Sketch, Draw and Create at The Windmill

Many artists may be unsure as to how to transfer their work into the digital realm, where technology not only enables new techniques but allows creatives to share their work with a wider audience. Now, artists can attend The Windmill: An Artist’s Mobile Studio for Pros and Hobbyists of All Skill Levels at CLP – Lawrenceville to learn from others, especially how to make that digital leap.


Walk Down Memory Lane

Everybody in Pittsburgh has a favorite memory of an old store, statue, or other local icon. Some remember getting their picture taken on the Iron Deer in West Park on … Continued


Throwback Thursday: Women in World War II

I recently finished reading The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan. It is a fascinating look into a town that never existed on any map but had a HUGE influence on the outcome of World War II. Although not all of the residents were women, of course, the story is told through the lives of several different ladies who found themselves at this historic place.


A Story of Transformation

I recently attended the Pittsburgh Opera production of a new American opera, As One, that featured two of their Resident Artists. As One tells the story of Hannah, a transgender protagonist, who makes the transformational journey to happiness while navigating a world that does not always understand. This opera has the potential to challenge and even change the listener.


Wonder Woman, Her Creator, and His Lovers

Dr. William Moulton Marston created the Wonder Woman comics in 1941. But you probably haven’t heard of him unless you’re a comics aficionado. That can be easily remedied if you pick up The Secret History of Wonder Woman. I promise you, dear reader, that you will learn everything you never wanted to know about this man and his family life.


On Body Mods

With the increasing popularity of piercings, tattoos, and other forms of body modification in our modern culture, I often find myself wondering: What is the history of body modification in … Continued



Gene Luen Yang Challenges Us to Read Without Walls

I recently had the great pleasure of meeting award-winning author Gene Luen Yang during his Words and Pictures visit hosted by Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures. In addition to chatting with him in the green room about favorite manga, the joys of mentoring teens and how the heck metal fuses with glass (I had just come back from a road trip to the Corning Museum of Glass!), I was also able to ask him four library-related questions as well as introduce him to the stage!



Margaret Atwood, the Dark Queen

It feels like it may never be warm again. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’m doomed to shivering, sniffling, bundling up, waiting out the awful, bitter torture that … Continued