I have long hoped for a magazine telling the stories of our rural backyards, one that crosses the fence between progressives and conservatives living in red counties—the vast cornfields and small towns found in between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Well, my dreams came true late last year with the inaugural edition of the online magazine Between Coasts. The magazine describes itself thus: “Our stories are written by people who live in so-called red counties with a particular focus on the ways in which national trends and policies shape local lives.”

Featuring short, narrative nonfiction pieces, Between Coasts illuminates the people, issues, and cultures found in places like Knox County, Ohio. In fact, it is headquartered in the county next door: Licking, making the most recent issue, following a theme of “neighbors,” all the more poignant. Essays include “My Neighbor’s Confederate Flag,” in which black and white residents of Newark, Ohio, talk about (but not to each other) the Confederate flag, and “Of Votes and Neighbors,” a look at two Maine neighbors who find common ground despite political differences.

Between Coasts was founded by writer Jack Shuler, associate professor of English at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, who also serves as editor. Read it. Share it.