Retro Oakland: Panther Statues
By Marissa Perino and Lexi Kennell
October 13, 2017
Just because the panther is a statue, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t changed. The panther was chosen as our mascot because of its intimidating nature, its nativity to the Pittsburgh region and its ancient standing as a noble animal, but most importantly it was chosen because no other university used it...
Altered: Repurposed Pittsburgh Churches
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
October 11, 2017
In most cities, a building with multi-colored, kaleidoscope glass and a rusting bell tower is unquestionably a church, but in Pittsburgh, it could be something much different — it could be a music venue, brewery, hookah bar or even a night club. Repurposed churches are all over Pittsburgh — from the Braddoc...
Swaying in solidarity: Point Park students dance for Las Vegas in wake of shooting
By Sarah Morris / Staff Writer
October 10, 2017
As the clock in Market Square reached 12:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, about 115 young adults dressed in jeans and white T-shirts began flowing in around the perimeter of the square, moving their arms and hands in a series of intricate and repeated gestures. “It’s a flash mob,” a man on a corner ...
The National plays concert to pensive crowd
By Sarah Morris / Staff Writer
October 10, 2017
As The National lead singer Matt Berninger held up his drink between songs, he said being in Pittsburgh makes him feel like he’s “almost home.” The Cincinnati-based band played the outdoor venue at Stage AE Saturday to a full crowd of fans — mostly young adults in their twenties and thirt...
Tom Petty breaks hearts one last time
By Darren Campuzano / For Th Pitt News
October 5, 2017
"I'm just trying to make good quality music, 'cause I do realize this music is going to be around much longer than me. I do know that now,” Tom Petty said. The ample songwriter and classic rock trailblazer Petty died of cardiac arrest at age 66 Monday, Oct. 2. What hurts the most when true music i...
Send nudes: student artist draws on body positivity
By Sarah Morris / Staff Writer
October 5, 2017
Every couple of weeks, more than 100 people scroll through their Instagram feeds and see a penciled sketch of a woman’s body accompanied by a short description about body positivity by user takeback_thenude. Sarah Krause, a junior studying studio arts and social work, started something last May called The Nudity Project. The project involves Krause drawing nudes of women...
Bob Seger rocks through PGH on ‘Runaway Train’ tour
By Darren Campuzano / For The Pitt News
October 3, 2017
“Usually it’s dedication time here,” Michigan-bred rocker Bob Seger said. “I’d like to dedicate this to everyone in the building.” Wearing true blue jeans, a Triumph Motorcycles T-shirt and a wide grin, Seger burst into a kicking rendition of “Old Time Rock ‘n Roll.” He grasped ...
Fast Films: UPTV hosts 24-hour film festival
By Siddhi Shockey / For The Pitt News
October 3, 2017
The screen fades to black after the character of Meriwether Lewis gets impaled — by his future self. Lewis uses a power strip as a makeshift time machine and travels back to when he launched a knife into the woods. When he arrives in the past, he appears in the woods and inadvertently becomes the tar...
Thrival revival: fall music fest returns to Pittsburgh
By Dieer Hu and Luke Stambaugh / For The Pitt News
October 2, 2017
“Here’s to my city!” Wiz Khalifa said to thousands of elated festivalgoers as the melody of his Pittsburgh Steelers-inspired anthem “Black and Yellow” began to play. The Pittsburgh native and award-winning rapper performed as headliner of the 2017 Thrival Innovation + Music Festival this week...
Co-opportunity: Co-ops thrive in East Liberty
By Marissa Perino / Staff Writer
September 29, 2017
At a farmers market in East Liberty, customers flock to stands lined with red-capped apple cider jugs and stacked wooden crates filled with fresh fruits and vegetables to cross grocery shopping off their to-do list for the week. In Pittsburgh’s East End neighborhood, two farmers market cooperatives ...
Local eats in Oakland, around Pittsburgh
By The Pitt News Staff
September 28, 2017
If you are looking for eating options in Pittsburgh, checkout one of the many restaurants listed below: Qdoba Mexican Eats 3712 Forbes Ave. Monday - Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 412-802-7866 $ Qdoba offers the best in Mexican cuisine from burritos to quesadillas...
Talk Amharic to me: Pitt offers new language
By Salina Pressimone / Staff Writer
September 27, 2017
“Kä, ku, ki. Rä, ru, ri. Tä, tu, ti.” Junior Ruth Dereje sounds out each letter as she transcribes the intricate Amharic symbols on the chalkboard inside the Irish Room with precise delineations of each of their most minute but crucial features. Behind her, professor Waganesh Zeleke expands an...
