Writers, poets, publishers headline Pitt-Greensburg’s Writers’ Festival

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Pitt-Greensburg Writer’s Festival will run Monday, March 14, through Friday, March 18, in the Village Coffeehouse.

Presentations given by a group of writers who represent a broad range of genres and backgrounds highlight this year’s festival. All events are free and open to the public. Each day a craft talk will begin at 4 p.m. and a reading will follow at 7 p.m. Authors’ books will be available for purchase.

West Coast poet and memoirist Joan Jobe Smith opens the week on Monday. Pitt-Greensburg student writer Janelle Sheetz will present the opening reading.

Fellow West Coast poet Fred Voss will be featured on Tuesday. Pitt-Greensburg students Natalie Strohm and Corey Florindi will present the opening readings. Florindi also will perform American roots music after Voss' reading.  

Editors and publishers from the internationally-acclaimed Caketrain Press and literary magazine and New York’s Spuyten Duyvil Press will offer insights about how to break into print during their session on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Florindi, editor of the Pitt-Greensburg "Pendulum," will contribute to the discussion. At 5:15 p.m., Tod Thilleman (Spuyten Duyvil Press) and Richard Blevins, Pitt-Greensburg faculty member, will give a reading from their collaborative book "Breating Bolano/Corrido of Bolano."

Pitt-Greensburg’s faculty and alumni will offer readings of their work at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Alumni readers include Adam Matcho, Stephanie Brea, Tom McGee, Karen Dietrich, Kelly Scarff, and Megan Tutolo.

Bestselling mystery novelist Kathleen George, from Pittsburgh, will give a reading and talk at 4 p.m. on Thursday. Pitt-Greensburg student Rachel Kuski will present the opening reading for the 4 p.m. session.  Poet John Repp will present his reading at 7 p.m. Pitt-Greensburg students Rin Little and Meghan Stewart will present the opening readings for Repp's session.

Pitt-Greensburg’s One Book, One Community event, sponsored by the Friends of Millstein Library, will feature George leading a public discussion of her book “The Odds” at noon on Friday in Millstein Library. “The Art and Craft of New Media,” a panel presentation featuring Pitt-Greensburg bloggers and professional blogger Virginia Montanez (“That’s Church Blog” and “The Burgh Blog”), will begin at 4 p.m. in the Coffeehouse. Singer/songwriter Bill Deasy will offer a talk on songwriting, followed by a performance and book signing at 7 p.m.

The full schedule includes:

Monday, March 14: Poet/memoirist Joan Jobe Smith; craft talk at 4 p.m.; reading at 7 p.m. with reception and book signing to follow.

Tuesday, March 15: Poet Fred Voss; craft talk at 4 p.m.; reading at 7 p.m. with reception and book-signing to follow.

Wednesday, March 16: Editors and publishers from Caketrain Press and literary journal, Spuyten Duyvil, and more discuss the literary life at 4 p.m.; Faculty/Alumni reading at 7 p.m. with reception and book signing to follow

Thursday, March 17: Bestselling mystery novelist Kathleen George; reading and talk at 4 p.m. with reception and book-signing to follow. Poet John Repp; reading at 7 p.m. with reception and book signing to follow.

Friday, March 18: One Book, One Community Event, sponsored by the Friends of Millstein Library, will feature bestselling mystery novelist Kathleen George at noon in Millstein Library. “The Art and Craft of New Media,” a panel presentation featuring Pitt-Greensburg bloggers and professional blogger Virginia Montanez; 4 p.m. in the Village Coffeehouse. Singer/Songwriter Bill Deasy; talk on songwriting, followed by a performance and book-signing, at 7 p.m. in the Village Coffeehouse.

The Pitt-Greensburg Writers Festival is sponsored by the University’s Writing Program, Academic Villages, Student Government Association, Academic Affairs, and The Friends of Millstein Library.

For more information about the festival, or about the writing program at Pitt-Greensburg, call 724-836-7481 or e-mail loj@pitt.edu.