PITTSBURGH, Jan. 19, 2015 – The Pittsburgh Foundation has commissioned nine local poets to create new works for “Psalms for Mother Emanuel: an Elegy from Pittsburgh to Charleston,” a chapbook reflecting on racial issues and last year’s shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. Serving as co-contributing editors of the project, poets Tameka Cage-Conley and Yona Harvey said in an announcement that they hope the poems will “spur a collective reflection on the meaning of the nine lives extinguished in Charleston and the persistence of racial animus in our national life.”
Other commissioned poets include Cameron Barnett, Vanessa German, Terrance Hayes, Sheila Carter-Jones, Kelli Stevens Kane, Joy KMT and Alexis Payne.
Read more…
“We’re looking to create a public space for dialogue and greater understanding of racial issues,” said Germaine Williams, the Foundation’s senior program officer for Arts and Culture. “‘Psalms for Mother Emanuel’ features a collection of powerful voices to spark a discussion about the impact of racial violence both locally and nationally.”
Speaking in the wake of the violence in Charleston, President Obama warned against the “comfortable silence” that often follows difficult tragedies. “Once the eulogies have been delivered, once the TV cameras move on, to go back to business as usual,” he said, “[is]what we so often do to avoid uncomfortable truths about the prejudice that still infects our society.”
Project directors will publish a chapbook of the commissioned poets’ work and hold a June 17 memorial event acknowledging the one-year anniversary of the shootings. The public is invited to follow the project, read poet biographies, and to submit their own poems reflecting on race at psalmsformotheremanuel.tumblr.com.
About the 2015 Charleston church massacre:
On the evening of June 17, 2015, members of the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. welcomed a 21-year-old, self-professed white supremacist, into their midst during a Bible study. The attack resulted in the killing of nine congregation members. The Pittsburgh Foundation’s “Psalms for Mother Emanuel: an Elegy from Pittsburgh to Charleston” initiative was created to memorialize the victims so that their names, legacies and power will continue to live on.
About The Pittsburgh Foundation:
Established in 1945, The Pittsburgh Foundation is one of the nation’s oldest community foundations and is the 13th largest of more than 750 community foundations across the United States. As a community foundation, its resources comprise endowment funds established by individuals, businesses and organizations with a passion for charitable giving and a deep commitment to the Pittsburgh community. The Foundation currently has more than 2,000 individual donor funds and, together with its supporting organizations, assets of more than $1.14 billion. Grantmaking benefits a broad spectrum of community life within Pittsburgh and beyond. Learn more at www.pittsburghfoundation.org.
"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
