When Julia Kuo moved from L.A. to Cleveland in 2007, she found a city that felt vacant and cold. Even after landing a job at American Greetings, she considered the new place rough around the edges, notable mainly for harsh winters and really bad sports teams.
At that point, if somebody had told her that she’d eventually be spouting her fondness for Cleveland, she probably never would have believed it.
Kuo adjusted to Cleveland life by creating community with her neighbors and discovering the city with their help. Lo and behold, the dirty little burg became a home. During a dry spell from freelance work, she launched a popular blog — 100 Days in Cleveland — where she posted a daily drawing about Cleveland life. The blog caught the attention of urban planner Justin Glanville, who asked Kuo to contribute illustrations to a book he was writing about all things Cleveland.
This article appears in Dec 14-20, 2011.
I love our city and am glad to see something positive being written about it.
Clearly Forbes was looking at the wrong aspects of the city. To think that a sports championship would make a community stronger is, well, maybe a bit wrong. I’ve been twice now and shown an excellent time. I love your city too.
Is this book available at a local bookseller? Visible Voice? Appletree? Loganberry? Thanks!
My wife and I bought the book and spoke to Julia Kuo at the Bizarre Bazzar on West 78th last week (Saturday, Dec. 10th)…she’s a vibrant and charming young woman and we love her illustrations of our town very much.
Actually, that’s why we we bought the book. It certainly wasn’t for Justin Glanville’s text. While he knows a lot about our city, its rough-and-tumble history, and its neighborhoods, there were plenty of factual errors and his tone is condescending and snarky to anyone who isn’t hip and cool and creative…especially to anyone over the age of forty.
Take a look at his putdowns of West Park and its ubiquitous Irish watering holes, for starters. Typical suburban kid’s attitude about anywhere that isn’t inner-city edgy and that doesn’t have his perceived “vibe”…whatever the hell that is.
We like the dull blandness of West Park just fine, thank you very much. It may not have Ohio City’s or Gordon Square’s “excitement”, but certain kinds of excitement, we don’t need anymore.
Luv ya muchly, Julia!
Chuckles and Lucinda
The book is a must have for every CLE visitor and resident–book is available at Visible Voice. Pay particular notice to Justin Glanville’s well-written and researched text–and his comments especially pertaining to race politics and demolitions.
Definitely some omissions, Johnny’s on Fulton and more comprehensive understanding of very real music and nightlife in “forgotten” parts of east side–NEO cemeteries and waterways buried in tunnels but known to teenagers throughout the region. The book gives me hope because younger Clevelanders are not giving up on the region and selling out as old, useless carpetbagger generation–see Land Bank– would have them follow suit. BUILD a pedestrian-bike bridge at Clark-Pershing and watch younger CLE take down the criminals.