Alan Moore working on short stories, 5-volume fantasy series
NEW YORK — Alan Moore has many, many stories still to tell. The celebrated British author known for “V for Vendetta” and “Watchmen” among other works has a deal with Bloomsbury for the story collection “Illuminations” and a five-volume fantasy series, “Long London.” In a statement Monday, Moore said he...
Wilkinsburg author Deesha Philyaw wins PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
Wilkinsburg author Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” continues to rack up awards. On Tuesday, her book was announced as the winner of the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, which honors the best published works of fiction by American permanent residents in a calendar...
Books by Gino, Steinbeck among most objected to in 2020
NEW YORK — The closing of physical libraries because of the pandemic has slowed but not stopped patrons and others from calling for books to be banned or restricted. On Monday, the American Library Association reported more than 270 challenges to books in 2020, from Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”...
Hunter Biden says he wouldn’t repeat work for Ukrainian firm
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter says his service on the board of a Ukrainian gas company, which Republicans tried to turn into a negative during the 2020 presidential campaign, wasn’t unethical and didn’t represent a lack of judgment on his part. But the younger Biden wouldn’t do it...
‘Captain Underpants’ book pulled for ‘passive racism’
A graphic novel for children from the wildly popular “Captain Underpants” series is being pulled from library and book store shelves after its publisher said it “perpetuates passive racism.” The book under scrutiny is 2010’s “The Adventures of Ook and Gluk” by Dav Pilkey, who has apologized, saying it “contains...
Beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary dies at 104
NEW YORK — Beverly Cleary, the celebrated children’s author whose memories of her Oregon childhood were shared with millions through the likes of Ramona and Beezus Quimby and Henry Huggins, has died. She was 104. Cleary’s publisher HarperCollins announced Friday that the author died Thursday in Carmel Valley, California, where...
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry dies at 84
DALLAS — Larry McMurtry, the prolific and popular author who took readers back to the old American West in his Pulitzer Prize-winning “Lonesome Dove” and returned them to modern-day landscapes in works such as his emotional tale of a mother-daughter relationship in “Terms of Endearment,” has died. He was 84....
Former TV reporter Kelly Brennan Culver pens story of her daughter’s rare disease, treatmentVideo
As Kelly Brennan Culver and Kevin Culver pull into the parking garage, they hear crying. Their daughter Caroline tears up in the back seat. The 3-year-old knows what day it is — treatment Friday. Every four weeks, she and her parents make the trip from their McCandless home to UPMC...
Pitt program provides books for children to promote social justice, inclusion
The University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Child Development has taken up the cause of social justice and trying to end the cycle of systematic racism through books. The office works with child care providers in the region to improve their programs and since the 2018 massacre at the Tree of...
Poet Amanda Gorman says she was racially profiled near her home
NEW YORK — Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet who captured hearts at the inauguration of President Joe Biden, posted to social media that she was followed home by a security guard who demanded to know where she lived because she “looked suspicious.” “I showed my keys & buzzed myself into...
3 Pittsburgh comic book artists join famed artist Rob Liefeld for G.I. Joe issueVideo
Three Pittsburgh comic book artists are joining in on the final issue of “Snake Eyes: Deadgame,” a G.I. Joe comic written and drawn by famed artist Rob Liefeld. Issue five of the IDW Publishing mini-series arrives in April, and it will feature work by area artists Ed Piskor, Jim Rugg...
Billie Jean King memoir ‘All In’ to be published in August
NEW YORK — Billie Jean King has a memoir coming this summer, and she calls it a journey to her “authentic self.” Alfred A. Knopf announced Thursday that “All In: An Autobiography” will be published Aug. 17. It will cover the highlights of her celebrated and groundbreaking tennis career, including...
6 Dr. Seuss books won’t be published for racist images
BOSTON — Six Dr. Seuss books — including “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and “If I Ran the Zoo” — will stop being published because of racist and insensitive imagery, the business that preserves and protects the author’s legacy said Tuesday. “These books portray people...
