Richey Piiparinen is a son of Cleveland and one of the city’s leading researchers on urban poverty and community development. His work has appeared in the Huffington Post, NPR’s Morning Edition, CBS Evening News, and more. His first book, Rust Belt Chic: A Cleveland Anthology assembled an authentic snapshot of a post-industrial Cleveland. Over the years, Piiparinen has built a reputation on his keen ability to recount why Rust Belt cities like Cleveland have struggled to thrive, all while revealing the promise of what is possible.

Then in January 2021, Piiparinen would come face-to-face with a glioblastoma diagnosis, an aggressive form of brain cancer. What came next was Octopus Hunting, a collection of fourteen essays on the history and economics of Cleveland. But it is also part memoir of Piiparinen’s wisdom in the face of life and death, while living in a city in its very own throes of revival. Piiparinen’s personal experiences deepen the economic discussion, forcing us never to forget that when we are talking about the rise and fall of cities, we are really talking about the people who live in them.

Join us at the Happy Dog in Gordon Square as we hear from Richey Piiparinen on his latest book that links his fight for life and Cleveland’s fight for revival.