‘Pitt Tonight’ remastered: Andrew Dow hosts season three premiere
By Luke Stambaugh / Staff Writer
September 26, 2017
“The bread here is incredible — you have to try some,” new Pitt Tonight host Andrew Dow said as he threw dinner rolls at the audience of the Charity Randall Theatre Sunday. Dow pretended he was on a date with the crowd at the season three premiere of “Pitt Tonight,” Pitt’s student-run late night show. Kicking off the episode with a monologue, Dow intro...
‘Just in a rut’: The Killers’s new album disappoints, but not without hope
By Sarah Morris / Staff Writer
September 26, 2017
In the chorus of “Rut” — the third song off The Killers’ new album “Wonderful Wonderful” — front man Brandon Flowers croons against a catchy beat, “Don’t give up on me / ‘cause I’m just in a rut.” And it’s hard to hear the words as anything other than a direct plea to the lis...
Crawling through the city: Gallery Crawl comes back to Pittsburgh
By Emma Maurice / Staff Writer
September 20, 2017
For one night every season throughout the year, the streets of downtown Pittsburgh teem with artistic events, music and art fanatics. A free and public event since 2004, the quarterly Gallery Crawl yields nearly 30,000 visitors annually and showcases art, music and entertainment throughout downtown Pittsburgh. The Pit...
FEM: Equality and empowerment
By Rachel Lombardo / For The Pitt News
September 20, 2017
Feminism has become a buzzword, and along with the attention comes stereotypes — that feminists are crazy man-haters and women who don’t shave their legs or armpits. Here on Pitt’s campus, The Female Empowerment Movement, or FEM for short, aims to break these stereotypes and bring feminism b...
WPTS creates playlists after hectic day at Pitt
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
September 18, 2017
With the Cathedral flooding and Pitt students standing up to homophobia in a counter protest at Towers yesterday, our news writers had more than enough to write about. The hectic Monday inspired the new media director of WPTS, Josh Chamberlain, to create two playlists to match the mood — Cathy ...
Wasteland-scapes: Frick Fine Arts Building hosts environmentally-conscious art exhibits
By Prachi Patel / Staff Writer
September 18, 2017
Floorboards creaked as visitors shuffled around to get a closer view of the medley of landscapes, which included underwater photographs, silk Chinese scrolls depicting sloping mountains and an Inuit print of a sea-goddess. The University Art Gallery hosted a joint opening of two art exhibitions ...
Pitt alum publishes serialized email novel
By Sarah Morris / Staff Writer
September 15, 2017
With a growing number of people flocking to Kindles and iPads for reading, publishing novels online seems to be the modern— and eco-friendly — option for contemporary literature. Adam Dove, who graduated from Pitt in 2014 with a degree in fiction writing, decided to tap into this trend and releas...
Creating careers: Pitt grads start their own businesses
By Salina Pressimone / Staff Writer
September 15, 2017
On any weekend night on South Craig Street, passersby can hear the sounds of wails accompany the tune of pop songs emitted by the karaoke house on the corner. Wedged tight among Irish cuisine and artisan jewelry, KBox Karaoke’s dim purple curtains bring private karaoke culture to musically incline...
College is hard, but it’s just the start
By Taylor Pecarchik / Staff Writer
September 15, 2017
There’s no doubt that people go to college so they can get a good job. It’s why I go to college. It’s probably why you do, too. But for a lot of students at Pitt, future plans are still a little cloudy. While every student at some point declares a field of study, that doesn’t mean every stu...
‘Six a breast’: an exploration into the absurdities of womanhood
By Connor Wurst / For The Pitt News
September 13, 2017
A woman — illuminated by a single spotlight and clad in a bathrobe, a towel wrapped around her head and a pale green face mask — stands alone on stage and releases an enraged scream. The opening scene of CorningWorks’ fall 2017 production “six a breast” launched a theater full of Pittsbur...
Riding the party wave with Surf Bored
By Luke Stambaugh / Staff Writer
September 11, 2017
In an Oakland basement adorned with Christmas lights, a two-person “mosh-pop” outfit jams in front of a sweaty crowd of college students. The crowd moshes to the fast-paced, resounding tunes as the guitarist wipes beads of sweat from his forehead. Surf Bored, a prominent Do-It-Yourself band...
Tailgate tunes: Pitt vs. PSU game day playlist
By Jack Mulligan / For The Pitt News
September 7, 2017
Every college football fan in Pennsylvania has a reason to get excited for this Saturday’s game. Thousands of fans from both teams will meet at the massive Beaver Stadium for the in-state matchup. After Pitt’s stunning victory last year at Heinz Field, a lot is riding on this game for both teams....