Murrysville woman finds author’s voice during pandemic with message of inclusion
One evening during the pandemic, Vivian O’Hara of Murrysville went to sleep with a lot weighing on her mind. “On the news they’d showed a story about a little boy, seven years old, who rescued his younger sister from a vicious dog attack,” said O’Hara. “He suffered a lot of...
Stephen King talks about crime, creativity and new novel
NEW YORK — Stephen King doesn’t think of himself as a horror writer. “My view has always been you can call me whatever you want as long as the checks don’t bounce,” King told The Associated Press during a recent telephone interview. “My idea is to tell a good story,...
Former aide to Gov. Cuomo pens essay with allegations of sexual harassment
ALBANY, N.Y. — A former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo detailed accusations of sexual harassment against the governor in an essay Wednesday, alleging top female staffers “normalized” behavior that included unwanted kissing and touching. Lindsey Boylan, the former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, said...
Hillary Clinton, Louise Penny co-writing mystery novel ‘State of Terror’
One of the world’s better known fans of mystery novels, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is now writing one. Clinton is teaming up with her friend, the novelist Louise Penny, on “State of Terror,” which has a plot that might occur to someone of Clinton’s background: A “novice” secretary of state, working...
Beat poet, publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti dies at 101
Poet, publisher and bookseller Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who helped launch and perpetuate the Beat movement, has died. He was 101. Ferlinghetti died at his San Francisco home Monday, his son Lorenzo Ferlinghetti told The Associated Press Tuesday. Ferlinghetti was known for his City Lights bookstore in San Francisco, an essential meeting...
Penn Township woman’s novel weaves personal story into adult fictionVideo
A Harrison City woman has written a book that weaves elements of her life’s experiences into a novel about a woman dealing with trauma from an assault who eventually plots a way to exact revenge on the perpetrator. In “Other People’s Words,” Leslie Savisky has written a 300-page story that...
Author Haruki Murakami hosts live jam for relaxation amid pandemic
TOKYO — Japanese author Haruki Murakami has a remedy for those who need relaxation from stress and worries in time of a pandemic — Brazilian Bossa nova music. “As we are going through a time of anxiety, I hope to help you relax even just a little bit,” Murakami, 72,...
Squirrel Hill’s Amazing Books & Records to write a new chapter with moveVideo
Eric Ackland’s love of books came from before he was born. “I feel like I’ve been reading since the womb,” said Ackland, standing in the newest location of Amazing Books & Records in Squirrel Hill on Thursday. “My mom was an English teacher. I was reading by age 3. I...
New York Times covid-19 star writer is out following reports he used slur
NEW YORK — Donald G. McNeil Jr., The New York Times science reporter whose fame grew during the covid-19 pandemic, is stepping down following allegations that he used the N-word during a company-sponsored student trip to Peru in 2019. “We do not tolerate racist language regardless of intent,” Executive Editor...
NFL Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher has memoir out in June
NEW YORK — Hall of Fame coach and NFL analyst Bill Cowher has a book coming out in June that his publisher is calling “more than just a football story.” The former Pittsburgh Steelers coach, who led his team to a Super Bowl title at the end of the 2005...
Sewickley’s Penguin Book Shop hosting virtual discussion with Anne Corley Baum
Looking for a job? Then you might want to make sure you are near a computer at 7 p.m Feb. 11 when Anne Corley Baum will discuss her latest book, “Small Mistakes, Big Consequences for Interviews.” The virtual discussion is hosted by Sewickley’s Penguin Book Shop as part of its...
Former flight attendant lands 7-figure deal for 2 novels
A onetime flight attendant who conjured fictional nightmares during breaks on cross country red-eyes has a seven-figure deal for two novels. The Simon & Schuster imprint Avid Reader Press announced Thursday that T.J. Newman’s first book, the thriller “Falling,” comes out in July. The narrative is a horror story —...
