Award-Winning Human Poets and Novelists and Painters and Rick Sebak!
Get Ready to Get (Human) Lit at Pitt-Greensburg’s 2023 Writers Festival
If ChatGPT and other assorted bots make you worry about the future of literature, Pitt-Greensburg’s Writers Festival should prove that humans are not going gentle into that good night.
The festival, which runs from Monday, April 10 through Friday, April 14, features such luminaries as award-winning writer Jane McCafferty, acclaimed poets Aaron Smith and Nancy Krygowski, PBS documentarian Rick Sebak, and more.
All events and readings are free and open to the public.
Made possible through a grant from the University of Pittsburgh’s Year of Emotional Well-Being initiative, the festival celebrates the importance of storytelling as part of the human experience.
“It’s important to remember that humans are natural-born storytellers, and that writers—through their work—can show us that our lives matter,” says Lori Jakiela, professor of English at Pitt-Greensburg. “By sharing stories, by reading books, we build empathy and understanding—two things that are so important, especially now.”
Jakiela, along with her colleague and husband Dave Newman, assistant professor of English, organized this year’s festival, which includes many opportunities for their Pitt-Greensburg students to read with and learn from visiting writers and artists.
“We always want our students to feel they are part of something bigger,” Newman says. “We want them to experience and understand that there’s this whole community of writers and creative people in the world who care deeply about the things our students care about. It’s about bringing that inspiration to campus. And it’s about building connections—between writers and artists, between writers and readers, between people who still think art and human experience matter.”
Jakiela and Newman, both award-winning authors and poets, are especially excited about the range of offerings during this year’s festival. Participants will have the opportunity to work with experts in yoga and meditation, in visual arts, and to learn from one of public broadcasting’s greatest film documentarians, Rick Sebak.
“No one tells the stories of Pittsburgh as deeply and with as much heart and joy as Rick Sebak,” Jakiela says. “He is a national treasure, our national treasure, and a great example of how storytelling connects people to the places that nurtured them.”
Here’s the festival schedule. All events are on the Pitt-Greensburg campus and are free and open to the public. For more information about any of the festival events, or about the Creative & Professional Writing Program at Pitt-Greensburg, contact Jakiela at loj@pitt.edu or 724-836-7481.
MONDAY, APRIL 10
Embodied Writing: Yoga and Writing Practice
Featuring Joanne Spence (author of Trauma-Informed Yoga: 47 Practices to Calm, Balance, and Restore the Nervous System)
6 p.m. Fireside Lounge
Typewriter Poems
Poet Lori Jakiela (author of How Do You Like It Now, Gentlemen? and more) will write poems on demand
7:30 p.m. Chambers Hall Lobby
National Poetry Month Celebration
With Poets Aaron Smith (author of Stop Lying and more) and Nancy Krygowski (author of The Woman in the Corner and more), accompanied by Pitt-Greensburg student writers Jeanette Hutzell and Eva Webber-Smith
8 p.m. Fireside Lounge
Reception/Book Sales and Signings
TUESDAY, APRIL 11
Words and Painting: Painting Your Own Zen Tree
with Artist Joani Pletcher
(limited to 30 people—come early to ensure your space; all painting supplies will be provided and are free; open to everyone)
5 p.m.-7p.m. – Village Hall
Typewriter Poems
Poet Lori Jakiela (author of How Do You Like It Now, Gentlemen? and more) writes poems on demand
7:30 p.m. Chambers Hall Lobby
Faculty and Alumni Reading (followed by Open Mic)
8 p.m.– Hempfield Room
Reception/Book Sales and Signing
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12
Typewriter Poems
Poet Lori Jakiela (author of How Do You Like It Now, Gentlemen? and more) writes poems on demand
7:30 p.m. Chambers Hall Lobby
Poet/Film Professional Celeste Gainey (author of The Gaffer and more), accompanied by Pitt-Greensburg student writers Caitlin Cruser, Misha Laity, and McKenzie Bonar
8 p.m.–Fireside Lounge
Reception/Book Sales & Signing
THURSDAY, APRIL 13
Typewriter Poems
Poet Lori Jakiela (author of How Do You Like It Now, Gentlemen? and more) writes poems on demand
7:30 p.m. Chambers Hall Lobb
Literary and Online Publishing Class Book Launch featuring readings by authors Jane McCafferty (author of First You Try Everything and more) and Heather McNaugher (author of A Series of Hideouts and more)
Accompanied by Pitt-Greensburg student writers Rin Alford, Marina Lagattuta, Emily Lohr
8 p.m. Fireside Lounge
Reception/Book Sales and Signing
FRIDAY, APRIL 14
Typewriter Poems
Poet Lori Jakiela (author of How Do You Like It Now, Gentlemen? and more) writes poems on demand
7:30 p.m. Smith Hall Reception Room
Keynote Speaker: PBS Documentarian Rick Sebak
Accompanied by Pitt-Greensburg digital storytelling students Caitlin Cruser, Kaiden Congioli, Elijah Johnson, and Misha Laity
8 p.m. Ferguson Theater
End of Festival Wine & Cheese & Cake reception – Smith Hall Reception Room
Header photo source: https://www.greensburg.pitt.edu/about/campus-map
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