Pitt-Greensburg’s Written/Spoken series welcomes alumni writers Ali Dimoff ’17, Adam Matcho ’06, and Dave Newman ’93 on Monday, October 1, at 7 p.m. in the Mary Lou Campana Chapel and Lecture Center. The reading is free and open to the public. Pitt-Greensburg creative and professional writing majors Emily Buckel and Bri Filer will open with readings from their work. A reception, book sale, and signing will follow the event.
Ali Dimoff’s work has appeared in the humor magazine, “Janice,” and her first chapbook, “It’s Complicated,” was published last year as part of her senior creative and professional writing capstone project. She often writes about family, coffee, and bumbling through dating. When she isn’t working 9-5, Dimoff says her wardrobe looks like it’s sponsored by scissors in a war on sleeves. Famous for her cut-off T-shirts, fanny pack, and love of bathroom humor, Dimoff was a former editor-in-chief of Pitt-Greensburg’s student newspaper, “The Insider.”
Adam Matcho was formerly employed as a gas station attendant, sandwich artist, novelty shop clerk, gold buyer, and obituary writer. Now, he tells people he is the poet laureate of Johnstown. His poems have been published in literary magazines and his books include “The Novelty Essays” (WPA Press), “Six Dollars an Hour: Confessions of a Gemini Writer” (Liquid Paper Press) and “Love Songs From Flood City” (Low Ghost Press).
Dave Newman is the author of six books, including “Please Don’t Shoot Anyone Tonight” (Broken River Books, forthcoming 2018), the novella “Sammy Drinks Canned Beer” (White Gorilla Press, forthcoming 2018), “The Poem Factory” (White Gorilla Press, 2015), the novels “Raymond Carver Will Not Raise Our Children” (Writers Tribe Books, 2012) and “Two Small Birds” (Writers Tribe Books, 2014), and the collection “The Slaughterhouse Poems” (White Gorilla Press, 2013), named one of the best books of the year by “The L Magazine.” Winner of numerous awards, including the Andre Dubus Novella Prize, Newman lives in Trafford, PA, the last town in the Electric Valley, with his wife, the writer Lori Jakiela, and their two children. He works in medical research, serving elders. After earning his bachelor’s degree at Pitt-Greensburg, Newman received his MFA from the University of Pittsburgh in 1996.
Written/Spoken is a reading series that brings nationally known poets and writers to the Pitt-Greensburg campus. Undergraduate student writers participate in readings and give performances of their own work. The series is sponsored by Pitt-Greensburg’s Creative & Professional Writing Program and the Office of Academic Affairs. For more information, please contact Lori Jakiela, professor of English and Creative Writing, by phone at 724-836-7481 or email at loj@pitt.edu.