Retro Oakland: Pitt’s catwalk of football fashion
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
September 7, 2017
Sporting black long-sleeved turtlenecks and dark pants, Pitt’s 1899 football team looks like a bunch of brooding postmodern writers. But the beatnik era didn’t happen for another 50 years, making our athletic predecessors look like fashion-forward icons. And as our school went from the Western...
Asian-American film festival comes back to PGH
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
September 6, 2017
In an age when the United States prides itself on diversity but is plagued with racism, it’s important to support arts from all different cultures. Opportunities to do just this are everywhere, as long as we keep an eye out for them. The 12th annual Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival will sc...
“Rick and Morty” fan base flourishes as millennials continue to embrace dark humor
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
September 4, 2017
“Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody’s going to die. Come watch TV.” Morty Smith says this to his sister Summer in season one, episode eight of “Rick and Morty,” referencing the show itself along with its nihilistic and existential premise. “Rick and Morty” ...
Cats cradled in Schenley Plaza for First Caturday
By Sarah Morris / Staff Writer
September 4, 2017
On the grass by the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain, a crowd of several dozen people parted down the middle as a retired show cat, looking remarkably like a small lion, strutted down the path. The cat who stole everyone’s attention — Snickers — was later passed around gently from person to person ...
Pro-life Pitt student aims to take hypocrisy out of casual politics
By Matt Maielli / For The Pitt News
August 31, 2017
Rosemary Geraghty’s club at Pitt was accused, on social media, of being composed of “radical feminists” and “social justice warriors” promoting “transgenderism.” “And I was like, ‘Absolutely — you got me,’” she said with a laugh. Geraghty — a purple-haired, nose-ringed, q...
Multimedia zine cultivates creativity on campus
By Sarah Morris / Staff Writer
August 31, 2017
With the right angle and some adjusting of the photo’s exposure and saturation, Caitrin Bogart made art out of five cracked eggs she saw spattered on an Oakland street. The photograph, aptly titled “oops!,” was featured in ambi- magazine — a multimedia zine at Pitt — in February on the ma...
Game of Thrones awkwardly rushes plot in season seven finale
By Luke Stambaugh / Staff Writer
August 29, 2017
Watching the “Game of Thrones” season seven finale was as entertaining as it was frustrating. The creators of HBO’s fantasy and action juggernaut provided six seasons of carefully crafted dynamic characters and complex interwoven storylines. But the finale of season seven was unfortunately rushed...
Transfers make the switch to Pitt but not without struggles
By Sarah Morris / Staff Writer
August 29, 2017
Not all new Pitt students are having their first college experience — roughly a thousand of them every year are seasoned students who have transferred from colleges and universities from around the world. And while many transfer students find their place in Oakland just like the students who starte...
Bicycles, buses and cars: why students commute to campus
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
August 29, 2017
With playlists and podcasts downloaded for the commute, roughly 800 undergraduate Pitt students make their daily trek to campus, whether it be from as near as Bloomfield or as far as the South Hills. I had that long and traffic-riddled drive from the South Hills over the summer — a journey that took any...
Retro Oakland: Learning about our university’s leaders
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
August 27, 2017
Although Pitt students today have grown accustomed to a chancellor who takes selfies with each upcoming class and tweets regularly, past leaders of Pitt had different approaches to interacting with students. There have been 18 Pitt chancellors — and each one impacted the University as we know it t...
Summer Album Analysis
By TPN Staff
August 27, 2017
From the moody, morbid “Melodrama” to the introspective “Witness,” the songs of the summer were filled with self-discovery, disappointment and apologies. And with so many new releases over the course of three short months, it can be difficult to keep up with what’s essential and what you can tune ...
Photographer Elliott Erwitt publishes forgotten Pittsburgh photos
By John Hamilton / Editor-in-Chief
August 21, 2017
Elliott Erwitt left his rented room at the downtown Pittsburgh YMCA in the fall of 1950, cameras in hand. The 22-year-old photographer walked up either Forbes or Fifth Avenue, documenting the people and places of the transitioning city along the way, before arriving at the Pittsburgh Photographic Lib...
Retro Oakland: taking a look at Pitt campus buildings
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
August 21, 2017
Students walk down Fifth and Ruskin Avenues and pass Langley Hall every day, but many have no idea that two people died in an explosion in that very building about 40 years ago. In The Pitt News’ New Student Guide that was published earlier in the summer, I started a series — Retro Oakland — that f...
