Contact:
Rebecca Hansborough
hansborough@trustarts.org
412-456-7021
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Announces Second Annual
Bookish in the 'Burgh - Pittsburgh's Teen Book Festival
Sponsored by Riverstone Books
March 27 - 28, 2020 | Pittsburgh’s Cultural District | TrustArts.org/Bookish
Bookish in the ‘Burgh Author Headshots and Assets
Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is excited to announce the return of Pittsburgh’s first free Festival dedicated to teen literature. The 2020 two-day Festival is presented by Riverstone Books and will take place throughout the Cultural District on March 27 and 28, 2020. Tickets for March 27, 2020, which will be the first Bookish in the ‘Burgh Educator and Adult Advocate Day, are on sale now at TrustArts.org/Bookish. Registration for the Teen Day on March 28, 2020 is free and will open in January of 2020.
Following the success of the Festival in 2019, the return of Bookish in the ‘Burgh features appearances from more than 30 award-winning and New York Times best-selling authors of teen literature. The heart of the Festival is the free Teen Day on March 28. During the Teen Day, attendees can enjoy panel sessions themed around topics common in teen literature and of interest to teen readers, including LGBTQIA+ representation, the importance of books with main characters who are people of color, paths to publication in the literature industry, trauma and mental health in teen literature, fantasy worldbuilding, family dynamics, and so much more. Other programming highlights of the Teen Day include free writing workshops for young people, a pop-up bookstore from the Festival’s presenting sponsor Riverstone Books, and free hands-on activities for teens led by community organizations throughout the day. Teen Day culminates inan Author Signing Party, where fans of teen literature can meet the 30+ featured authors and get their books signed.
“The Teen Day is planned in large part with the help of the Festival’s Teen Ambassadors,” says Kelsey Ford, creator and director of Bookish in the ‘Burgh and Senior Programming Manager for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “More than 20 selected teens from around the region help plan all the different elements of the Festival to ensure that the event is truly staying relevant to the interests of teenagers.”
The 2020 Festival also features the first Bookish in the ‘Burgh Educator and Adult Advocate Day on March 27. Educator and Adult Advocate Day offers professional development workshops and other resources designed for educators, librarians, adult writers of teen literature, teaching artists, teen mentors, book club leaders, and all other adults who are advocates of teen literature. Attendees can also meet and hear from the featured Bookish in the ‘Burgh authors and attend break-out sessions led by teaching artists, educators, and community leaders. Act 48 credits available. Examples of sessions include Mindfully Moving Beyond the Page, ACT-ivating the Page: Theatre of the Oppressed as a Tool for Embodied Learning, Race, Reading, and Youth with Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Paths to Publication with Bookish Authors and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators from Pennsylvania-West, LGBTQIA+ Representation in Teen Books – Serving All Teens, and more. Full day admission for Educator Day is $40, which supports keeping the Teen Day free.
2020 Bookish in the ‘Burgh features more than 30 authors of teen literature, many of whom are New York Times bestselling and acclaimed, award-winning authors. Authors include Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns series, Anna Dressed in Blood), Roshani Chokshi (The Star-Touched Queen, The Gilded Wolves), Brittany Cavallaro (A Study in Charlotte, A Question of Holmes), Emery Lord (The Names They Gave Us, When We Collided), Mark Oshiro (Anger is a Gift), Adrienne Young (Sky in the Deep, The Girl the Sea Gave Back), and a number of Pittsburgh authors including Kit Frick (See All the Stars, All Eyes on Us), and New York Times bestselling authors S.Jae-Jones (Wintersong series), Rachael Lippincott (Five Feet Apart), Siobhan Vivian (Stay Sweet, The List), and many more. See full list of author bios here.
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The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts. TrustArts.org | @CulturalTrust on Facebook · Instagram · Twitter
Opened in the fall of 2017 and located in McCandless Crossing, Riverstone Bookstore features a well-curated selection of literary and popular fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books. In addition, we offer a variety of gift items, greeting cards, and children’s puzzles, educational games, and literary stuffed animals. Our experienced booksellers are voracious readers who love to match readers to books they will love. We pride ourselves on exceptional customer service and if we do not have the book you are looking for, we will be happy to order a copy for you.