Penn-Trafford grad produces Western Pennsylvania football history book
When Rush Pedder was 7 years old, his dad took him to a Penn-Trafford football game he called an experience of a lifetime. He was hooked on high school football, especially Penn-Trafford football. Through the years, Penn-Trafford football became a family tradition. While in high school he did things to...
Marvel celebrates 80th anniversary with massive comic
LOS ANGELES — Marvel Comics is celebrating its 80th anniversary with a massive issue that pays tribute to its history and introduces a new object with implications for the superhero universe going forward. The Marvel Comics 1000 issue, available Wednesday, pays homage to many of Marvel’s most recognizable characters, including...
‘Short Edition’ dispenses words of wisdom at Carnegie Mellon UniversityVideo
This vending machine dispenses food for thought. “Short Edition” is based on the concept of pressing a button and, instead of drinks or snacks coming out, the user receives a story or a poem. It prints quickly. The paper is biodegradable. It’s available 24 hours a day. There is no...
Charles Santore, illustrator of children’s books, dies at 84
PHILADELPHIA — Charles Santore, an illustrator known for his richly detailed and whimsical interpretations of classic children’s books has died, his daughter said Friday. Christina Santore said her father died Sunday after a brief illness in Philadelphia, where he was born, raised and worked. He was 84. He spent over...
‘Competitive readers’ duke it out in Battle of the Books
There is no skimming for the 29 teams competing in Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Battle of the Books. Teams of three to five people need to read — thoroughly — the list of books “assigned” each year. “The questions are really hard,” says Dan Hensley, the library’s adult programming coordinator....
Unity native, journalist’s book explores China’s ‘Red Carpet’
After covering the “business of Hollywood” for The Wall Street Journal for the last six years, Unity native Erich Schwartzel is expanding his research into how China is influencing the film industry. Schwartzel, 32, is writing his first book, “Red Carpet,” after inking a deal with Penguin Press publishing house....
Nobel laureate Toni Morrison dead at 88
NEW YORK — Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, a pioneer and reigning giant of modern literature whose imaginative power in “Beloved,” ”Song of Solomon” and other works transformed American letters by dramatizing the pursuit of freedom within the boundaries of race, has died at age 88. Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced...
Edward Snowden book coming out Sept. 17
NEW YORK — Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has written a memoir. The book by the man whose leaks of classified documents transformed the debate about government surveillance is coming out Sept. 17. Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, announced Thursday that Snowden’s “Permanent Record” will be...
Woman dies in Alaska trying to reach famed ‘Into the Wild’ bus
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — A newlywed woman from Belarus who was swept away by a river in Alaska was trying to reach an abandoned bus made famous by the book and film “Into the Wild.” Veramika Maikamava, 24, and her husband, Piotr Markielau, also 24, on Thursday were heading for the...
Book by soccer star Megan Rapinoe to be published next year
NEW YORK — Soccer star Megan Rapinoe has scored again, this time with a book deal. Penguin Press announced Thursday that Rapinoe’s book, currently untitled, will be published in Fall 2020. Penguin is calling the book a “perfect vehicle” for an “honest, thoughtful, unapologetic” take on everything from soccer to...
Actress Bella Thorne shares personal struggles in 1st poetry book
Bella Thorne says people are confused by her and she doesn’t understand why, but maybe her new book will clear things up. “People constantly come to me, directors, producers, people that are like in the industry, and they’re always like, ‘I just really misjudged you. You’re just so different, Bella....
‘Queer Eye’s’ Tan France looks deeper in new book ‘Naturally Tan’Video
You might know him from the French tuck or his distinctive hair. But “Queer Eye’s” fashion guru Tan France wants fans to get to know him beyond the surface. His new book, “Naturally Tan,” provides a deeper look at the English designer’s life. “I wanted the opportunity to really say...
Author Peggy Fisher to discuss ‘Daddy Came Home’ at Monroeville Library
A Pitcairn native is scheduled to read from and discuss a book she wrote to memorialize her father, who survived being a prisoner of war during World War II. Peggy Fisher, 70, now living in Grove City, still gets emotional talking about what her father – and countless other soldiers...
