Movin' On Over

Friends, I've decided to move Readin'at over to my personal website, www.MelissaFirman.com, where I will continue highlighting Pittsburgh books and authors as an occasional feature.

Maintaining and growing an audience for one blog - much less two - is a time-consuming endeavor. And right now, and especially in the next couple weeks and henceforth, time is going to be at a premium.

I'm not deleting this site, however, because who knows? Maybe I'll come back to it as a separate form someday, too. But for now, this feels like the right move.

Hope to see you over there.

Now Filming in the 'Burgh: The Fault in Our Stars

I admit, I wasn't too crazy when I heard they were making a movie of The Fault in Our Stars, the incredibly moving novel by John Green.

To begin with, I confess I'm not much of a movie person. That's a recent development; I never used to be this way. And I have a particular apathy for movies made of books I really, really love - like The Fault in Our Stars. 

Because this book is special. It just is.

But oh, now that the movie is filming here in Pittsburgh, as reported by the Post-Gazette, that's a different story.

I'd definitely recommend reading this before seeing the movie. Here's part of my review, from my other blog:

“Sometimes you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” (pg. 33)

You (as in, all you bloggers) have said that this is such a book.

Here’s what you need to know about The Fault in Our Stars: It’s the story of Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Waters, teenagers who meet in a most unlikely place – a cancer support group. Hazel has accepted that she is likely to die; Augustus is in remission. The bond between the two … well, it sounds cliche to say that they are star-crossed lovers, a cancer-filled Romeo and Juliet, but it makes sense in the meaning and context of this novel. 

And that’s all I’m going to say. Because, as sad and as heartbreaking as the premise may sound, this is an absolute must-read. For teens, for adults, for EVERYONE. It’s a tearjerker, yes. You will cry. But you know what? You’ve cried over more trivial crap, like those who’ve been kicked off America’s Dancing with Survivors and Top Models Who Have No Talent.  Am I right?

The Fault in Our Stars is a story about love and risk and the unfairness of life and it is simply brilliant in every way.

It earns and is more than worthy of your tears.

be seen this weekend at the zine swap meet

It has been forever since I created what passed for a zine (my friend Alison Piepmeier's book Girl Zines: Making Media, Doing Feminism helped reawaken my nostalgia for those days), but several Pittsburgh writers and artists have been working hard to keep this literary form alive.

You can take part in their efforts and celebrate the kick off to the Pittsburgh Zine Fair 2013 when The Zine Exchange hosts a Zine Swap Meet this Saturday, August 24 from 6-9 p.m.  It all happens at Future Tenant, located at 819 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh.

Throughout the evening, zine writers and collectors can participate in the swap meet. At 7 PM, join readers Jude Vachon, Erin Oh, Lucy Goubert, Artnoose, and Sarah LaPonte for intimate zine readings followed by a Q&A session.

A little bit about the readers:

Dedicated zinesters Jude Vachon and Erin Oh can be found working at the Carnegie Library Oakland Branch and the Pittsburgh Office of the Mayor, respectively.

Formerly of Roup House, Lucy Goubert is active in Pittsburgh’s poetry scene.

Sarah LaPonte often pairs photography with her literary work.

Artnoose has been making the letterpress zine Ker-bloom! every other month for the past 17 years and continues to do so in the spare moments between single parenting a toddler and renovating a 19th Century house.

Combined, their work with the local zine network—via The Mr. Roboto Project and the Pittsburgh Zine Fair—encourages civic engagement and community interaction while promoting Pittsburgh’s arts and culture movement.  To learn more about The Mr. Roboto Project, please visit their website at therobotoproject.org. For more information about this event and other Future Tenant programming, please visit www.futuretenant.org.

Can’t make it on Saturday? You'll have another chance on Sunday, August 25, when select archival pieces will be on display from 1-6 p.m.

source: The Zine Exchange's Facebook Page.

Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures Presents The 2013 Moth Onstage

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will present The Moth Mainstage tomorrow evening, Thursday, August 22, 7:30 p.m., at the Byham Theater. (Doors open at 6:30.)

Once again the Moth Mainstage title theme features a Pittsburgh symbol or place: "On Point: Stories of Balancing Acts." In keeping with this theme, the new and larger venue at the Byham Theater puts The Moth audience closer to Pittsburgh's famous geographic "Point" than ever before.

