Articles Archive - Pittsburgh Quarterly

I have always loved the fact that, as a young man, James Joyce was so enamored of Henrik Ibsen that he learned Dano-Norwegian to read the playwright in his native language. And Joyce’s self-proclaimed first mature work, a play ironically called “A Brilliant Career,” was the story of a doctor battling the pestilence infecting a …

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Opinion

No News is Bad News

by Douglas Heuck

Within a day of the Jan. 7 news that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will close on May 3, I began receiving emails suggesting I create a group to save the paper or start a replacement. Why? Because I worked at The Pittsburgh Press and Post-Gazette for 20 years as an investigative reporter and business editor, and …

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People Profiles

A Hero in Pittsburgh

by Scott Holleran

Assassinations abound. in July 2025, a gunman shot President Donald Trump on fairgrounds near Butler. The nation’s biggest health plan’s CEO was killed in New York City. An arsonist targeted Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family. Islamic terrorists vowed to assassinate America’s top pop star, Taylor Swift, causing her to cancel a concert. And …

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People Profiles

20 Years of Interviews, Pt. VI

by PQ Staff

Editor’s note: The Pittsburgh Quarterly team has interviewed many of the most interesting and noteworthy people in our “city-state of Pittsburgh” as my old editor and friend John Craig used to call this area. The number of interviews that have appeared in this magazine reaches well into the hundreds (writer Jeff Sewald alone has interviewed …

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American Spirit

The Tools Left Behind

by Jeff Dooley

Frozen forever in their black-and-white time, the two men gaze at me from separate photos atop a dresser. In one, my late paternal grandfather, Ray, “RC,” squats in the bright Florida sunshine while holding a tray of fish. A caption written on the photo’s border is in my grandmother’s (his wife Catherine’s) neat cursive: Snapper …

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People Profiles

20 Years of Interviews, Pt. V

by PQ Staff

20 Years of Interviews, Pt. V Read More »

Profiles

20 Years of Interviews, Pt. IV

by PQ Staff

20 Years of Interviews, Pt. IV Read More »

History Sports

Heavyweight Champion John L. Sullivan’s Wild Bouts in McKeesport and Allegheny City

by Clayton Trutor

“The air of Pittsburgh has been thicker today than at any time since the discovery and general use of natural gas,” intoned an unnamed editorialist for the Pittsburgh Post on September 19, 1886. “But not as in the old time with smoke however but with pugilism.” On the previous evening, heavyweight boxing champion John L. …

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Nature

Purslane

by Daryln Brewer Hoffstot

Henry David Thoreau gathered purslane in a cornfield. He boiled and salted it and called it “a satisfactory dinner.” When writing about the plant in Walden, he made sure to include its Latin name — Portulaca oleracea — “on account of the savoriness of the trivial name.” By trivial name, I assume he’s referring to …

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People Profiles

20 Years of Interviews, Pt. III

by PQ Staff

20 Years of Interviews, Pt. III Read More »

Nature

Mystery and Reverie

by Christina Schmidlapp

“Do not (repeat: DO NOT) attempt to cross the creek during periods of high water. This is a significant waterway and the current can be very strong.” So said the Guide to the Quehanna Trail tucked in my backpack. But exactly how high was “high water”? Yes, it was spring, but it hadn’t rained for …

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People Profiles

20 Years of Interviews, Pt. II

by PQ Staff

Editor’s note: Since late 2005, we have interviewed many of the most interesting and noteworthy people in our “city-state of Pittsburgh” as my old editor and friend John Craig used to call this area. The number of interviews that have appeared in this magazine reaches well into the hundreds (writer Jeff Sewald alone has interviewed …

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Nature

A Wintry Forest Trail Walk in Lawrence County

by Thomas Saunders

About an hour’s drive north of Pittsburgh in Lawrence County, Plain Grove Fens Natural Area is a wonderful place to visit. It’s just a few miles from the Slippery Rock exit off I-79, and once you’re there, you’re greeted with a 400-acre preserve featuring a hiking trail, hardwood forest, vernal pools and woodland stream. The …

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People Profiles

20 Years of Interviews

by PQ Staff

20 Years of Interviews Read More »

Sports

I Almost Missed the Greatest Play in NFL History

by Richard “Pete” Peterson

Each Christmas reminds me of the near miss I had with the most dramatic moment in NFL history. In 1969, my wife Anita and I and our kids had moved to Carbondale, Illinois where I took a teaching position in the English Department at Southern Illinois University. With our families still living in the Pittsburgh …

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Between Fear and Freedom

by Subash Ghimire

“Anish! Anish! Oi, Anish! Wake up!” Phurba Dai, our sardar—the expedition leader—shouted in his deep, commanding voice. “It’s already late! Haven’t you woken up yet?” Anish, our cook, was supposed to rise early to prepare hot tea and porridge and wake the rest of the team. But there he was, still fast asleep, curled up …

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History Sports

Steelers Cheerleaders?

by Bob Fulton

Dedicated students of Steelers history are likely aware that Pittsburgh was the first NFL team to feature cheerleaders. The Steelerettes, composed of co-eds from what was then Robert Morris Junior College, were active from 1961 to 1969. But mention the Ingots — the Steelerettes’ male counterparts — to any Pittsburgh fan and the response is …

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Opinion

20 Years of Pittsburgh Quarterly

by Douglas Heuck

In 2005, I left my job as business editor at the Post-Gazette to start this magazine. After 20 years at the Pittsburgh Press and PG, I could see the newspaper industry’s future. It was time for a change. I considered moving to another city — a growing city — and visited several. I thought of …

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Opinion Pittsburgh Tomorrow

Pittsburgh Tomorrow

by Douglas Heuck

With Pittsburgh Tomorrow turning two years old, a citizen might ask: What is it and what is it doing? I publish this magazine, and I also started Pittsburgh Tomorrow, working with a great team to improve this region’s future. Pittsburgh Tomorrow is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) non-profit funded by Pittsburgh citizens — wealthy people and working …

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Food & Wine

Create Happiness in Your Holiday Shopping

by Barbara Eichenlaub

As holiday shoppers buy candy, coffee, baked goods or ice cream this year, they’ll be able to purchase with purpose, working with stores and staffs with special needs. Just 34 percent of working-age adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are employed, compared with 83 percent in the overall population. While larger stores such as …

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Food & Wine Travel

Flour, Fire, and Friendship: The Heart of Bread Furst Bakery

by Scott Goldsmith

A swirl of flour dust hangs in the air, caught in golden morning light as an artisan baker shapes a baguette. Through the expansive windows of Bread Furst, Washington, D.C.’s beloved neighborhood bakery, passersby pause, mesmerized by the rhythmic ballet of bread making. This is no ordinary bakery. It is the realization of a dream …

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Home & Lifestyle Homes

A View for All Seasons

by Marylynn Uricchio

Pittsburgh is known for many things, but a wealth of contemporary residential architecture is not one of them. That’s especially true in the city’s older neighborhoods, where houses were built to last and still do. Such sturdy stock makes it difficult to find something modern, though one empty-nester couple wasn’t specifically looking for modern. “We …

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