George Takei’s new book precedes Steel City Con appearance
There is a lot more to George Takei than just his iconic portrayal of “Star Trek” helmsman Sulu in the television show and subsequent movies. Takei, 82, is also known as an activist, author and Internet superstar. On Facebook, he has 9.5 million followers and 2.9 million followers on Twitter....
9 Western Pa. authors to sign books at Hempfield Barnes & Noble
A group of Western Pennsylvania authors will discuss and sign their books from 1-3 p.m. July 21 at Barnes & Noble, 5155 Route 30, Hempfield. Featured writers include Scott Brown, Jennifer Delozier, Michele Dulas, Lorraine Helena, Linda Hoffman, John Jamison, Paul LaViolette, Stephen Nagy and Lisa Pellegrene. The store offers...
Ben Folds will hit Pittsburgh for concert, event for new book
Fans of Ben Folds will have two opportunities to see the singer-songwriter in the Pittsburgh area. On Aug. 5, the multi-platinum-selling musician will display another kind of writing talent, appearing at an event in support of his new memoir, “A Dream About Lightning Bugs,” from 7-9 p.m. at the First...
George Takei talks Pittsburgh, new novel, Hollywood and John Wayne
George Takei has led a most unique, extraordinary life. He spent part of his childhood years imprisoned with his family and then grew up to become a science fiction icon, activist, author and internet superstar. Best known as “Star Trek” Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu, Takei just published a graphic novel,...
Connecticut investigating Wally Lamb’s inmate writing program
The state of Connecticut is investigating an inmate writing program run by author Wally Lamb after a lawsuit was filed this spring by participants. The lawsuit alleges the inmates have not been paid for their contributions to Lamb’s third anthology of writings designed to give female prisoners a public voice....
Metallica kids book about the band coming in the fall
“Exit light / Enter night / Take my hand / We’re off to never-never land” If you’re looking for a different bedtime story book for your kids, Metallica might have something for you. The heavy metal heavy-weights announced last week that they are releasing “The ABCs of Metallica” in November...
Pittsburgh cartoonist collaborates on comic book series
Joe Wos often takes photos of paper napkins when he’s having a meal. He saves the pictures on his smartphone. Why? “Some of the best ideas are drawn on a napkin,” says Wos, an acclaimed cartoonist and founder of Pittsburgh’s Toonseum, a museum devoted to the cartoon arts. “If you...
Author of paranormal, horror stories to discuss new book in Greensburg
Ronald Murphy Jr., who has penned books on the paranormal and strange creatures, will discuss and sign his new book, “On Faeries,” at Craftique Collections, 770 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg. The 1-3:30 p.m. July 13 event is free and open to the public. A regional author, Murphy will address fairies,...
Greensburg author Scott Brown recounts heartfelt tales of region’s opioid epidemic
If the stories in Scott Brown’s new book, “Hope and Heartbreak: Beyond the Numbers of the Opioid Epidemic,” sound familiar, it might be because they are. Brown, a Greensburg native and former sports reporter for the Tribune-Review, ESPN and Philadelphia Inquirer, mined a decade of reports on the epidemic to...
MAD Magazine leaving newsstands
MAD Magazine is folding — but not for fun this time. The highly influential humor magazine — famous for its gap-toothed mascot Alfred E. Neuman, social satire and fold-in back covers — is due to stop publishing newsstand issues after its upcoming October edition, multiple people close to the title...
‘Walking Dead’ comic series ending with latest issue
The end has finally come for “The Walking Dead.” And no one saw it coming. Entertainment Weekly reports writer Robert Kirkman broke the news on the last page of the latest issue — No. 193 — of the long-running horror comic. “This is the end of The Walking Dead,” Kirkman...
Book club meeting, discussion set at Historic Hanna’s Town
The Westmoreland Historical Society’s history book club will hold an open discussion in the newly opened Westmoreland History Education Center at Historic Hanna’s Town. The noon-2 p.m. July 16 program in the Education Room at 809 Forbes Trail Road, Hempfield, will focus on “Washington’s General.” According to education coordinator Pam...