Consistently a sell-out, each Mainstage show features five storytellers, a local musician to act as timekeeper, and a charismatic host. The 2013 Moth Mainstage will be hosted by comedian Dan Kennedy, author of three books including his new novel American Spirit, described by one Goodreads reader/reviewer as "an amusing guy-version of an Eat, Pray, Love odyssey." Kennedy is also known to Moth fans everywhere as the regular host of The Moth's popular weekly podcast, downloaded more than 15 million times a year, as well as a contributor to McSweeneys.net and GQ magazine.

Local storytellers include Pittsburgh actor David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely, the beloved "speedy delivery" man on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; Justin Strong, a Pittsburgh entrepreneur best known for opening and operating the Shadow Lounge in the East Liberty; and local photographer, social worker, and producer of the Pittsburgh Moth StorySLAM Kelly Flanagan Dee. Travelling tellers include Chicago writer Shannon Cason, host of storytelling show "Do Not Submit" and podcast Homemade Stories, and Trisha Coburn, a short story writer and former fine artist in Boston and New York City. Pittsburgh singer-songwriter Joy Ike, with a new album and a national fan base, will perform musical accompaniment and keep the tellers to their time limits on stage.

Called "New York's hottest and hippest literary ticket" by the Wall Street Journal, The Moth is an acclaimed nonprofit dedicated to the art of storytelling. The Moth has presented more than 10,000 stories by people of all walks of life via stage shows, weekly podcasts, and a Peabody Award-winning radio special, The Moth Radio Hour (broadcast locally on 90.5 WESA).

Following the success of the first three Mainstage events, The Moth debuted a Pittsburgh branch of its beloved StorySLAM, a monthly open-mic storytelling competition, in October 2011. Pittsburgh is one of 13 cities nationwide to host a StorySLAM, and sell-out crowds of over 300 have packed venues in Pittsburgh's South Side as 10 interested locals, chosen randomly and live, take the stage each month.

This Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures special event is presented in partnership with The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and sponsored by pair Networks and Six Penn Kitchen. Media sponsors are Pop City and WESA 90.5fm. Tickets are available at pittsburghlectures.org, by phone at 412-622-8866, or at the door.

City of Asylum Awarded NEA Grant

Our congratulations go out to City of Asylum/Pittsburgh which was awarded a prestigious National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) grant.

According to an article in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the $100,000 grant will be used to fund public artworks and artists' residencies at the Alphabet City literary center and on the Artway Connector, an art and performance corridor.

We're excited about all the great things that are happening at City of Asylum/Pittsburgh! Check out their website here for more information on their upcoming events and programs.

They'll Vouch For This: Readings Tonight from Chris Lee, Salvatore Pane, Jeffrey Condran, and Sheryl St. Germain

Four local authors will read tonight at Remedy (5121 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA) when VOUCHED presents Chris Lee, Salvatore Pane, Jeffrey Condran, and Sheryl St. Germain. Event starts at 7:00 p.m. and continues until 9:00, with another classic Remedy dance party following. Buy books from Vouched. 

About the authors: 

Chris Lee is a writer and musician from West Virginia. His work has appeared in Pear Noir!, Necessary Fiction, and Flywheel Magazine.

Salvatore Pane is the author of the novel Last Call in the City of Bridges and the chapbook #KanyeWestSavedFromDrowning. His work has appeared in American Short Fiction, The Collagist, Hobart, and many other venues. He is an assistant professor of English at the University of Indianapolis and can be reached at www.salvatore-pane.com.

Jeffrey Condran is the author of the forthcoming story collection, A Fingerprint Repeated. His work has been honored with several awards, including The Missouri Review’s 2010 William Peden Prize and Pushcart Prize nominations. He is an Assistant Professor of English at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and co-founder of Braddock Avenue Books.

Sheryl St. Germain currently directs the MFA program in Creative Writing at Chatham University where she also teaches poetry and creative nonfiction. Her work has received several awards, including two NEA Fellowships, an NEH Fellowship, the Dobie-Paisano Fellowship, the Ki Davis Award from the Aspen Writers Foundation, and most recently the William Faulkner Award for the personal essay. Her books include Going Home, The Mask of Medusa, Making Bread at Midnight, How Heavy the Breath of God, and The Journals of Scheherazade.

Writers LIVE Presents Yona Harvey at CLP Main - TONIGHT!

We're getting this in just under the wire (our apologies for that!) but you still have time to head down to the Carnegie Library Main Branch in Oakland tonight to catch Yona Harvey's book talk. She is debuting her new poetry collection, Hemming the Water.

Admission is free and the event begins at 6 p.m. Additional information and details here.