Pitt club raises awareness for animal welfare
By Amanda Reed / Senior Staff Writer
August 21, 2017
No meat, cheese, wool or ivory-keyed pianos — basically nothing that comes from or is made from an animal. That’s what Pitt’s animal wellness club preaches on campus. Panthers for Animal Welfare — PAW for short — is an activist club focused on spreading awareness about the effects that fo...
Staff picks: cheap eats in Oakland
By TPN Staff
August 21, 2017
With Red Oak Cafe’s closure, Pitt students could go hungry come fall. But here at The Pitt News, we won’t let that happen. There are plenty of restaurants in Oakland to choose from — you just need to find the right spots. We’ve enlisted some editors and writers from The Pitt News to compile some o...
PITT ARTS enters 20th year of affordable access to the arts
By Marissa Perino / Staff Writer
August 21, 2017
Occupying the penthouse floor of the William Pitt Union, the PITT ARTS office is ready for another year of Pittsburgh culture and entertainment. Freshly printed neon flyers are scattered on the coffee table and the lineup for the upcoming school year is pencilled on the calendar. A division of Student Affairs,...
Pittsburgh’s indie theaters set themselves apart
By Matt Maielli / Contributing Editor
August 21, 2017
Chain theaters and popular franchises are fatiguing after a while — remakes, reboots and sequels, oh my — so why not attend a classic film marathon in a single screen theater to refresh your cinematic palette. Here’s a short list of local, independent theaters that offer both mainstream releases,...
Filters and flour: Pitt student mixes photography and baking
By Rachel Lombardo / For The Pitt News
August 21, 2017
With three vanilla pound cake rounds cooling in front of her, Elaine Khodzhayan combines the perfect concoction of peanut butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar into her signature frosting. Khodzhayan, a rising senior majoring in human resources management and business information systems, is the baker ...
GALLERY: Summer in Pictures
By Pitt News Staff
August 21, 2017
In case you missed it this summer, a lot of things have happened in Pittsburgh. These are some of our favorite photos from the past few months. ...
‘Shall we begin?’: Dragons, the undead and murderous mortals take their final places in ‘Game Of Thrones’ premiere
By Matt Maielli / Contributing Editor
July 19, 2017
In the “Game of Thrones” season seven premiere, “Dragonstone,” the remaining pieces of the Great Game finally move into their places on the board. A large part of prestige television — which viewing audiences are drowning in lately — is waiting. That is definitely true of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and also true of S...
Podcasts and prose: TPN’s entertainment picks for the summer
By TPN Staff
July 19, 2017
When we’re not busy writing, some of us at The Pitt News try to find time to read a book or listen to a podcast. Here are suggestions to kick back with and enjoy before classes resume in a few short weeks. BOOKS “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” by Michael Chabon — Sarah Morris / For the Pit...
An unparalled syzygy: Pitt team launches test balloon to prepare for eclipse
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
July 18, 2017
After an intense downpour the morning of the test launch, the dark clouds parted, uncovering a bright blue sky just in time for the Pitt Shadow Bandits to release their research balloon to float up to the top of the earth’s atmosphere. The Pitt Shadow Bandits — a team of Pitt students, faculty and...
Breaking a leg: Pitt med students archive their plays in art exhibit
By Marissa Perino / Staff Writer
July 11, 2017
Nestled deep within Falk Library atop Cardiac Hill sits one of Pitt’s most unknown gems — a small art exhibit comprised of artifacts from past plays performed by Pitt’s medical school. Annually, fourth-year med students perform a pop culture-themed play with a medical twist, called Scope & Sca...
Pets of Pitt: students find furry friends on campus
By Prachi Patel / Staff Writer
July 3, 2017
Winston prowls around a house on Bates Street — meowing, knocking things over with his black-and-white paws and chewing on the mail. For Georgia Vidal, a college student with a limited budget, housing space and time, her cat is a handful. Vidal, a fifth-year senior majoring in media and professional co...
GALLERY: Anthrocon 2017
July 3, 2017
Pittsburgh is the annual host of Anthrocon, the world's largest furry convention. This past weekend, more than 200 vendors and 7,300 attendees took part in the festivities which were held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. ...
Slice of life: Dave Pirozzi’s music makes waves at Pitt
By Jack Mulligan / For The Pitt News
June 28, 2017
While most artists draw inspiration from love and heartbreak, Pitt student and musician Dave Pirozzi finds inspiration in seemingly strange places — video games, cartoons and the changing of seasons. “I really have this weird obsession with fall,” Pirozzi said. “For my future writing with...
