Relearning “The Piano Lesson”

The more of Wilson’s plays I read, the more I appreciated The Piano Lesson for its stark symbols and robust characters: Boy Willie and his determination to buy the land his ancestors had slaved on; Berniece, resolved to keep the piano and build a life for her daughter in Pittsburgh; Sutter’s ghost haunting the house, the family, the instrument, from the top of the stairs.

2025-06-30T08:24:40-04:00June 23, 2025|

The Sky Belongs to Him – Roberto Clemente’s Poetry

"Baseball is poetry in motion." This phrase, one I use a lot, though it might elicit an arched eyebrow from those unfamiliar with the nuances of either pursuit, perfectly encapsulates the grace with which Clemente played the game. His elegant movements in right field, his powerful swing glorified in stanzas, and his laser-like throws from the outfield demonstrated an athletic artistry that few players have matched.

2025-06-26T08:03:55-04:00June 19, 2025|

Gephyrophobia

For starters, we need to talk about suicide. We need to not be afraid to say the word “suicide,” because the word “suicide” will not kill anyone. We need to clean up societal problems that increase the likelihood of suicide, not just push the responsibility for prevention onto the mental health profession. We need to worry less if a homeless person wants to live by choice under a bridge and more about the social bridges of connection, kinship, and community collapsing all around us.

2025-06-19T08:50:39-04:00June 12, 2025|

Clayton, the First Home, the First Collection

Frick’s rapidly growing art collection soon filled Clayton’s sumptuous interiors. Around 1895, his enhanced status at the Carnegie Company and developing acumen as an art collector led to an explosion of painting purchases. Frick was truly becoming a collector.

2025-06-04T23:01:02-04:00May 26, 2025|

The Terrible Towel is Poised to Strike

We love it because it's authentic, not handed out by some bank or corporation -- a giveaway fit for nothing greater than cleaning the car. Cope's Towel is bigger than that. It is a part of our history and Pittsburghers love nothing more than hometown history.

2024-11-01T10:22:41-04:00October 28, 2024|

The Pittsburgh School

Yet part of what defines the Pittsburgh School, from Brackenridge onward, is the mystical kernel of something beyond mere matter that animates any consideration of this place: the transcendent in the prosaic, the sacred in the profane. An intimation of beauty amid a kingdom of ugliness.

2024-06-20T08:25:48-04:00May 13, 2024|

Pittsburgh Was Better Than NYC

Would a return to my hometown after 20 years in and around New York prove the perfect move for a mom determined to say “yes” and kindle community? Here’s how it went for me.

2024-05-02T10:41:33-04:00April 25, 2024|