Happy birthday to Judy Blume, born on this date in 1938 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Well-known for her works of fiction for kids and young adults, Blume tackled topics that were often viewed as controversial. Judy Blume graduated from New York University in 1961 with a degree in education and later took a writing course […]
“Winter is not a season, it’s a celebration.” – Anamika Mishra
Today marks the winter solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The winter solstice was viewed by some ancient cultures as a time of death and rebirth, the beginning of the solar year, and the rebirth of the Sun. While we no longer worry about the return of the sun, many […]
December is Universal Human Rights Month
In December, we celebrate Universal Human Rights Month, a time to honor the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One of the first objectives of the United Nations was to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’ and ‘to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights.’ The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was the […]
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off last week. It is ongoing in Russia, and started on June 14th, and will end with the final match on July 15th, 2018. The final tournament will involve 32 national teams including the 2014 FIFA World Cup Champion, Germany. After four years of waiting, soccer fans won’t want to miss a single minute of this riveting […]
Happy Birthday, August Wilson!
This week, we’re observing the birthday of August Wilson, born on April 27,1945. Born in Pittsburgh’s Hill District as Frederick August Kittel, Jr., he changed his name to August Wilson in 1965 to honor his mother. Wilson attended various schools, but bigotry led him to drop out and pursue an independent education at the Carnegie […]
Be a Detective from Your Own Home
For the last few years, interest in true crime stories has been growing. From television series like the Netflix hits Making a Murderer and Mindhunter to an ever-growing selection of podcasts to a dizzying variety of true crime books, one thing is certain: we can’t seem to get enough. But why, exactly? When you read […]
March is National Women’s History Month
March is National Women’s History Month, a month to celebrate women’s contributions to culture, history, and society. National Women’s History Month has its roots in International Women’s Day, which began in 1911. Over one million women and men attended rallies in Germany, Austria, Denmark, and Switzerland and called for women’s rights to work, vote, and […]
Picture Books for a Cold Winter’s Night
Winter is almost here and there’s no better time to cuddle with your child and read together. Picture books are perfect for this because you can linger over the illustrations and talk with your child about the story. Not only does this provide a wonderful opportunity for bonding, reading together also improves children’s literacy skills. […]
Picklesburgh: It’s Kind of a Big Dill!
It’s almost time for Picklesburgh! What’s Picklesburgh, you ask? It’s a two-day celebration of all things pickled! Take a trip downtown, visit the Roberto Clemente Bridge on Friday, July 28th and Saturday, July 29th from noon to 10 p.m. and join the fun! What will you find when you get there? A variety of dill-icious […]
Body Positive Books to Boost Your Self-Image
It’s that time of year when magazine covers galore promote “How to Get Beach Body Ready” or “Rock that Bikini in Two Weeks.” In response to headlines like these, and a societal pressure to meet certain standards of beauty, the Body Positive Movement has taken the world by storm. The goal of the movement is […]