Have you checked out Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s redesigned Eleventh Stack blog yet?
Eleventh Stack is run by a group of library workers who are passionate about books, movies and music — and was originally envisioned as a place to explore all the cool stuff at the Main Library, which is home to about a million items. Recently, they’ve branched out to explore the rest of the Carnegie Library system!
Littsburgh loves the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh — and in an effort to spread the word about the excellent work they’re doing — we’ll be highlighting posts from the Eleventh Stack from time to time…
If you’re looking for reading recommendations, we highly recommend you bookmark the Eleventh Stack — and give Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh a follow on Facebook and Twitter!
I am a Kansan. Many people know this about me because of the way my fists ball up when I hear the phrase “fly-over state.” Midwesterners are usually a humble bunch, but if the opportunity for intense pride arises, we hold on to it like Dorothy held on to Toto’s basket. (Okay, that one hurt. Sorry.) While some of our points of pride are a mystery to others (Cawker City’s World’s Largest Ball of Twine, Garden City’s World’s Largest Hairball and any number of other Largest Balls of Whatever found along I-70), some of our most beloved Kansas artifacts are real treasures.
Even though she lived in Topeka for just over a month, Gwendolyn Brooks was indeed born there. 2017 would have marked her 100th birthday, and towns all over Kansas were alight with celebratory readings, walks and exhibits throughout the year. Beyond the state borders, fresh anthologies and rejuvenated collections were released in honor of the woman who penned some of the most iconic poetry of our time.
Quraysh Ali Lansana and Sandra Jackson-Opoku edited one such anthology, called Revise the Psalm: Work Inspired by the Writing of Gwendolyn Brooks. In it, artists, writers and poets make their visual and verbal tributes to a life of compassion and creativity. With each piece included in this collection, a different aspect of Brooks’ voice is magnified. Delivered in eight parts and including two bibliographies, this book could easily be used as a textbook in Brooks 101. In the introduction, the editors describe this as a “diverse chorus of survival narratives, a gathering of works that challenge conventional dogma.” And it really does read like a chorus, like a brilliant symphony of words and images.
Most of the contributors in this book honor Brooks through subject matter, mood or method. In Avery R. Young’s “blk(s),” for example, the sharp, succinct style of his words evoke poems like “We Real Cool” and “the vacant lot.” Like Brooks, Young explores punctuation and manipulates sound just as one might play with a kaleidoscope, relishing in the new patterns it creates.
weena crispy
blk brudda(s) call her
ooon fufu
weena roun(d)
blk eczema polka
dot her leg(s)
brudda(s) walk up
to her puff
dey cheek(s) go
boogah
The same lyrical wickedness one finds in “We Real Cool” seeps into this poem, and loop-de-loops through each line into the next. Its words are both a full and bitter taste in the reader’s mouth.
This anthology is an extraordinary, extensive tribute to the woman referred to by editors Lansana and Jackson-Opoku as “the inimitable Miss Brooks.” Grab a copy and experience the depths of her influence for yourself.
Tess Wilson works in Civic Information Services at Main, and occasionally assists Teen Mentors during programming at the Labs. She is a collector of anything from big dictionaries to small rocks, and her latest acquisition was an MFA in Creative Writing of Poetry from Chatham University.
This post sponsored by our friends at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
We’ve been celebrating literary Pittsburgh since 2015 without a break, so for the ten year anniversary of Littsburgh, we decided Read more
Want to get your writing mojo back? Attend Seton Hill U’s In Your Write Mind Writers conference. $120 for the Read more
New York, NY — The Community of Literary Magazines & Presses (CLMP), the national nonprofit organization that for 58 years Read more
From Mt. Lebanon Magazine by way of Facebook: "On February 18, the Mt. Lebanon Public Library Board of Trustees passed Read more
"The City of Pittsburgh, with funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), is launching the Support for Artists Grant Read more
Littsburgh's founder Rachel Ekstrom Courage (now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author!) recently stopped by KDKA to Read more
"The Drue Heinz Literature Prize recognizes and supports writers of short fiction and makes their work available to readers around Read more
"For the 2025 prize, the Autumn House staff as well as select outsider readers serve as the preliminary readers, and Read more
"Applications are now open for Read Local Eat Local 2025! This is event is on Saturday, September 6, from 11 Read more
"What: This is an annual, alumni-run writers workshop. It features writing-related classes, agent pitch sessions, a book signing, and other Read more
"Calling all plot twisters, world builders, and romance stirrers! Join fellow genre lovers, top-tier agents, sharp-eyed editors, and bestselling authors Read more
PITTSBURGH — Prime Stage Theatre celebrates its 29th season with three world premieres commissioned from three Pittsburgh playwrights: Nov. 7-16, 2025 – Mr. Read more
From our friends at Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures: Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures’ 2025/26 roster of acclaimed authors for our Ten Read more
PITTSBURGH, PA – It’s time to book your spot! Registration for the 2025 Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books is officially Read more
"United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania hosted its seventh annual Big Book Drop event on April 15-17 at Acrisure Stadium, where Read more
"The Northern Appalachia Review welcomes submissions of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction written about, representing, or engaging with the experience of Read more
But this too is true: stories can save us The writer Tim O’Brien calls storytelling an essential human activity. "The Read more
Press Release: Art All Night Pittsburgh is back in full force this April 26-27, 2025 starting at 4 pm and Read more
Press Release: Duquesne University is proud to announce the appointment of noted writers Lee Gutkind and Jill Moyer Sunday as Read more
City of Asylum Pittsburgh and International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) collaborate to present 30+ free,transformational events over 4 days Read more
