Overview

Cleveland's Flats: A Symphonic Essay in Black and White is a stunning visual and poetic meditation on one of the city's most storied landscapes. In this richly conceived work, Donald T. Iannone brings together photography, poetry, and essay to create a symphony of sight and sound that celebrates the Cleveland Flats-the place where industry, nature, and human life have long converged. Through nearly one hundred black-and-white photographs, Iannone captures the Flats as both a physical and spiritual terrain: bridges stretch like musical staffs across the Cuyahoga River, freighters glide like cellos through the haze, and the light itself seems to hum with history. The book's structure takes inspiration from Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, ""From the New World,"" whose four movements guide the narrative flow-from overture to finale, from the elemental voice of the river to the chorus of human and animal life that still animates its banks. Each photograph, paired with interpretive text and original verse, becomes a movement in a living composition that explores transformation and renewal. The Flats is shown not merely as a site of industry or decay but as a place of connection-a landscape that, like a symphony, contains both dissonance and harmony. This is Cleveland seen through a deeply human lens, where the ghosts of foundries and steel mills share space with gulls, artists, and dreamers; where water, smoke, and sky merge into something timeless and transcendent. Iannone's work speaks to anyone drawn to the music of place-the way cities carry memory in their architecture, light, and motion. His images invite us to look more closely, to listen more deeply, and to recognize how even the most scarred landscapes can sing of endurance and beauty. The Flats becomes a mirror for Cleveland itself: proud, resilient, and always in motion. More than a photographic book, Cleveland's Flats: A Symphonic Essay in Black and White is an experience of rhythm and reflection, inviting readers to see the city as both subject and song. Whether you are a lover of photography, poetry, urban history, or Cleveland's enduring spirit, this book will move you with its artistry and its reverence for the everyday grandeur of place.

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Reviews

Don Iannone's layered, complex book on Cleveland's Flats is one to savor over many readings. Through black-and-white photography, essays, and poetry, he gives us much to ponder about the Cuyahoga and life along its banks. Don and I met nearly fifty years ago while serving at the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and later collaborated through Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs. His urban sensibilities, artistic eye, and poetic soul are beautifully reflected in this remarkable work. - Robert Jaquay, Senior Fellow, Cleveland State University College of Urban Affairs; former Associate Director, The George Gund Foundation In Cleveland's Flats: A Symphonic Essay in Black and White, Don Iannone unites photography, poetry, and narrative to explore the Cuyahoga River as it winds through Cleveland's industrial heart. His images trace the river's path through the city's manufacturing history, revealing its mix of beauty, grit, and renewal. Inspired by Dvořák's From the New World Symphony, he shapes rhythm and mood like a composer. The work captures the ""industrial-strength"" character of the Flats and the river that built fortunes, sparked environmental reform, and inspired the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. - Gary Conley, Former Director of Economic Development, City of Cleveland As a photographer long fascinated by the Flats-and saddened by the neglect of labor and shared history-I found Don's book deeply respectful and expressed with uncommon grace. His prose and poetry give needed context to his striking images, creating a seamless dialogue between word and picture. This is a book to immerse yourself in-you'll emerge both informed and inspired. - Steve Cagan, Documentary Photographer; former Professor of Photography, Rutgers University Don Iannone's book beautifully captures the confluence of the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie, the cradle of Cleveland's industrial might. That history remains embedded there, even as the Flats evolves into a singular urban landscape where freighters still glide along the ""crooked river."" His use of black-and-white photography and imagery shaped by Dvořák's New World Symphony is magical. The poetry and images blend to offer a new way to experience Cleveland. - Joe Marinucci, Retired CEO, Downtown Cleveland Alliance Don Iannone reveres the Flats and shows deep respect for its geography, history, architecture, and people. His prose, poetry, and photography reveal the spirit and endurance of place. He captures both the area's colorful past and its unfolding future. This is a book to read, revisit, and keep-a work worth preserving for its insight and artistry. - Howard Maier, Retired Executive Director, Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency ""Don Iannone's work presents a striking collection of black-and-white photographs paired with poetry exploring the Flats and the Cuyahoga River. For every image, he offers a thoughtful perspective, inviting readers to see how the river and the city have evolved yet remain vital to Cleveland's identity. The river both divides and unites the city. This book rewards reflection and leaves readers with much to ponder about Cleveland and the enduring spirit of the Flats."" - Tracey Nichols, Former Director of Economic Development, City of Cleveland

Author Information

Donald T. Iannone is a writer, poet, and photographer whose creative work explores the intersections of art, place, and meaning. The author of thirty books, including poetry collections, nonfiction works, and photographic essays, he brings more than thirty-five years of experience in economic development and public policy to his art. His photographs have been widely exhibited and collected, reflecting a lifelong fascination with the spirit of place and the resilience of human creativity. In Cleveland's Flats: A Symphonic Essay in Black and White, Iannone orchestrates vision, history, and music into a singular meditation on renewal, harmony, and the soul of the city. He holds a PhD in philosophy and lives just outside Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

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