Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · 1d

Pittsburgh: if you're starting to think about holiday gifts for this year, I know that Stay Gold Books has recently restocked GASTROMYTHOLOGY. I have copies too!

jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · Nov 24

Thanks so much to Emma Riva over at Table Magazine for including GASTROMYTHOLOGY on her holiday books roundup! So many great new #Pittsburgh publications! Do you put books under the tree? pittsburgh.tablemagazine.com/blog/pittsbu...

These Books by Pittsburgh Authors Make Unique Holiday Gifts

Consider skipping the BookTok recommendations this year and looking to Pittsburgh authors in your own community.

pittsburgh.tablemagazine.com

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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 4d

In 1947, some Hollywood stars including Henry Fonda stood up to anti-communist witch hunts.

Now, Jane Fonda and artists like Viola Davis, Pedro Pascal and Billie Eilish are reviving their organization — the Committee for the First Amendment — to defend free speech again.

buff.ly/B79gBQX #polisky

Jane Fonda, other stars, revive the Committee for the First Amendment – a group that emerged when the anti-communist panic came for Hollywood

Even after the original group fizzled, many of its members were able to keep making films with progressive messages.

buff.ly

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jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · 14d

I'm excited to visit Colorado for the first time a month from today to share my work at the Reading Den series! Please join us to hear a variety of voices, emerging to established.

📚 Fort Greene Bar - 321 E 45th Ave.
📆 Wednesday, October 29
🕰️ 7 pm

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jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · 14d

I'm excited to visit Colorado for the first time a month from today to share my work at the Reading Den series! Please join us to hear a variety of voices, emerging to established.

📚 Fort Greene Bar - 321 E 45th Ave.
📆 Wednesday, October 29
🕰️ 7 pm

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Pittsburgh Review of Books @pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social · 21d

“Secrecy is the greenhouse in which addiction blooms, flourishes, and metastasizes.”

Sharon Dilworth talked with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the new book ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER, in advance of her 9/29 appearance with @pghartslectures.bsky.social.

pghrev.com/talking-abou...

Talking about Memoir with Elizabeth Gilbert - Pittsburgh Review of Books

Many of the millions – and there are millions – who've read Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir Eat, Pray, Love did so with a great deal of envy. They envied the way

pghrev.com

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Pen Parentis @penparentis.bsky.social · Sep 4

Capturing the Story Before it is Lost - a Career Salon for Literary Parents, Livecast Tue, Sep 9, 2025 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite #JoinUs #share #writerscommunity #writing #online #writing #parentingdonewrite #writercommunity #parentwriter #writerparent #events #readatpenparentis

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Pittsburgh Review of Books @pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social · Sep 3

“More than in the subject matter we publish, or literally where we’re headquartered, the 'Pittsburgh' in The Pittsburgh Review of Books is a matter of mentality, of perspective...”

We're live! Read a message from our founder and Editor-in-Chief, Ed Simon.

pghrev.com/the-foundry-...

A New Magazine of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Review of Books

The first printing-press in Pittsburgh was purchased by the aspiring newspaper editors John Scull and Joseph Hall from a manufacturer in Philadelphia; it took

pghrev.com

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jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · Sep 2

I'm so sorry to report that I'm ill and will not be in attendance tomorrow, but I hope that folks still come out to support Ben Kline!

jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · Aug 11

I’m excited to visit Lexington KY to read at the wonderful series Poetry at the /'tāb(ə)l/.

I hear the open mic is ROLLICKING and you must be early to claim one of the spots. Will be great to hear a variety of voices. Also: PIZZA.

📚 Kenwick Table - 201 Owsley Ave.
📆 Wednesday, Sept. 3
🕰️ 6 - 8 pm

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Pittsburgh Review of Books @pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social · Sep 2

"[Simon] wants PRoB to be 'kind of a way in which Pittsburgh writers can be presented to the world and a way in which world writers can be presented to Pittsburgh.'

Thanks to Bill O'Driscoll at @wesa.fm for this feature in advance of our 9/3 launch! www.wesa.fm/arts-culture...

Pittsburgh Review of Books offers a new outlet for comment and criticism

Founding editor Ed Simon discusses the brand-new Pittsburgh Review of Books.

www.wesa.fm

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jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · Aug 11

I’m excited to visit Lexington KY to read at the wonderful series Poetry at the /'tāb(ə)l/.

I hear the open mic is ROLLICKING and you must be early to claim one of the spots. Will be great to hear a variety of voices. Also: PIZZA.

📚 Kenwick Table - 201 Owsley Ave.
📆 Wednesday, Sept. 3
🕰️ 6 - 8 pm

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Anca L. Szilágyi @ancaszilagyi.bsky.social · Jul 23

If anyone is planning a John Waters-themed reading for #awp26 in Baltimore, I have a piece I would like to read. I hope there are multiple John Waters-themed readings being planned.

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Pittsburgh Review of Books @pghreviewofbooks.bsky.social · Aug 21

An interdisciplinary humanities periodical housed in Carnegie Mellon University’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and published by @cmuenglish.bsky.social, PRoB will feature essays, reviews, interviews, and excerpts engaging with salient and pressing issues. Launching Sept. 3!

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jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · Aug 11

I’m excited to visit Lexington KY to read at the wonderful series Poetry at the /'tāb(ə)l/.

I hear the open mic is ROLLICKING and you must be early to claim one of the spots. Will be great to hear a variety of voices. Also: PIZZA.

