Littsburgh has always been a “nights and weekends” passion project, ever since we started the site back in 2015. We don’t have a staff, we’re not a non-profit. We’re just three people who have day jobs in publishing and who wanted to support our local literary community—from writers and booksellers to librarians and publishers.
And most of all, readers!
We believe books and writing have a power to connect, to bring people together and build empathy and understanding. Since you’re reading this, we’re pretty sure that you feel the same way. And we wouldn’t usually write this kind of post—so earnest, so political!—but if you’ve been following us for more than a few months, you probably know that we write books, too…
And that one of us had a book banned last year, by a tiny school district in Texas.
We’re still not sure why—we suspect the people who banned it never read a single page—but these things have a way of making the news, and (for any undecided or conflicted voters out there) we wanted to share that the fallout from that little banning had an outsized impact on the person who runs this site, a children’s book author who writes adventure stories about kids living through extreme weather events.
One of the (many) issues that we feel strongly about is the freedom to read and write. We couldn’t agree more with Gov. Tim Walz, who said “I see book bans as dangerous. Throughout history, the people who want to ban books have never been on the right side.”
Littsburgh might not be the New York Times or the Post-Gazette, but every voice counts and we’ve got a big swing-state readership, so we’re proud to stand up for the rights of writers and younger readers by sharing our endorsement of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in this year’s presidential race.
We hope you’ll vote on the issues that matter to you, and that you’ll be loud and proud with your support. If you want to forward this message to someone who might need to hear it, that’d be fine with us 🙂
Yours in books,
From the Publisher: "In this “smart, irreverent secret history” (Stewart O’Nan) Sewickley set novel by highly praised Pittsburgh native author Anna Read more
We’ve been celebrating literary Pittsburgh since 2015 without a break, so for the ten year anniversary of Littsburgh, we decided Read more
From the Publisher: "In his debut collection of nonfiction, Jim Daniels writes about trees, backyard swing sets, above-ground swimming pools, 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 the Publisher: "Imagine that you are a child who was born in a large family, and during your childhood, 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
From the Publisher: "The Mackenzies and the Flahertys, two of the founding families of Port Kenneth, TN, have been feuding Read more
"The Northern Appalachia Review welcomes submissions of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction written about, representing, or engaging with the experience of Read more
