Articles Archive - Pittsburgh Quarterly

In 1918–19 in Zurich, Switzerland, English painter Frank Budgen found himself often drinking wine while enjoying long talks about writing with James Joyce, author of the controversial novel Ulysses. It was during one of those discussions that the self-exiled Irish writer shared his vision on getting the detailed setting of that masterpiece right: “I want …

Glasco’s Biography Examines August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Origins and Voice Read More »

Creative Capital Money Opinion

What’s Ahead In The Second Half for Markets?

by PQ Staff

Editor’s note: We asked a group of leading Pittsburgh-area wealth managers to give their answers to this question: “So far, 2026 has been treacherous for investors. What do you expect for the second half and where do you see opportunity?” DAMIAN MCINTYRE, FEDERATED HERMES Investor outlook in 2026 has been shaken repeatedly by conflicts and …

What’s Ahead In The Second Half for Markets? Read More »

American Spirit Opinion

What Does America Mean to Me?

by PQ Staff

On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we asked a group of leading Pittsburghers to consider and answer that question. We thank them for giving their thoughts on this important occasion. MARK WIEDMAN, PRESIDENT, PNC America represents the promise that where you start doesn’t have to define where …

What Does America Mean to Me? Read More »

Arts Culture

Steel Valley Visions: An American Legacy

by Erica Nuckles & Silvia Filippini-Fantoni

Throughout western Pennsylvania’s big steel era, artists captured a compelling visual record of the industry’s rise and fall: grit and glory, power and peril, beauty and brutality. At its height, the region’s three rivers reflected the brightness of fire and molten metal, and thick smoke filled the air. This was a place where muscle met …

Steel Valley Visions: An American Legacy Read More »

History Regional News

The Future of Pittsburgh History

by Andy Masich

As the nation marks its 250th anniversary this year, the importance of understanding our shared past has never been clearer. Here in Pittsburgh, that moment of reflection is taking shape in a tangible way, as the Senator John Heinz History Center is set to embark on a major expansion that reflects the organization’s remarkable evolution …

The Future of Pittsburgh History Read More »

Arts

Kinetic’s “Henry Johnson” Asks Visceral Questions With No Easy Answers

by Stuart Sheppard

If you remember the scene in David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” when Al Pacino’s character bamboozles some poor sap in a bar with a stream of grandiloquent bullshit, and sells him on a worthless real estate investment, then you have a good idea what his new play (presented by Kinetic Theatre, in only its third …

Kinetic’s “Henry Johnson” Asks Visceral Questions With No Easy Answers Read More »

Nature

Restoring Nature on Historic Grounds

by Thomas Saunders

Just outside the city of Jeannette, in Westmoreland County, about a 45-minute drive east of Pittsburgh, is a new preserve of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy called Oakford Park Nature Reserve. Oakford Park was historically a “trolley park,” where people could enjoy picnicking, swimming and amusement park attractions. It opened in 1896 and operated until 1938, …

Restoring Nature on Historic Grounds Read More »

Opinion Travel

A Crowning Achievement

by Betsy Deiseroth

It’s hard to escape Pittsburgh. Everywhere I go it’s always there, in one way or another. The Statue of Liberty is no exception. At the behest of my 7-year-old grandson, Henry, we booked a visit to climb to her crown. Since the bookings must be made six months in advance, due to her popularity, and …

A Crowning Achievement Read More »

American Spirit History

Pittsburgh’s Story Is America’s Story

by Beth Marcello

Flag Sojourn: America 250 Will Commemorate Western Pennsylvania’s Role in the American Revolution, Industrial Revolution and Technology Revolution, Marking the Nation’s 250th Birthday Here’s a bold statement to ponder as Americans prepare to celebrate the 250th birthday of the country’s declaration of independence from the British on July 4, 2026: Without Pittsburgh, maybe there’s no …

Pittsburgh’s Story Is America’s Story Read More »

PQ Poem

Creekside

by Rikki Santer

Creekside Your sadness is not mine to possess but yesterday afternoon you agreed to walk with me into our nearby metro park. In the sunshine we were fellow adventurers in awe of conventions of gray-headed coneflowers and bees dancing over pink billy buttons. Our back and forth talk mostly light and warm but then twice …

Creekside Read More »

Sports

That Damn Crazy Pitch: Rip Sewell and the 1946 All-Star Game

by Richard “Pete” Peterson

Just before the beginning of the 1946 All-Star game, played 80 years ago in Boston’s Fenway Park, Ted Williams approached Pirates pitcher Rip Sewell and said, “Hey Rip, you wouldn’t throw that damn crazy pitch in a game like this, would you?” Sewell responded, “I’m gonna throw it to you, Ted, so look out.” That …

That Damn Crazy Pitch: Rip Sewell and the 1946 All-Star Game Read More »

