Even Library staff can struggle to keep up with all the bookish news out there. From social media to local papers, books are a hot topic. In this monthly post we are highlighting some regional literary news and connecting you with our library collections so you can keep your finger on the pulse of Pittsburgh. Check out what was trending and topical this past month.
News Story: WESA – Author Tahirah J. Walker explores how we talk about Black women in Pittsburgh
Book mentioned: Rhetoric, Intersectionality, and Black Women in Pittsburgh: Living Enough for the City by Tahirah J. Walker
“This book examines how Black women navigate and reclaim space in a city often deemed unlivable for them. Through personal stories and community case studies, it highlights fearless speech, love, and community as tools for resistance and collective liberation.”
eFormats – None
News Story: QBurgh – Deck the Halls, Hug Your Gays, Alex and Molly are Back for the Holidays
Book mentioned: Joy to the Girls by Alyson Derrick and Rachael Lippincott
“During a festive holiday trip, Molly and Alex try to play matchmaker for their friend Cora while grappling with post-college fears and secrets they have been keeping from each other.”
eFormats – None
News Story: Pittsburgh Magazine – Pittsburgh Review of Books Hits the Shelves
Book mentioned: Dispatches From the Rust Belt. Volume VI: The Best of Belt Magazine 2023 edited by Ed Simon
“For more than a decade, ‘Belt Magazine’ has published reporting and essays that are of the Rust Belt, by the Rust Belt, and for the Rust Belt. In 2023, the site covered the repurposing of old churches and steel mill art festivals, labor struggles and baseball comebacks, Trent Reznor and the queer witches of Appalachia, and as always testimonials from those living on the outskirts of society.”
eFormats – None
News Story: Post Gazette – Enter here for a stroll through time and ‘The Lost Kingdom’ of Pittsburgh
Book mentioned: Lost Kingdom of Pittsburgh: A True Story of Art and Exile in the Steel City by Kenneth J. Weiss
“A Pittsburgh steel heiress, a world-renowned artist, and a Chinese Bishop on the run from communist authorities cross paths due to a set of spellbinding circumstances put in motion more than 100 years ago. The first clues of their story are discovered when the author’s boyhood travels in the early 1970s lead him to a series of amazing structures hidden in the woods outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.”
eFormats – None
News Story: West Hills Gazette – Getting their steps in: Local authors explore Pittsburgh’s iconic stairways
Book mentioned: City Steps of Pittsburgh: A History & Guide by Laura Zurowski
“Exploring Pittsburgh’s ups & downs. In Pittsburgh, the elevation varies wildly, fluctuating more than 600 feet from highest to lowest points throughout the area, making it one of the hilliest cities in the United States.”
eFormats – None