This Weekend in Literary Pittsburgh

There's a lot coming up in Literary Pittsburgh this long weekend. Thursday morning, a new pop up bookstore opens for four days (9am-9pm). Named Clowder & Pack, the store will be located in the back of Cats & Dogs Coffeehouse at 4059  Penn Avenue, and proceeds will benefit Assemble.

Thursday night at 8:00pm, a four-man lineup of readers (poet GM Holder from Portland Oregon and locals Mike Knapps, Mark Mattern, and Robert Walicki) ends this season at The New Yinzer Presents reading series at ModernFormations. Read more at the TNY Presents blog.
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Friday night I'll be reading prose at the pop up bookstore with poet Lori Jakiela. (7:00pm) Check out the Clowder & Pack blog to find out about more talks and teach-ins that will be held there this weekend, including writing workshops and a book binding class.

Sunday night, one of Pittsburgh's newest reading series, Strange Animals, features one of Pittsburgh's newest small presses, Hyacinth Girl Press. Hambone's in Lawrenceville will host readers Juliet Cook, Sarah Kain Gutowski, Deena November, and Niina Pollari, followed by an Open Mic. 7:00pm.

Monday night, Garfield Artworks welcomes Soft Skull Press founder, Sander Hicks, into Pittsburgh as he tours the country with his newest book, Slingshot to the Juggernaut. Pittsburgh readers include Artnoose, Vince Eirene, & Joseph Flatley. 8:00pm.

Support Fleeting Pages on Kickstarter

Face it, the economy sucks-almost everywhere, many great causes and art projects need support and we can't help everyone.

Fleeting Pages is a concept that will

A) Make use of an existing empty space in the city--and we know there are still so many of them.

B) Create energy in the city and inspire more building owners to allow more flexible uses.

C) Show off the incredible diversity of writers, self publishers, and Indie Press both inside and outside the region

D) Provide critical income to hard working but unrecognised authors, artists and poets

E) Allow for important interactions between local, regional and national writers, publishers and creators

F) Create opportunities for educational workshops, demonstrations, readings, film screenings and performances.

"In essence, Fleeting Pages consists of taking over (taking back??) one of the spaces, left empty by a failed big box bookstore (Borders) in Pittsburgh, for one month, starting May 7th, and filling it with independent & self-published work of all kinds, book arts, workshops, and events.

All revolving around various forms of written self-expression.

The idea is a result of a few things; a great appreciation for independent and self-published works of all kinds, as well as for those who create them, the toll taken on local booksellers by big box bookstores, a concern for the cultural effects of big box stores in both their existence and their failure, and a general frustration with the model of the publishing industry.

We felt compelled to do something. Fleeting Pages is what we came up with. It will test the theory that what is happening with “books” – creation, consumption, access – matters to many. And if given the opportunity to take over, or take back, one of these empty spaces they will. And in the most brilliant of ways.

The end result, what Fleeting Pages will ultimately become, is a beautiful unknown as it is dependent upon what others are willing to add. The framework is there – the space, the concept, and a few people volunteering to work their hardest in support of the project."

Please consider supporting Fleeting Pages on Kickstarter with a contribution of as little as a dollar

Quick Fleeting Pages Pop Up Bookstore Update: Opening May 7, Still Accepting Submissions

OK this is a very half assed update--mostly telling you to look at the website and follow things if are not. The opening was pushed back by a week and as you can see lots of small presses and independent authors, comic artists and zine makers are on board.Look, spread the word and get your stuff together ASAP if you want to be involved. 24 Thousand Square Feet of space in one of Pittsburgh's most central shopping districts--open to almost any kind of book related product or event you can dream up!

Fleeting Pages can finally announce the location: The former Borders in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Both floors of the space. All 24,000 sqft of it. And lucky for us, Borders left behind a considerable number of bookshelves and other useful materials.

