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From the Director,
Announcing the 2013/14 Literary Evenings, Monday Night Lectures!
Welcome to the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures website. Current program information is available by clicking the tabs above. Literary Evenings, Monday Lectures features acclaimed writers of literary fiction and non-fiction appearing at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland on ten selected Mondays, beginning on September 23, 2013.
PA & L Kids and Teen events include programs formerly known as "Black, White & Read All Over." We are working on an exciting schedule of events for our younger audiences that we will announce on June 21, 2013. Check back for updates on events with writers and books that kids and teens won't want to miss!
Special Events are non-traditional programs with niche writers that appeal to the pop culture interest in all of us. MOTH MAINSTAGE 2013 IS COMING!Tickets are now on sale for our next exciting special event, THE MOTH MAINSTAGE 2013, On Point: Stories of Balancing Acts, Thursday, August 22nd at 7:30pm. For the first time ever, this original MOTH roadshow with acclaimed national teller and Pittsburgh celebrities will be at The Byham Theater in Pittsburgh's downtown Cultural District.
Click here to buy your tickets now! Thanks to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for partnering with Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures to move this year's MOTH Mainstage to a venue that can seat all the local Moth fans!
Check back here for more details about the Host of the show and the line-up of national and local tellers for this year's MOTH MAINSTAGE 2013, On Point: Stories of Balancing Acts.
Writers LIVE is a series of free programs presented by Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures at the Carnegie Library's Main Branch, in Oakland. Our next Writers LIVE program on July 1st features local poet, Yona Harvey, with her new book of poetry, Hemming the Water.I'm delighted to announce the distinguished authors Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will present at our Literary Evenings Monday Night Lecture Series in 2013/14:
We'll open the season on Monday, September 23rd with Michael Moss, New York Times Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist whose new book, Salt, Sugar, Fat may be the most important book about food and the food industry that you will ever read.
On Monday, October 7th, an absolute master of mystery, Sue Grafton, joins us with the latest volume in her "alphabet series," titled W is for Wasted.
On Monday, October 21st, we'll present Ian Frazier, one of the finest and funniest authors and speakers we've ever brought to our stage. His latest novel, The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days, features a character from his regular columns in The New Yorker. It's a "laugh out loud" humorous satire on the subject of moms and the crazy stuff that they have to deal with on a daily basis.
On Monday, November 4th, we welcome the noted biographer David Nasaw with his acclaimed book, The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy. David Nasaw's appearance coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The New York Time Book Review lauded this riveting history as one of the Top Ten Books of 2012.
On Monday, November 25th, we're delighted to bring the acclaimed writer Amy Tan to our stage with her first novel in eight years, The Valley of Amazement. Amy Tan is the author of five bestselling novels, a memoir, two children's books, and numerous articles. Until they disbanded, she was backup singer and second tambourine with a garage band that included Stephen King, Dave Barry, and Scott Turow. If you read and loved The Joy Luck Club, you'll want to see Amy Tan, who will be accompanied on stage by her designated service dog, Bobo!
On Monday, December 9th, a great American storyteller, George Saunders, arrives with his book of short stories, Tenth of December, described by The New York Times Magazine as "the best book you'll read this year." George is clever and funny, very irreverent, and sure to leave us all more interested in readng short fiction, especially his!
On Monday, January 27th, we'll start the new year with Ayelet Waldman and her new spellbinding new novel, Love And Treasure, the story of hidden artworks, romantic love, and the legacy of theft that has at its center the intriguing story of WW2's Hungarian Gold Train. Married to novelist Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman is known for her presence on social media so you can count on many future tweets about this fascinating book.
On Monday, February 10th, Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures partners with the United Black Book Clubs of Pittsburgh on a Literary Evening with Helene Cooper, White House correspondent of The New York Times. Helene has written a riveting memoir, The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood. Her own ascendency to one of the most prominent positions in American journalism is a fascinating story. And her insights on the Obama presidency are original and compelling.
On Monday, March 10th, we celebrate an early St. Patrick's Day with Irish writer Colum McCann. Book clubs love him for his 9/11 novel, Let The Great World Spin. His new book Transatlantic, to be released in June, is a novel that is also a history of his native Ireland and a feast for all lovers of literary fiction. This is also this night of our annual book club raffle, when all the members of your book club can win your choice of a soft cover book by any one of our 2014/15 Literary Evening speakers!
On Monday, April 7th, we'll complete our season with audience favorite Ann Patchett, who brings her first ever book of essays, This Is The Story of a Happy Marriage. Ann always brings her A-Game to our stage. She's provocative, funny, and smart, and has become the national spokesperson for independent book stores everywhere.
Here's how to order a ticket to these exciting 2013/14 Literary Evenings!
Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures is taking subscription orders now for the 2013/14 Literary Evenings. Prices of the full-season subscription and the Select 6 and Select 3 subscriptions are available by clicking here for a printable order form. In June subscriptions will be available online, but until then, you can call the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures office, Monday-Friday, from 10am -5pm, at 412-622-8866.
Single tickets will be available after June 3rd so that we can give preference to our subscribers.
I'd love to get your opinions about this past season or about our upcoming Literary Evenings so please feel free to call me at 412-622-8866 or to email me at info@pittsburghlectures.org.
Happy Reading!
Jayne Adair
Executive Director
April 8, 2013