Songs over storyline: music fuels Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver”
By Matt Maielli / Contributing Editor
June 27, 2017
After watching Edgar Wright’s new film “Baby Driver,” I have no doubt Wright would be a ton of fun at karaoke night. Wright’s newest film prioritizes its soundtrack — packing a whopping 30 tracks — more than any other feature films to come out in the past few years, aside from James Gunn’...
No sudden sounds: PSO performs sensory-friendly show
By Matt Maielli / Contributing Editor
June 21, 2017
Donning a red and gold Gryffindor tie and a pair of rounded glasses, Conductor Lawrence Loh guides the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra through a song from “Harry Potter” with a wizard’s wand in place of a baton. The “Harry Potter And the Sorcerer’s Stone” theme was just one of the many po...
GALLERY: Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival 2017
By Maria Heines
June 20, 2017
The annual Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival was held downtown from Friday, June 16 to Sunday, June 18 and included more than 140 local musicians. ...
Injustice and Introspection: “Witness” tackles existence in a world of hard truths
By Matt Maielli / Contributing Editor
June 20, 2017
Punk blues rocker Benjamin Booker says that his new album “Witness” asks two questions he thinks every American needs to ask themselves — “Am I going to be a witness?” and, in today’s society, “Is that enough?” The 28-year-old New Orleans singer-songwriter poses these questions at the...
One prolonged party: Lorde’s “Melodrama” masters love and heartbreak
By Amanda Reed / Senior Staff Writer
June 20, 2017
The early 2010s were a beautiful time for pop music. Songstresses like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry kept the genre alive by pumping out award-winning albums with numerous hit singles in thousand-dollar studios with world-renowned producers. Then Lorde’s “Pure Heroine” came along in 2013 and shook t...
Cooking up mystery: Kathleen George reflects on her recent book
By Sarah Morris / For The Pitt News
June 14, 2017
One hundred years after the Johnstown Flood, a fictional 104-year-old survivor feels sure her twin sister is still alive and, once she reveals this long-kept secret to two journalists, their stories begin to impossibly entwine in Kathleen George’s “The Johnstown Girls.” George, a theater arts professor at Pitt, is...
March mayhem: Delta’s Pride draws criticism
By Madeline Barber / Staff Writer
June 6, 2017
Pittsburgh gears up for its annual Pride celebration every June by filling the streets downtown with dozens upon dozens of rainbow flags and banners that promote equality and stand out against the monochromatic buildings and oft-dreary skies. Pride week finishes the weekend of June 11 with PrideFest — a ...
GALLERY: Three Rivers Arts Festival
By The Pitt News Staff
June 4, 2017
The annual Three Rivers Arts Festival is a free 10-day arts festival downtown which features a variety of food and art vendors as well as an eclectic selection of musical performers. ...
Embracing Queer: Pitt’s LGBTQ+ Community
By Madeline Barber / Staff Writer
May 31, 2017
Queer pride is everywhere in Pittsburgh — Bloomfield storefronts sell queer-friendly merchandise, rainbow flags dance in the winds of Lawrenceville homes and banners adorned with local drag performers hang from streetlights Downtown, advertising the upcoming Pittsburgh Pride Festival. The queer co...
What to do this summer: local events
By TPN Staff
May 29, 2017
June 9 through 11: Steel City Comic Con — Special Horror Fan Edition at Monroeville Convention Center 10 and 11: Pridefest in Downtown 11: EQT Equality March in Downtown 16: Urban Garden Party at the Mattress Factory 16 through 18: 4th River Music Collective at OWL Hollow 17: Adventure Hunt P...
GALLERY: Retro Oakland: taking a look at Oakland’s past
By The Pitt News Staff
May 29, 2017
From the Great Fire of 1845 that destroyed all of Pitt’s buildings to the demolition of Forbes Field to the 2017 removal of asbestos in the Hillman Library, Pitt has had a tumultuous past. And as Pitt students, it’s important we know about the university we attend — to know that our school used to...
Staff picks: finding the city’s coolest coffee shops
By TPN Staff
May 29, 2017
Although Oakland’s coffee shop scene is dominated by Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, local and independently-owned coffee shops are only a short walk or bus ride away. Pittsburgh has more than merely chains — the city thrives off of independent and local businesses, including coffeehouses. Editors and wr...
