No Punches Pulled; No Kinks Shamed
Discovering Pittsburgh’s raunchiest and most welcoming book club: Sex and Death.
Author Joseph Bathanti’s East Liberty
“As with Joyce’s Dublin, place isn’t simply geographical–it is inherent in the working-class culture in which characters live. The tension remains across stories because it is, at root, based in economics and class status.”
Inside Stewart O’Nan’s Eclectic Imagination
“Every city is about change—even Pittsburgh, which for so long we thought of as stuck or static.”
Considering Consequences with Sherrie Flick
A conversation with Sherrie Flick, in which the author talks the mystery of bears, the art of joy in writing and life, and her new collections of stories, "I Have Not Considered Consequences" (Autumn House Press, 2025)
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.
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.
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.
Raymond Saunders Creates His Own Language
Saunders grew up in Pittsburgh’s Hill District and attended Saturday art classes at the very museum that houses his first major retrospective exhibition.
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.
Skating with Lori Jakiela
Jakiela is a master of an essay form that is distinctly her own, a kind of integrated collage style that brings together her background as a journalist and the author of collections of poetry, weaving together quotes, facts, musings, digressions, and stories.
The Elements of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is one city made of hundreds of distinct enclaves. Variation is richness, diversity is beauty. - A photo essay by Karen Lillis.
Pittsburgh’s Thriving Indigenous Legacy
Native culture is not static — it’s a living, evolving part of everyday life for Pittsburgh’s “urban Natives.”