was growing up. This anthology is proof! 

I love how, while there is a wide range of experiences and sentiments throughout the collection, the overall tone is indeed one of pride. Sometimes that’s very direct, like in Ryan Burritt’s and Kimberla Lawson Roby’s pieces. But certain pieces made me proud in a more personal way: Darian George’s line about how we grow up around everyone in Rockford and Emily Klonicki’s description of why Rockford is the only place the multimedia immersion art collaboration called Somnium is possible—those things strike a chord with me. I could easily reference many more pieces, but will wrap up by saying it was important to me to end on that note of pride, which is why Ashley Ray-Harris’s essay closes out the collection. That piece also carries one of my favorite sentiments: Rockford as DIY, Rockford being punk. I love that so much. 

How did you find The Rockford Anthology's contributors? Talk to me about building and deepening community through a book. 

I worked really hard to find contributors, and yet I continue to have people reaching out asking to be part of the collection! 

I began by sending out a personal invite to a handful of talented writers I know, then got to work spreading the word. Contributor Mika Doyle helped me put together a press release and media campaign and helped with outreach, including extending invites to people we didn't know (including Bing Liu). I launched social media accounts for the project and posted the submission call on my personal website (which was later translated into Spanish by contributor Melissa Massiel Blanco), and I made posters and business cards with a QR code that led to the submission page. Our local public radio did a piece about the project, as did one of the local news stations, and an article appeared in a local online newspaper. But I was surprised by the power of word of mouth; I  received many submissions from people I don’t know, including from some who no longer live in the area, such as Todd Frary and David Dietz—I'm not even sure how some heard of the project. Also, it was very important to me that the anthology was reflective of the diversity in Rockford, so I did additional outreach to make sure a range of voices were represented. That took the form of personal invitations to people I knew—or who friends knew. 

To make writing for the anthology less intimidating—and hopefully more accessible—I held two free writing classes (one at our local independent bookstore, Maze Books, and the other at the public library). I also held two ‘Procrastinators Unite’ community writing sessions—reserving a room at the library, getting coffee (shout out to Rockford Roasting Company) and inviting people to come and write together. 

I’ve continued to look for ways to bring people together, so when it was time for contributors to sign the permission forms to include their work in the book, I held two “signing parties” so people could gather and meet one another. Turns out a few people already knew each other, and I loved watching two contributors (Steph Comstock and Wanie Reeverts) exchange numbers after learning they had adjacent family farms and both enjoy running. I like thinking a friendship grew from that. 

I connected with so many amazing people thanks to this project. Purpose Simba and Barb Chidley are two people I previously didn’t know, but, thanks to this book, now call friends. 

And I see an opportunity for continued connection and community building. When contributor Shayne Terry had her hometown book launch for Leave, I invited contributors; about a dozen people in the room were from the anthology. It was cool to see people come out to support her! And we have a little ad hoc committee of people interested in planning community events around the book’s launch, so I’m looking forward to brainstorming and working with folks in that capacity. 

In one of the book's essays, contributor Purpose Simba writes, "I feel like Rockford forces people to get still. I come from a fast-paced city, but Rockford slowed me all the way down." That's getting at something really vital. What gives Rockford its power to cut the noise?

What I love about the anthology genre is that it brings together different voices and lets them each stand on their own terms. So while not everyone will agree with Purpose’s sentiment, I do. 

For me, I think it has to do with the size and the physical environment. Rockford's size allows for more obscurity than a regular small town, but still it can have that feeling. We are also close to nature. Even living in a neighborhood you can find opossums, raccoons, foxes, turkeys, even sometimes deer. I mean, we’re The Forest City! Our county alone has 44 forest preserves, which include over 100 miles of hiking trails—and that doesn’t even include city-“owned” parks or Rock Cut State Park. And then there’s the river. For me, the river has always been a source of solace. Even on the worst days, I can walk down by the river and find peace. 

But it also goes beyond the physical environment. Rockford is the least pretentious place I know. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which, I like to think, helps us not take ourselves too seriously. And so it is a town where you can take a chance on your dreams—and people will support you. I loved Sarene Alsharif’s essay talking about how there is no better place to start a business. Purpose started one too. I adore Rockford's scrappy can-do spirit. 

This book covers a lot of emotional ground—leaving and returning to Rockford, reckoning with this place, making art here, making community, making change—and it holds various forms too—personal essays and more reported essays and poems. What does this vast scope say about the place?

That we’re very diverse and there are different ways of looking at and experiencing this city. I’m sure many readers from Rockford will find at least one piece that they disagree with. But I think it’s good for us as people to read perspectives and sentiments that we disagree with: to question why that is, and to see if we can reconcile how while that's not true for us, it is for another person. It’s a radical act to listen to someone’s personal truth and to make space for that. I love how in the intro to Best of the Rust Belt, Anna Clark describes the making of the Detroit anthology as an act of listening. I feel the same way about putting this book together. I think its vast scope says we can’t make a sweeping generalization about this city (though, admittedly, I do in my intro). And I think it shows the tremendous talent and brilliance of Rockfordians.

What about your home did you see anew in editing this anthology? What do you hope readers will take away?

It’s maybe weird to say—or rather, embarrassing to admit—but for a long time, I thought I needed to hide my love of Rockford. (I wasn’t alone; Daniel Talsky notes in his essay how people can be sheepish when they admit they love Rockford.) I've long been aware of its flaws, understanding why people, both inside and outside the city, critiqued it, but I’ve always loved Rockford with its flaws, not despite them. And over and over, this book offers the reasons why I do. It does point out those flaws—though, perhaps not enough for some readers. But the contents of this anthology are what was in people’s hearts when given the prompt write about Rockford; and overwhelmingly, what they wrote was positive. This book gave me permission to be all 'rah rah' about Rockford—and it was the greatest gift to be tasked with trying to represent it to readers. I know there are gaps—there is still so much to be said, so many more voices I wish I could’ve included—but I’m proud of this anthology and how close it comes to offering an accurate representation of this city, more than has previously been available. 

I hope readers take away the message to never underestimate an underdog. Rockford is small and full of problems, but we’re mighty and creative, a city full of determined dreamers who are willing to fight to make things better. And right now, where we are politically, that's an attitude we all need.