History Travel

Where It All Began

by Barbara Eichenlaub

What better place to celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary than Philadelphia? And, just as Pittsburgh beautified for the NFL Draft, our eastern neighbor did the same to prepare for its influx of visitors. Given all the sites and activities surrounding our country’s founding, weekends are sure to be busy, so consider a midweek visit, including …

Where It All Began Read More »

American Spirit Culture

Steel City Sparks

by Samuel Peters

Every July Fourth, as the last light fades behind the hills that cup this city on three sides, something old and immigrant-born rises above the rivers. The barges are already in position a mile below the Point, loaded and wired and waiting. At 9:35 p.m., the first shell breaks open above the Ohio, and for …

Steel City Sparks Read More »

Sports Sports & Outdoors

“Hey, Kraut Head: I’m Comin'”

by Richard “Pete” Peterson

In a 1944 interview with Chet Smith, the long-time sports editor of The Pittsburgh Press, Honus Wagner was asked to name his greatest day in baseball. Wagner went back to the final game of the 1909 World Series between the Pirates and the Detroit Tigers and the moment that Ty Cobb, leading off first base, …

“Hey, Kraut Head: I’m Comin'” Read More »

Arts

Barebones Says No to Nothing in “Our Dear Drug Lord”

by Stuart Sheppard

I once asked Barebones artistic director Patrick Jordan about something risky he did in a play, and he responded, without hesitation, “I’ll say no to nothing.” This ethos is certainly the basis for the company’s new production, “Our Dear Drug Lord,” (2019) in which four high school girls try to conjure the ghost of the …

Barebones Says No to Nothing in “Our Dear Drug Lord” Read More »

Birds

The Striking Hooded Warbler

by David Liebmann

A chorus begins at the cusp of dawn. Song builds around us, sunrise revealing birds competing for breeding territories or vying over mates. Step out into the garden, and you’ll hear them by the pond or just beyond the exedra wall. Walk in the woods, and you’ll find them there, too. While the season may …

The Striking Hooded Warbler Read More »

Nature

The Springhouse

by Daryln Brewer Hoffstot

I love outbuildings: springhouses, woodsheds, barns, cottages, tractor sheds. I’d have more if I could — a tool shed, a sugar house, a summer kitchen, a cider house. We have a small wooden building we call a goat shed because once we housed goats there. When the children were young, I wanted to convert a …

The Springhouse Read More »

Opinion

The State of Pittsburgh

by Douglas Heuck

In the Summer of 2023 issue, I wrote a column entitled “Wake Up! It’s Time to Save Downtown Pittsburgh.” At the time, people were justifiably hesitant to come Downtown. Now, three years later, as anyone who attended the NFL Draft will attest, Downtown’s transformation is sensational. The Draft brought excitement and vitality to our city …

The State of Pittsburgh Read More »

Home & Lifestyle Homes

A Long Distance Romance

by Marylynn Uricchio

It’s somewhat unusual to buy a house without ever seeing it, as christy redican and her husband, cardiologist Fran Redican, did when they purchased their historic home in Fox Chapel 16 years ago. They were moving to Pittsburgh for his new position at Allegheny General Hospital and shopping long-distance from New Hampshire. “We were used …

A Long Distance Romance Read More »

Books

Miller Pens Excellent Biography of Baseball’s Diminutive Giant: Manager Earl Weaver

by Fred Shaw

Though he couldn’t keep his job after the Pittsburgh Pirates spun their wheels to begin the 2025 season, former skipper Derek Shelton could recognize the baseball man who best embodied the qualities needed for success: the legendary Earl Weaver. In his best-selling biography of the Baltimore Orioles’ Hall of Famer, The Last Manager: How Earl …

Miller Pens Excellent Biography of Baseball’s Diminutive Giant: Manager Earl Weaver Read More »

Books

Nostalgic and Piercing, Bardenwerper Examines the Charm and Decline of Small Town Baseball

by Fred Shaw

At first glance, Sewickley resident Will Bardenwerper’s Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America sounds like the kind of book that promises more than it can deliver. Instead, it’s a thorough examination of the state of minor league baseball through the lens of 21st century America (and often vice versa). …

Nostalgic and Piercing, Bardenwerper Examines the Charm and Decline of Small Town Baseball Read More »

Profiles

Remembering Jacqueline Morby & Arnold Zegarelli

by PQ Staff

Earlier this month, two prominent Pittsburghers passed away, Jacqueline Morby and Arnold Zegarelli. Morby was a very successful private equity investor, who, along with her late husband Jeff, founded and funded the Cure Alzheimers Fund. You can read Jeff Sewald’s excellent interview with her about her life here — Jacqueline C. Morby, Businesswoman & …

Remembering Jacqueline Morby & Arnold Zegarelli Read More »