9 new books to look out for this July
The Comfort Book by Matt Haig Out July 6 via Penguin Life Philosophy/Inspiration, 272 pages Have you ever written a note to a future self? Author Matt Haig (The Midnight Library) has, and those notes became his latest release, The Comfort Book — little pieces of meditations to give new perspective on all of life’s…
Bloomfield Garden Club brings drag, music, comedy, and more to various Pittsburgh venues
The monthly salon series Bloomfield Garden Club came out of the need to have live, in-person events during COVID-19. Even with the pandemic winding down in an increasingly vaccinated Pittsburgh, organizer Tina Dillman says she wanted to continue the project, which highlights local and regional artists working across a wide range of visual and performance…
FestivalAFRICANA returns to Pittsburgh to highlight creatives from Rwanda
FestivalAFRICANA, a collaboration between FashionAFRICANA and Moonlook, will return to Pittsburgh for their second, multi-series creative festival running from June 25-27. The 2021 installment emphasizes rising and established creators from Rwanda. Demeatria Boccella, the founder and creative director of FashionAFRICANA, says the goal of the 2021 festival is unification, especially in troubling times of the…
DA Zappala rescinds policy halting plea deals to Black lawyer who called his office racist
In May, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala emailed his deputy prosecutors, forbidding them from offering any plea deals to clients of a well-known Black lawyer who, five days prior, criticized Zappala’s office for being “systematically racist.” Since that news was broken by TribLive, Zappala has faced criticism from more than a dozen local politicians…
Pittsburgh International Airport opens new cheaper Economy parking lot
Pittsburgh International Airport announced via Twitter that its new Economy parking lot is available for use beginning June 7, and it offers more inexpensive parking rates than other lots. The daily maximum rate for the new lot is $7, but this new Economy section does not include shuttle service like the other lots do. According…
PHOTOS: Pittsburgh Pride Revolution march and festival
Thousands of people gathered at noon on Sat., June 5 for the Pittsburgh Pride Revolution March, hosted by Trans YOUniting. The march started on Grant Street in front of the City-County Building before continuing through Downtown and into the North Side. As the group moved on, spectators gathered on the streets and joined the marchers.…
Sibling duo releases Pittsburgh-shot feature film Back for Good
Independent filmmaking requires a lot of collaboration and cool heads, as the process challenges those involved to navigate budgets, location scouting, and other tasks. Luckily, Bailey and Molly Donovan, the sibling duo behind the Pittsburgh-shot independent film Back for Good, apparently have a better-than-average brother-sister relationship. “More often than not, people are amazed that we’re…
Nearly a dozen Pittsburgh state reps condemn DA Zappala’s actions against Black attorney who criticized the DA’s office
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala has faced significant fallout for an email he sent in May to his deputy prosecutors forbidding them from offering any plea deals to the clients of a well-known Black lawyer who five days prior criticized Zappala’s office for being “systematically racist.” The American Civil Liberties Union is calling for…
A guide to free public art at the 2021 Three Rivers Arts Festival
The anticipation can finally rest as Pittsburgh’s most popular arts festival returns after a hiatus caused by the pandemic. The Three Rivers Arts Festival, running Fri., June 4-Sun., June 13, will feature numerous public art locations throughout Downtown Pittsburgh, including the long-awaited reopenings of popular, visual art galleries like SPACE and Wood Street Galleries. The festival…
Song Spotlight: “Heat Check” by Livefromthecity
Pittsburgh rapper Livefromthecity dropped a new song and video this week, and he’s bringing the bars and the heat. The song is pure flex, with Live rapping about everything from women to his influence on the local music scene. It is a great song rapped over an unadorned beat so the lyrics can really take…
Pittsburgh Opera returns to large venues with diverse new works and audience favorites
“A carefree Elf witnesses a despicable crime.” So goes the tantalizingly odd hook for The Rose Elf, one of the upcoming performances set for the 83rd season of the Pittsburgh Opera. The fantastic production, based on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, makes for one of the premieres included in a diverse lineup that…
12 new books to look out for this June
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo Published June 1 via Tor Historical Fiction/Fantasy, 272 pages *A Pride Month Read* Great Gabsy fans, this one’s for you! Nghi Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful is a reimaging of the American classic, with Jordan Baker at the forefront of the tale. Except in this version,…
Why are so many Black women talking about leaving Pittsburgh?
Black people leaving the city of Pittsburgh has been a huge topic of conversation. On March 23, award-winning author Deesha Philyaw, who recently signed a deal with HBO for her 2020 book The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, tweeted that she was leaving Pittsburgh for a “Blacker” city with a thriving arts and literature community.…
Seven Days in Pittsburgh: June 3-9
Thu., June 3 ART • VIRTUAL Many writers have heard the truism “write what you know.” In a virtual exhibition at BoxHeart Gallery, guest curator Cindy Lisica presents a turn on the phrase in What We Know, a show featuring Stephanie Gonzalez from Houston, Tobia Makover from Savannah, and Claudia Parducci from Los Angeles. The…
Pittsburgh arts leader Casey Droege talks life after Small Mall
Casey Droege had an idea to create an arts economy in Pittsburgh. The artist, curator, and consultant started Small Mall, a storefront concept selling affordable works by artists and designers living within 100 miles of Pittsburgh. It was settled in Lawrenceville, followed by a second, scaled-down location in the front of the Casey Droege Cultural…
Oishii Donburi in Lawrenceville provides Japanese comfort food with contrast
Donburi is a Japanese rice bowl dish that is known for its namesake oversized bowl. In that bowl is everything a hungry diner could want. A well-cooked and often marinated protein, pickled vegetables for some crunch, ginger for some sour notes, and wasabi for some nasal heat, all over a warm bowl of rice flavored…
Venture Outdoors celebrates 20 years in Pittsburgh with Big Day Aht festival
Kayaks are back, Pittsburgh! After a year-long hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the nonprofit Venture Outdoors is bringing kayak rentals back to Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Venture Outdoors CEO Valerie Beichner says the kayaks were a sorely missed asset, and she is proud to announce their return will coincide with the nonprofit’s Big Day Aht…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: June 3-9
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “All I want to be is normally insane,” said actor Marlon Brando. Yikes! I have a different perspective. I would never want to be normally insane because that state often tends to be sullen and desperate and miserable. My preferred goal is to be quite abnormally insane: exuberantly, robustly, creatively free…
