Voices of History: Pittsburgh communities share untold stories of resilience and family
PA Humanities’ statewide Voices of History story gathering project, created to help celebrate the organization’s 50th anniversary, is underway. In partnership with the August Wilson House, PA Humanities invited people from three Pittsburgh neighborhoods to participate in traditional story circles this summer and share a story of family that centered around a particular object or memory.
Pittsburgh teens infuse neighborhood sidewalks with cryptid-inspired haiku
Cryptids exist in folklore and legends across cultures worldwide, and this spring the teenagers at Pittsburgh’s YMCA Lighthouse program created their own cryptids – creatures such as Bigfoot or the Jersey Devil, that are rumored but never proven to exist – to “roam” the streets of their Homewood neighborhood. They furthered their exploration and creation of the creatures and their role in the community by writing haiku poetry about them in partnership with PA Humanities and the Rain Poetry project.
Students celebrate their words coming to life at Rain Poetry reveal in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood
Fish bolting through the sky. Dogs plunging into dry water. Friends, ramen noodles and lemons.
The Rain Poetry project asks young people to express themselves creatively through haiku, and the students at Assemble in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood embraced the opportunity.
Isabel Wilkerson helps launch Voices of History project in Pittsburgh
From the moment Isabel Wilkerson stepped to the lectern at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh, she held the sold-out audience in rapt attention.
Tackling bias and talking belonging to better serve youth with PA Humanities, Project Ready
As libraries continue to find themselves on the front lines of political debates throughout the country, some Pennsylvania librarians and youth leaders are intensifying their efforts to create equitable, inclusive and welcoming spaces of belonging for young people.
Northview Heights teens share stories of their neighborhood through Rain Poetry haiku
It’s raining poetry in Pittsburgh this spring! PA Humanities’ innovative hands-on literacy and community engagement project is underway at sites including Northview Heights, where teens swapped phones for pen and paper to reclaim the narrative of their community.