The Literary Influence of Andy Warhol with Warhol Museum Director Eric Shiner
Warhol Museum director Eric Shiner ’s reading interests are eclectic in a way that Andy would surely appreciate. Grace Coddington , “ Grace: A Memoir ” Beautiful. Willful. Charming. Blunt. Grace...
View ArticleA Literary Delivery with Mr. McFeely
Entertainer David Newell — better known to audiences as "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" resident deliveryman Mr. McFeely — talks with Speaking Volumes about biographies, his own literary future and the...
View ArticleLearning from the Things We Don't Talk About with John Fetterman
Braddock Mayor John Fetterman speaks on the lessons he has learned from literary accounts of history. Joshua Wolf Shenk , “ Lincoln’s Melancholy ” "Lincoln’s Melancholy" tells — for the first time —...
View ArticleGetting to Know Places Through Fiction With Brian O’Neill
Brian O’Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer and author of "The Paris of Appalachia: Pittsburgh in the Twenty-First Century," muses on the value of location-based writing, fiction set in Pittsburgh,...
View ArticleAdapting Truth into Visual Drama with Karen Dietrich
Karen Dietrich is the author of a memoir, The Girl Factory (Globe Pequot Press, 2013). She earned an MFA in poetry from New England College. Her writing has appeared in Bellingham Review, Smokelong...
View ArticleSpeaking Volumes: Mike Doyle
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Forest Hills) likes page-turning crime dramas and thrillers with a political bent. He has a unique vantage point on novels set in Washington, which as it turns out are more true to...
View ArticleReconciling Theory and Practice with Tim Cook
Tim Cook, founding director of the nonprofit The Saxifrage School , speaks about grounded ideas, finding the fantastic wherever we are, reserving winter for fiction and "gift-like" value. William...
View ArticleLeaving an Imprint on History with Rep. Dan Frankel
When he's not busy representing Pittsburgh's East End in the state House of Representatives, Rep. Dan Frankel enjoys pleasure-reads about the political process. To him, it never feels like work. Robert...
View ArticleThe Density of Short Fiction with Mason Radkoff
Author and Pittsburgh native Mason Radkoff talks down and out characters, fatherhood, day-to-day reality in writing, and the comeback of the short story. Richard Russo, “ The Risk Pool ” A wonderfully...
View ArticleThe Values of Genre Fiction with Teacher Justin Aion
Woodland Hills math teacher Justin Aion uses young adult novels in the classroom and enjoys genre fiction in his downtime. Lately he's been reading: Orson Scott Card, “ Ender’s Game ” Winner of the...
View ArticleReflections on Billy Strayhorn with janera solomon
In celebration of what would have been jazz legend Billy Strayhorn's 98th birthday, janera solomon, executive director of the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, talks about her insights from his biography and...
View ArticleAt Work in America With Dave Newman
Dave Newman worked as a house painter, a truck driver, a bookstore manager and a college teacher before taking on his latest job as an award-winning novelist. As in his own fiction, Newman's reading...
View ArticleRevisiting the Classics with Audrey Russo
President of the Pittsburgh Technology Council Audrey Russo talks about the books she keeps piled on her nightstand and drawing inspiration from strong female role models. Sun Tzu, " The Art of War "...
View ArticleThe Power of Being Magnanimous with Kevin Acklin
Kevin Acklin is the chief of staff for Pittsburgh’s Mayor-elect Bill Peduto . To get ready for his new position, Acklin has been brushing up on some political non-fiction. Michael Weber, “ Don’t Call...
View ArticleClosing the Book on Speaking Volumes (For Now)
For more than a year and a half, the Speaking Volumes project has brought 90.5 WESA listeners weekly conversations about books and reading with Pittsburghers from all walks of life . As Speaking...
View ArticleACLA Now Boarding for TransAtlantic Flight
National Book Award winner Colum McCann will speak to Pittsburgh-area high school students Monday as featured author for the Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA)'s 2014 "One Book, One Community"...
View ArticleA 17th Century Emoticon? CMU Professor Who Originated The 'Smiley' Responds
An online debate broke out earlier this week over two otherwise unremarkable lines in a 1648 poem by the English poet Robert Herrick: Tumble me down, and I will sit / Upon my ruins, (smiling yet :) The...
View Article'Smoketown' Traces The Rise And Fall Of The Other Great Black Renaissance In...
Cities like Harlem and Chicago are often associated with “The Great Black Renaissance,” but for a brief time in the 20th century, Pittsburgh was an epicenter for black art, sports, business and...
View ArticlePittsburgh Author Anjali Sachdeva's Short-Fiction Collection Debuts To Much...
In Anjali Sachdeva’s debut collection of short stories, a young frontier wife who can’t abide daylight gets lost, perhaps fatally, in a mysterious cavern. A steelworker in 19 th -century Pittsburgh is...
View Article'Bad Seed' Novel Plays On Expectations Around Motherhood
Zoje Stage isn’t a parent. But the Pittsburgh-based author ’s debut novel describes a deeply disturbing mother-daughter relationship rooted largely in the mind of a sociopathic 7-year-old girl.
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