📚 Kenwick Table - 201 Owsley Ave.
📆 Wednesday, Sept. 3
🕰️ 6 - 8 pm

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jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · Jul 7

Thank you for reading and sharing, @jmgatford.bsky.social, and for this high praise.

Jo Gatford @jmgatford.bsky.social · Jul 5

Another @litromagazine.bsky.social piece for the @smokelong.bsky.social archive challenge:

Interview with the monument by Jessica Manack

A pun-intended torrent of words and character and glorious weirdness that does not give a single fuck.

www.litromagazine.com/flashfriday/...

Interview with the Monument - Litro Magazine

A wild interview with a national icon. “Girl, all I ever wanted to do was let go: stumble, grumbling, drunk on my own juices. Spread my thighs two nations wide.

www.litromagazine.com

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Rust Belt Magazine @beltmagazine.bsky.social · Jul 1

A new hub for literature! The Pittsburgh Review of Books will be both in Pittsburgh (and the Rust Belt) and of the wider world; a means of introducing the region’s vibrant literary community into national conversations as well as bringing those conversations here.

beltmag.com/introducing-...

Introducing the Pittsburgh Review of Books - Belt Magazine

Belt Magazine Becomes Rust Belt Magazine While Getting a New Publishing Partner.

beltmag.com

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Rust Belt Magazine @beltmagazine.bsky.social · Jun 30

A conversation between Bill Lychack and @sherrieflick.bsky.social, in which the latter discusses the mystery of bears, the art of joy in writing and life, and her new collection of stories, “I Have Not Considered Consequences” (Autumn House Press, 2025)

beltmag.com/considering-...

Considering Consequences with Sherrie Flick - Belt Magazine

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 ...

beltmag.com

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Rust Belt Magazine @beltmagazine.bsky.social · Jun 27

“That’s how they mark the restroom doors here,
Hymns and Hers. When I was a kid this bar
was a funeral home. Prior that a foundry.”

Read “Hymns & Hers” and three other poems by Kristofer Collins.

beltmag.com/four-poems-b...

Four Poems by Kris Collins - Belt Magazine

Hymns & Hers That’s how they mark the restroom doors here, Hymns and Hers. When I was a kid this bar was a funeral home. Prior that a foundry. Frank J. Boyle cut the marble here and delivered the head...

beltmag.com

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Rust Belt Magazine @beltmagazine.bsky.social · Jun 19

“Baseball is poetry in motion.”

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.

beltmag.com/the-sky-belo...

The Sky Belongs to Him – Roberto Clemente’s Poetry - Belt Magazine

"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 w...

beltmag.com

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Carnegie Mellon University Department of English @cmuenglish.bsky.social · Jun 16

The first doctoral program of its kind, our new Ph.D. in Computational Cultural Studies trains students to combine historical, theoretical, and cultural scholarship with computational methodologies.

To learn more: www.cmu.edu/dietrich/english/academic-programs/computational-cultural-studies

Computational cultural studies hero image, showing data mapping along with images of writers and scholars whose work will be examined in the program

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Michael McKean @mjmckean.bsky.social · Jun 9

Erotic poetry, NYC 2025

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jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · Jun 12

A gripping piece by S.
Isabel Choi — especially relevant to anyone for whom Father’s Day brings an ocean of mixed feelings.

theseventhwave.org/publication/...

“Bwah-ju-yoh.” - Seventh Wave

In my writing, my father is ‘Dad,’ because I need this less intimate address as a buffer from what I have lost, left behind, or perhaps never even had.

theseventhwave.org

jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · Jun 12

Excited to read this book next month!

Melody Glenn, MD MFA @melodyglenn.bsky.social · May 14

"Mother of Methadone advocates a range of ways that the medical and social justice worlds can work together... [and] presents a cogent argument against the continued criminalization of drug use." @newpages.bsky.social @beaconpress.bsky.social @goldinagency.bsky.social @methadonelib.bsky.social

Book cover of Mother of Methadone highlighting Dr. Marie Nyswander

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jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · Jun 11

This was such a good story. Is it too early to eat my lunch?

Rust Belt Magazine @beltmagazine.bsky.social · Jun 9

"The Parker Sub doesn’t want those things. It likes simple. Plain. Which is why it’s something a simple and plain man has to ask for."

@laurenparker.bsky.social with The True Story of a Sandwich.
beltmag.com/true-story-o...

True Story of a Sandwich - Belt Magazine

the Parker Sub doesn't want those things. It likes simple. Plain. Which is why it's something a simple and plain man has to ask for. But I am a Parker. And I do want those: the pepper, the onions, the...

beltmag.com

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Rust Belt Magazine @beltmagazine.bsky.social · Jun 5

"We can be of our region and communities while also being part of a larger thing—whether that be American poetry, university press publishing, or just publishing in general.”

Read “A Rust Belt Poetry Renaissance” by Rose Bialer.

beltmag.com/a-rust-belt-...

A Rust Belt Poetry Renaissance - Belt Magazine

"We can be of our region and communities while also being part of a larger thing—whether that be American poetry, university press publishing, or just publishing in general.”

beltmag.com

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jessicamanack.bsky.social @jessicamanack.bsky.social · Jun 3

Excited to be part of a group of readers performing this Friday evening at Arthurdale Heritage.

Read more about this special place in the new story “POOR WAYFARING STRANGERS: CAN APPALACHIAN STUDIES SURVIVE THE AGE OF TRUMP?” out now from @salvationsouth.com. www.salvationsouth.com/appalachian-...

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