n the spring of 2014, Leppert started writing a blog. It was the usual kind of blog being written for the usual kinds of reasons. But a funny thing happened when he took a couple of risks with his writing: he got away with it. And then he took his gloves off for good.Within a year, his “blog” was elevated to a “column” and began showing up in mainstream publications throughout Indiana. After publishing more than a hundred installments, a group of recurring political and cultural themes began to emerge. From RFRA and guns, to the economy and parenting, Leppert takes a provocative view on all of it.Contrary To Popular Belief gives the real reasons why and from where his opinions are based. It is a chronicle being released purposely in summer of 2016 for readers to use as a guide during a historically chaotic political season.

In the early twentieth century, an epic battle was waged across America between the interurban railway and the automobile, two technologies that arose at roughly the same time in the late 1890s. Nowhere was this conflict more evident than in the Midwest, and specifically Indiana, where cities of industry such as Indianapolis, Gary, and Terre Haute were growing faster every day. By 1904, Indianapolis had opened the Traction Terminal, which was widely acclaimed to be the largest and most impressive interurban station in the world. Yet, today there is only 90-mile remnant of this one great system still operating within Indiana. Featuring over 90 illustrations and featuring contemporary accounts and newspaper articles from the period, Electric Indiana is a biographical study of the rise and fall of a onetime important transportation technology that achieved its most impressive development within the Hoosier state.

An anthology of essays & poetry offering a reconsideration of one of America’s most misunderstood cities. Is Indianapolis just another midwestern city to fly over on the way to bigger and better destinations? Or is it, as locals know, a place where different peoples and ideals converge to create a rich cultural center? The Indianapolis Anthology showcases Naptown’s vibrancy and diversity with pieces from journalists, poets, historians, established community voices, and first-time writers. The Circle City is more than the home of the Indianapolis 500, John Dillinger, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Kurt Vonnegut, Prozac, and Wonder Bread. In these pages, you’ll find: · lawn chairs in the beds of pick-ups · Punk rock in Naptown · suffragists and entrepreneurs · cement pietàs · dog bakeries and yoga studios · red brick bungalows and war memorials · steakburgers and Mexican seafood; pho and sauerbraten · and more In other words, you'll find images from a city that is truly a cross section of today’s America. Edited by Norman “Buzz” Minnick and with contributions from Etheridge Knight, Terrance Hayes, Michael Martone, and Karen Kovacik. An insiders’ look that will make you see a great midwestern city in a brand-new light.