The process to submit work is a relatively simple one:

•Contact us with who you are & what you would like to add to our inventory.
•Add answers / details to the items listed below in your email.
•After that, you will hear back from us with answers to your questions and possibly asking some of our own.
•Then we will coordinate getting your work here.
Unfortunately, we will only be able to accept items on consignment. We know that this is not ideal and we wish the situation were otherwise. But Fleeting Pages is going to cost a fortune (for us, anyway) in rent and utilities. Not to mention everything else needed to fill the space and make it function. Our current budget just doesn’t have any room to pre-order. Hopefully that will change as we progress. Even if it doesn’t, we have plans for things like raffles, mixed bag books for sale, and an online store aspect in the works to make sure that as few books as possible will be returned. Another option is to send a couple copies and be open to re-ordering if needed.

Payment- Our intention is to send payments for books sold at the end of the first two weeks, and again at the beginning of June. All will be paid by June 15th. (well, if we exercise our two week extension, it will be June 30th) Should we need to order more copies, we will send a payment for those they are replacing.

Display- Fleeting Pages is not like a traditional fair – tables of presses with representatives manning them. We will be using bookshelves and tables as a bookstore would. Hopefully with some new ideas of what that could mean mixed in. If a representative is able to come out (which would be so great!), we’d rather have them running a workshop (or taking one), hosting an event, or helping out in the space than behind a table.

A partial list of sellers, artists and publishers already on board.

5th Street Press

40-Watt Spotlight

Abayomi Animashaun – author

Abbey Bricker – book arts

The Alchemist – zine

Annalemma Magazine

Annie Passanisi – author

Anteism Publishing

Artnoose

Autumn House Press

Avantacular Press

Balliwick

Barbara Browning- author

Barbary Shore Publishing

Barge Press

Bill Volk- comics

Black Coffee Press

Black Dog Press

BOMB Magazine

Brandt Street Press

Brian Fanelli

Brown Tie Publishing

Burning Books

Caketrain Journal & Press

Calypso Editions

Canarium Books

Cardamom Press

Connie Cantor – artist

Creative Nonfiction

Cyberpunk Apocalypse

Dan Greenwald- comics

Darlene Cypser

David Henderson – author

Deborah Fielding – author

The Derailleur – zine

Ed Steck- author

Emily Gorda – artist

Famous Hairdos of Popular Music – zine

Featherproof

Five Rivers Chapmanry

Fugue State Press

George Hayward – author

Goldmine Anthology of American Comics & Drawings

The Green Lantern Press

Heather Stanco – artist

Jaded Ibis Press

Jean McClung – artist

Jessica Heberle – zine

Jessica Knauss – author

Jessica Simms – author

Joe Kaldon

Julia Christensen – artist

Kathryn Carr -book arts

Kim Creasap – zine

Low Ghost Press

Lydia Lin – author

Make Your Own Books

Marcel Walker- comics

Mea Culpa Comics

Mindy Tucker – artist

Monty S. Kane - comics

Nick Marino – comics

P&Q Press

The Paris Review

Pear Noir!

Peter Stringham- graphic novel

PigeonBike Press

Public Illumination Magazine

Raw Dog Screaming Press

Robert Isenberg- author

Rose Metal Press

Ryan Flaherty – author

Sam Thorp – author

Sherrie Flick – author

Six Gallery Press

Small Fires Press

Sonnenzimmer

Spuyten Duyvil

Stephens Press

Stephanie Silberstein – author

Sunnyoutside

Teresa Brown – author

Ugly Duckling Presse

Undie Press

The Wapshott Press

Weave Magazine

We’ll Never Have Paris – zine

Whereabouts Press

Willow Naeco – zine

Wire Rim Books – Henry Melton

Words Like Kudzu Press

The Workshop 13

But wait, There's more (everything but a Ginsu Knife!) Fleeting Pages is also open to all kinds of readings, workshops, film screenings and perhaps music events!

Basically just check out the site and make contact if you have ideas or ways to help.

Fleeting Pages Website

Fleeting Pages Facebook

Fleeting Pages Twitter