Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books – January Newsletter

Help us continue to grow our literary community! Donate  INTRODUCING OUR 2023 VENUE: PITTSBURGH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Exciting news! We are thrilled to share that the 2023 Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books will be held on the campus of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary this May. With this new, larger venue, we’re able to offer more programming, vendors and entertainment, convenient on-site parking and easy access to public transportation all on one central campus. Plus, this new venue keeps the GPFB rooted right where it all started— in East Liberty. We can’t wait to share more with you as we continue planning for the second annual festival. It will be here before we know it! SPONSOR, DONATE AND SUPPORT LITERACY Last year, the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books set a precedent of how valuable an event like this can be for any community. Not only did the festival gather people from across our region together but it highlighted our  cultural strength, making the greater Pittsburgh area even more appealing as a home and place to work. The GPFB is open to working with the region’s literary, charitable and business communities through partnership or collaboration to make sure this exciting, FREE, book festival has longevity here in the greater Pittsburgh area. We remain committed to enhancing education and literacy in our communities, and invite you to participate in our mission as a sponsor or donor.  Sponsor  Donate  Thank you in advance for supporting our region’s literary community! POET SPOTLIGHT: DANIELLE OBISIE-ORLU As we ramp up for our 2023 festival, we’re excited to welcome Danielle Obisie-Orlu as a returning poet to the 2023 festival! Danielle is a Nigerian-American student, actress and poet who grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the former Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County and the National Youth Poet Laureate Network’s Northeast Regional Runner-Up 2022. Danielle is currently a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, double majoring in International & Area Studies and Political Science, where she conducts research on the comparative expressions of xenophobia. She is devoted to using her voice to foster environments of intersectional community and build bridges of belonging. This year's Poetry Tent will be even bigger and better, packed with the finest poets from around our region. There's more to come on our official poetry lineup! A FIRST PEEK AT THIS YEAR'S PROGRAMMING Check out some of the programming and vendors you can expect to see at this year’s festival! Children's Activities As an inclusive festival for all ages, we're hard at work curating this year's children's programming. With the help of our friends at Stories Like Me, Duolingo and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, we're excited to offer exciting educational activities that allow children of all ages to discover the magic of literature. Stay tuned! Program in Visual Impairments at the University of Pittsburgh The Program in Visual Impairments at the University of Pittsburgh is back again as a featured program of this years’ festival! At the festival, you can find them exhibiting braille books and demonstrating to children how to use a braille writer. Stories Like Me We welcome children’s bookstore, Stories Like Me, to the GPFB family this year! Recently opened in Greenfield, Stories Like Me seeks to be the most comprehensive and accessible resource for diverse and empowering children’s literature. Parsec Ink New to the GPFB this year, Parsec Ink joins us as a small press publishing house local to Pittsburgh. Parsec Ink is part of the Parsec non-profit organization, which is known as Pittsburgh’s premiere science fiction and fantasy organization. We're looking forward to sharing all that we have planned for this year's festival. Stay tuned for more information! GET INVOLVED. VOLUNTEER AT THE FESTIVAL! Volunteering for the 2023 Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books is a great way to get involved in our literary community. We are currently seeking volunteers for our second annual festival taking place May 12-13, 2023. If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the form below and we will be in contact with more details. Feel free to spread the message to friends and family who may also want to get involved! Volunteer GPFB AND THE COMMUNITY What Are You Reading?   This month, Sean Beauford, Manager of Community Relations, Carnegie Museum of Art, kindly shared what his current read is. Inciting Joy by Ross Gay “I just finished it but it's the kind of book you repeat right away, like a new album that makes you feel good. Gay's lyrical essays meditate on finding delight in that which most people take for granted, almost making the case that mundanity is a myth. Additionally, he challenges our perception of joy, what it is, and what it can be, and shows us how it works collaboratively with darker emotions like sorrow, loss, or fear. It's a beautiful read.” We’re also thrilled to welcome Sean onto the GPFB team as a community outreach partner! If you’re interested in ways you or your organization can get involved with the festival’s programming, contact Sean at seanbeauford@gmail.com. Let us know what you're reading by tagging us on Instagram or Facebook. You might just be featured in our next newsletter!  SAVE THE DATE GREATER PITTSBURGH FESTIVAL OF BOOKS: MAY 12-13 Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Donate  Sponsor Volunteer  Partner