Fred Shaw reviews Lori Jakiela’s new memoir, Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe:
“By portraying her family and friends as complicated individuals, not clichés, Jakiela allows the reader to see their humanity, warts and all. She writes of well-intentioned parents’ wariness toward a girl’s education by saying, ‘it was better to be caught with a cigarette than a book. It was better for our mothers to catch us getting fingered by a boy than catch us on the couch reading. Reading was uppity… My mother called it lazy.’ Jakiela’s candor highlights the dichotomy of her difficult, yet loving relationship with her adoptive mother. It also speaks volumes about outdated attitudes towards women’s roles.”
Lori Jakiela’s latest memoir explores adoption and family http://t.co/2k3hjseDLU
— lorijakiela (@lorijakiela) August 5, 2015
Founded by three publishing professionals in 2015, Littsburgh showcases Pittsburgh as a hub of literary talent and activity while serving as a resource to foster further collaboration and connection within Pittsburgh’s vibrant literary community.
Littsburgh is a passion project and has been since inception.
Because we’re self-powered, we’ve been able to continue promoting literary Pittsburgh without having to compromise our vision or our mission — and without having to close up shop because of lack of funding. Our goal is for Littsburgh to be here for the long haul… and we’re only getting bigger and better every year!
As our audience has grown, however, so have our operating costs: hosting is increasingly expensive, spreading the word about literary Pittsburgh to our readers via social media channels requires paid “boosts,” and we’re investing literally hundreds of volunteer hours into the site every year.
With a small donation, one time or (even better!) recurring, you can help ensure that Littsburgh continues to grow and thrive.
Help us spread the word about literary Pittsburgh!
"Have you bookmarked your calendars? The Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books returns on May 31, 2025! Join us for a Read more
Pittsburgh has been known as a Steel Town, a Sports Town, and an Eds & Meds Town; we believe it's Read more
Join us for a special evening with Emily Wilson, acclaimed translator of The Iliad and The Odyssey, hosted by the International Poetry Forum at Carnegie Read more
Most importantly: Where are you located, what are your hours, and do you have a particular focus in terms of the Read more
This just in from our friends at WCoNA: "To provide additional preparation time, we’ve extended the deadline to submit a Read more
One of our favorite local authors, Joshua David Bellin (author, most recently, of MYRIAD) just let us know that he's Read more
From City Books’ website: "About the Residency The City Books Writer’s Residency offers flexible access to a comfortable, creative space within Read more
Altoona, PA—The WCoNA Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia® (here and after WCoNA) is pleased to announce a call for nominations Read more
From Parsec (Pittsburgh's premier Science Fiction & Fantasy Organization): "The theme of Parsec Ink’s 2025 Triangulation anthology is Dark Hearts. Read more
From Prime Stage Theatre: According to Shakepeare’s melancholy prince Hamlet, “The play is the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience Read more
Littsburgh has always been a “nights and weekends” passion project, ever since we started the site back in 2015. We Read more
New York Times-bestselling author Patrick Radden Keefe will be featured at The Peters Township Library Foundation’s seventh annual Novel November Read more
"Founded in 2007 and sponsored by Madwomen in the Attic, the Patricia Dobler Poetry Award was created to honor the Read more
From the Publisher: "An eyewitness to a murder calls the Pittsburgh police from one of the city’s 446 bridges, then Read more
In case you missed the latest email from White Whale, they're currently hiring ("which we really don’t do very often!"). Read more
This just in from our friends at Write Pittsburgh: "We are now accepting applications for our teen writing programs, Rule Read more
From the Publisher: “Bye, Ocean! We love you!” the little girl sang along, a big smile on her face, because Read more
From our friends at Pennwriters, Inc: What Makes A Writer's Road Trip Mini Conference Unique? • We offer industry experts, Read more
Announcing the Bridge LIT Fest— August 10–Venango Campus in Oil City, PA "Join us for a day of writing and Read more
"Join Peters Township Public Library on Saturday, September 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for this local author showcase. Read more