Chucks and chinos: navigating Pitt fashion
By Taylor Pecarchik / For The Pitt News
May 29, 2017
Sitting among a sea of Pitt students at Schenley Plaza wearing all types of clothing — T-shirts, baseball hats, dresses — Emily Steele’s plain romper doesn’t stand out. Her accessory — a pet iguana named Olive — is a different story. College might be the most diverse place you’ve ever experience...
Biking in the ‘Burgh: a guide to bicycling on campus
By Madeline Barber / For The Pitt News
May 29, 2017
Even in the summer, the crosswalk between the William Pitt Union and the Cathedral of Learning is filled with cyclists darting in and out of a sea of pedestrians heading to classes. Groups on campus like the Pitt Bicycle Collective — who announced in February they would develop a bike co-op on campus — offer a number of ways to get you ...
Meet new Pitt Tonight Host Andrew Dow
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
May 29, 2017
New “Pitt Tonight” host Andrew Dow has big shoes to fill — but it shouldn’t be a problem considering he wears a size 13. “Pitt Tonight,” a late-night student talk show taped on Pitt’s campus, is on its third season since its debut in 2015. Jesse Irwin, a senior majoring in political s...
Not adding up: mystery protractors pop up around Pittsburgh
By Sarah Morris For The Pitt News
May 29, 2017
Taking a stroll down a sidewalk on Centre Avenue, you might glance over at a utility box on the corner and if you’re lucky, you might see — attached to it with a generous amount of glue — the kind of protractor from high school geometry class. And this doesn’t only happen in Friendship — these protracto...
Moving on: O’Hara says goodbye to Pitt
By Jack Mulligan / For The Pitt News
May 23, 2017
Pitt said goodbye to a musical fixture in South Oakland as O’Hara ended their set with a cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” to a boisterous crowd the Friday before spring graduation. From their start in a basement on Parkview Ave. to their final show April 28 at Mr. Smalls Theatre, O...
Digital Plaza hosts Pitt musicians
By Matt Maielli / Contributing Editor
May 16, 2017
Bathed in a reddish, pre-sunset glow, the Forbes Digital Plaza attracts a crowd of passers-by investigating the dream pop tunes that can be heard around the corner. It’s an image that feels both distinctly Oakland and refreshing. Recently, local musicians have utilized the plaza for live concerts. The Jazz Im...
Rhythm and rhyme: local poets host underground readings
By Caroline Bourque / Senior Staff Writer
May 9, 2017
Emma Vescio mounted the stage in front of a crowd of nearly 50 people, surrounded by robust white columns, as shoppers quietly wandered the rows of bookshelves off to one side. Backlit by hazy purple light, she began to recite her latest work in a languorous tone, not far off from her regular speaki...
Spring cleaning: [finally] taking the asbestos out of Hillman Library
![Spring cleaning: [finally] taking the asbestos out of Hillman Library](https://pittnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Hillman_SC_1-475x317.jpg)
By Salina Pressimone / Staff Writer
April 24, 2017
When Hillman Library opened in 1968, crates of books waited to be unloaded onto the new shelves — and asbestos lined the building’s infrastructure. Now, renovation will mean some of those same books from 1968 will disappear from the library’s shelves — a process that will also remove the a...
Missing major: making fashion fit
By Emily Brindley and Andrea Spatig / For The Pitt News
April 24, 2017
Senior geology major Tomas Monti spends his free time sketching watch designs and raising funds for his watch company. Monti — co-founder and CEO of BJØRN Watch Company, a startup that will donate 10 percent of all sales to philanthropic organizations of the buyer’s choice — formed his sta...
Making fashion fit: reporter’s notebook
By Emily Brindley and Andrea Spatig / The Pitt News Staff
April 24, 2017
The original story for this reporter's notebook can be found here. Noting a lack of fashion programming at Pitt, we thought this story would be an interesting foray into all the ways student fashionistas flourish regardless. In our reporting, we went to the College of General Studies’ office to ...
Ministry makes room for intersecting identities
By Brandon Marx / For The Pitt News
April 20, 2017
As a closeted gay man in a Presbyterian church north of Pittsburgh, a young Wil Forrest often felt alienated by his congregation’s narrow interpretations of scripture. Sunday sermons preached that there were limits to God’s love — a message that did not line up with his understanding of the Bible....
Playing the streets: Pitt students take music outside of the classroom
By Eric Heckler / For The Pitt News
April 20, 2017
Shane McLaughlin, a 24-year-old recent Pitt graduate, finishes singing his rendition of Bill Wither’s “Ain’t No Sunshine” to a group of strangers in Schenley Plaza on a 75 degree day in April. Strumming an acoustic guitar, his case open in front of him, Mclaughlin gets a smattering of applaus...
Education and incarceration: teaching classes in prisons
By Salina Pressimone / Staff Writer
April 18, 2017
After serving two years in prison, and later being arrested in front of her 4-month-old daughter, Sarah Womack turned to prose and poetry to stage her comeback. “I come from alcohol. Uncle Kenny, glass shaking in his hand — yellow, gray, bloated. / I come from alcohol. I seize and hallucinate ...
Imbibing expectations: alcohol’s effect on behavior
By Prachi Patel / For The Pitt News
April 14, 2017
“Wine makes you a little bit tired. Tequila makes you a little more crazy.” Senior Brock Baranowski is confident in these assertions — a firm believer in the concept that certain drinks encourage certain feelings or actions. Gregg Higgins, a second-year graduate student in the School of Pub...
Tracking trivia: the history of quiz night in Oakland
By Lauren Rosenblatt / Contributing Editor
April 14, 2017
Standing beside a booth sticky from nights of shot pitchers and beer specials, Steve McCalley asked a room full of diners and drinkers if they could differentiate between the names of characters from “Game of Thrones” and players in the National Football League. With Maroon 5 playing in the backg...
Crafting the perfect story: beer writing in Pittsburgh
By Lexi Kennell / Senior Staff Writer
April 14, 2017
In the eyes of Hop Culture co-founder Kenny Gould, craft beer isn’t just an alcoholic beverage — it’s an essential part of Pittsburgh culture. Gould got the idea for Hop Culture — an online craft beer magazine — in the spring of 2016 after realizing there weren’t many people writing about beer for ...
Comic culture finds home in Pittsburgh
By Ellen Kruczek and Justin Voelzke / The Pitt News Staff
April 13, 2017
When Tom Scioli visits Phantom of the Attic Comics on South Craig Street, it looks different than what he remembers 25 years ago. In the ’90s, its walls were lined with superheroes, avant-garde art and daily life comics, while now it focuses on handmade comics by local, niche artists. To some, the illustrations ...
Vegging out with heavy metal vibes
By Taylor Pecarchik / For The Pitt News
April 11, 2017
Sometimes you just can’t choose between listening to heavy metal and finding some vegan-friendly eats — and, at Onion Maiden, you don’t have to. At the new restaurant, named for the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden — best known for the songs “Run to the Hills” and “Hallowed Be Thy...
Records on the rise: vinyl making a comeback among Pitt students
By Emma Maurice / Staff Writer
April 11, 2017
Cassette tapes, eight-tracks and Walkmans may be things of the past, but not vinyl. In the last decade, records have been making a considerable comeback. A large factor to the recent vinyl resurgence? Young adults. Although digital music streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and Tid...
Forgive and forget?: When rappers are accused of sexual assaults, fans’ response matters
By Matt Moret / Contributing Editor
April 6, 2017
A rapper drops his first mixtape and builds a cult following off of a positive Pitchfork review. He steadily expands that fan base, earning critical acclaim along the way. But then, something happens. He gets shot at, he goes to jail or some combination of the two. This story could apply to countless artists ...
CMOA struts stuff with fashion exhibit
By Andrea Spatig / For The Pitt News
April 6, 2017
Artist Iris van Herpen designs dresses that are so geometrically complex, they literally stand on their own — and her work has caught the eye of big name celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Now, van Herpen’s fashion artwork has found a temporary home at the Carnegie Museum of Art. C...
Magician, advocate takes the stage at the Pittsburgh Fringe Festival
By Virginia Homan / For The Pitt News
April 4, 2017
In the back room of a small, almost hidden bar called St. Mary’s Lyceum in the North Side, tech crews scurried around making last minute lighting checks. Laughter and conversation from bar patrons and locals faded as a large door slid into place to separate the billiard room-turned-stage from ...
Substance disappears in “Ghost in the Shell”
By Ian Flanagan / Senior Staff Writer
April 4, 2017
Visually pleasing but ultimately hollow, “Ghost in the Shell” has problems that go beyond the whitewashing. The Ghost in the Shell franchise began with the Japanese manga series in 1989, which then debuted as an anime adaptation in 1995. The new live-action revision piggybacks off the story element...
Beats and bars: CMU Cyphers make rap a lifestyle
By Salina Pressimone / Staff Writer
March 30, 2017
Without pausing or even setting his backpack down, Oliver Liburd walks up the cement steps to his friend’s porch, where a deep bass beat is pulsing. Still in his CMU Engineering T-shirt, Liburd steps into the loose circle of his friend and launches into a freestyle rap, forming the next line in...
Carnegie Museums explore humanity’s impact on earth’s crust
By Prachi Patel and Taylor Pecarchik / For The Pitt News
March 22, 2017
It’s become commonplace to talk about climate change, species endangerment and the impact of humanity on the earth. But that impact has become so large that some geologists are proposing we’ve changed the very rock beneath our feet. To explore this possibility, the Carnegie Museums are pre...
Controlled chaos: exploring Oakland’s house show culture
By Dan Day / For The Pitt News
March 20, 2017
On weekend nights and weekday evenings, musicians across the city set up their instruments and step up to the microphone, flanked by eager crowds of modern groupies and casual fans. But a growing number of students and Oakland residents are skipping concerts at Stage AE and the Petersen Events Ce...
Beyond the city lights: stargazing in Pittsburgh
By Ellen Kruczek / Staff Writer
March 15, 2017
Every new moon, a group gathers to stand outside in the cold, mosquito-ridden fields of Deer Lakes Park in Frazer and West Deer townships — a 32-minute drive from the Cathedral of Learning. They’re not a secret society or dedicated “Cinema in the Park” enthusiasts. They’re there to look at the s...
Big city, tiny art: Harish Saluja tracks dreams on index cards
By David Robinson / Staff Writer
March 13, 2017
In the haziness of morning, before his mind clears for the day, 70-year-old Harish Saluja draws what he can remember of his dreams on a three-by-five-inch index card. Saluja has been doodling for decades, using an assortment of about 100 markers to record his abstract musings — circular blobs overl...
Cats and coffee: Pittsburgh joins growing trend
By Noah Coco / Staff Writer
March 2, 2017
When Amy Leone and her daughter, of South Fayette Township, sat down Saturday morning to sip coffee and eat a fresh chocolate chip cookie, they were waiting for something more than the typical Starbucks experience. Leone and her daughter were eagerly anticipating their 11 a.m. reservation to lounge with ...
Q&A: Tommy Emmanuel on music and memories
By Emily Brindley / Culture Editor
March 2, 2017
Tommy Emmanuel picked up his first guitar at four years old — and has spent the rest of his life with a guitar in hand. Emmanuel, a 61-year-old Australian guitarist, has played on stages around the world, from Poland to Italy to Russia. As part of his U.S. tour, Emmanuel played at the Byham Thea...
OBITUARY: Remembering John Goldsmith
By Caroline Bourque / Staff Writer
February 28, 2017
On a cold Sunday afternoon at the end of January, about 50 people gathered outside the home of John Goldsmith, retired director of the Heinz Chapel Choir, to serenade him one last time. Even in his last few days, Goldsmith could make his choir laugh. “[Goldsmith] was singing along and then he ...
Instead of social commentary, Kimmel sticks to tired jokes
By Ian Flanagan / Senior Staff Writer
February 28, 2017
At the 2017 Academy Awards Sunday night, host Jimmy Kimmel used the Oscars stage to take digs at President Donald Trump — and occasionally to talk about this year’s nominees. During the show, Kimmel — in his first gig at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles — spent the majority of his time wr...
Finals and folk music: Pitt professors jam out
By Caroline Bourque / Staff Writer
February 23, 2017
The acoustic sound of Patsy Cline’s slow-burner ballad, “She’s Got You,” filtered back from the stage to the brick walls of Biddle’s Escape in Wilkinsburg. An older couple slow danced in the only open space in the packed coffeehouse, while the rest of the 50-person audience cradled steaming...
From Pitt to Hollywood: Eugene Garcia-Cross
By Kelechi Urama / Staff Writer
February 21, 2017
Eugene Garcia-Cross was one of us just over a decade ago: holed up in the Cathedral of Learning and studying for exams. “The Cathedral was the center of my universe,” said the Pitt alum, who graduated in 1999 with a degree in history and English, and completed his MFA in creative writing in 2...
Pitt a cappella group snags second place at quarterfinals competition
By Emily Brindley / Culture Editor
February 21, 2017
Pitt’s all-male a capella group, Pittch Please, took the stage over the weekend with song choices as wide-ranging as their vocals. At a quarterfinal competition for Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, Pittch Please sang Andy Grammer’s peppy “Good to be Alive” and Jam...
Spelling bee play takes students back to middle school
By Matt Maielli / Senior Staff Writer
February 15, 2017
You don’t need to know how to spell “dramaturgy” to see the theatre department’s newest play — but it would probably help. While some of the vocabulary may require a college reading level, the actors in Pitt Stages’ current production ask viewers to think back to a time when even the m...