News Around the Neighborhood

Fall Jazz Series: Jeff Bush Showcases His New Ensemble Creations

City of Asylum (2017)

Jeff Bush Presents

4 & 7: Music for Quartet and Septet

Tuesday, October 29th 6:00 pm

Pittsburgh-based international jazz trombonist Jeff Bush presents his own take on the contemporary jazz ensemble. 4 & 7: Music for Quartet and Septet will feature Jeff’s own compositions, played by a jazz ensemble in different configurations. Jeff has played with other bands at Alphabet City to great acclaim from the audience. Jeff Bush Jeff’s music has taken him around the world. He has toured with The Glenn Miller Orchestra and the big band of superstar Harry Connick Jr., played in the pit of countless Broadway shows and made a number of network television appearances including special performances for the NBA All-Star Game and for Pope Benedict XVI. Now an instructor at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh is fortunate to have such a seasoned performer in our midst! Jeff (on trombone) will be joined by Kent Englehardt (clarinet), Mike Tomaro (bass clarinet), Shanyse Strickland (french horn), Gavin Horning (guitar), Paul Thompson (bass) and Thomas Wendt (drums).

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Did you know that there is a restaurant in City of Asylum @ Alphabet City? During these events, Alphabet City will be set up so that you can have dinner during the event (or simply order drinks).

[ebor_button style=”concrete” url=”https://www.opentable.com/r/casellula-pittsburgh”] Reserve a Table for Your Visit [/ebor_button]

When making your reservation, please add that you wish to see the film under special notes.

Join Us for Northside Community Data Workshops

University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR) will be hosting numerous data workshops at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Woods Run Branch. Come and join us for following opportunities to learn about community data!

Accessing Community Data

Wednesday, October 18th
6:00-7:30 pm

Come learn about how to access community data – and how it can help support your organization!
Learning how to access and use community data can support you and your organization in grant writing, targeting resources, better inform your questions, and more!

Data 101: Finding Stories in Data

Wednesday, October 25th
6:00-7:30 pm

Learn how to and practice finding data stories with real Northside datasets. This workshop will introduce the typical kinds of stories that can be found in datasets and give participants practice in finding their own data stories.

Critical Thinking About Data

Wednesday, November 1st
6:00-7:30 pm

This training will focus on stories/data that have been published about the area. We will look at how the data was collected, visualized and how the narrative was formed. Participants will have an opportunity to use skills gained in previous workshop and think critically and discuss how stories are constructed and authored.

To RSVP, please use this link. See you there!

Funny Ladies: Shannon Reed & Friends

funny ladies

Saturday, October 21
7:009:00 pm

Please join City Books as we welcome Rachel Mabe, Rachel Brickner, Jennifer Bannan, and Shannon Reed, four Pittsburgh-based writers with some serious writing credits in McSweeney’s, The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Review, The Paris Review, among others. The evening’s selections will range from mildly droll to wildly hilarious. Please see the City Books website for more elaborate bios of the writers. Don’t miss this unique night of humor.

Rachel Mabe is a writer, reporter, and teacher. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Atlantic, The Paris Review, The Washington Post, Medium, Creative Nonfiction, and others. Rachel is at work on a book about the existential agonies of growing up female in America. She currently holds a research assistantship at Pitt, but has spent most of her time here teaching writing–creative nonfiction, composition, and business writing. Learn more about Rachel at RachelMabe.com.

Rachel Ann Brickner is a writer and multimedia storyteller from Pittsburgh. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Los Angeles Review, Joyland, PANK, Anastamos, among others. Currently, she is an MFA candidate in fiction at the University of Pittsburgh where she is at work on her first novel, a collection of short stories about love, women, and capitalism, and a memoir about debt. You can see more of her work at rachelannbrickner.com.

Jennifer Bannan is the author of short story collection Inventing Victor. Her short stories have appeared in ACM, Passages North, Café Eighties, womenwriters.net, Radio Transcript Newspaper, and others. She holds a senior position with Zer0 to 5ive, a technology marketing firm. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s creative writing program, she finished her MFA at the University of Pittsburgh in 2014. Her novel-in-progress was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarter-finalist. Some of Jen’s work can be found here.

Shannon Reed is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker’s “Shouts and Murmurs” and “Daily Shouts” columns, as well as to McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. For Buzzfeed, she wrote the (in)famous piece, “If Jane Austen Got Feedback From Some Guy in a Writing Workshop,” among other work. Her essays have been published in Guernica, Vela, Longreads, Ozy, The Guardian, LitHub, Vulture, and The Washington Post. Check out her work at ShannonReed.org, @SReed151 (Twitter), @knittingchick (Instagram).

Cowboys and Frenchman Post-Bop Jazz

City of Asylum (2017)

Cowboys & Frenchmen

Tuesday, October 24th
8:00 pm

NYC-based quintet Cowboys & Frenchmen presents a new take on instrumentation, orchestration, and composition for the jazz quintet. The front line of two alto saxophones plays loose with the role of horns, in an inclusive post-bop style that seamlessly crosses the classic American song book with blues and improvisation.

The band is comprised of five creative musicians. Owen Broder on alto sax, clarinet and bass clarinet, Ethan Helm on alto sax, flute and clarinet, Chris Ziemba on piano, Ethan O’Reilly on bass and Matt Honor on drums.
Cowboys & Frenchmen
The inspiration for the quirky band name is a short Western by David Lynch called “The Cowboy and The Frenchmen.” Like the film, this quintet’s music has one foot firmly planted in a genre, while the other one is busy trying to kick down the genre’s door.

This concert celebrates the release of their new album, Bluer Than You Think.

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Did you know that there is a restaurant in City of Asylum @ Alphabet City? During these events, Alphabet City will be set up so that you can have dinner during the event (or simply order drinks).

[ebor_button style=”concrete” url=”https://www.opentable.com/r/casellula-pittsburgh”] Reserve a Table for Your Visit [/ebor_button]

When making your reservation,
please add that you wish to see the film under special notes.

PHLF: Tabletop Succulent Trays

PHLF 2017 Banner
Join us at the Landmarks Preservation Resource Center for our ongoing programs on house restoration, architecture, history and other aspects of historic preservation, community development, and urban planning.

Location: Landmarks Preservation Resource Center, 744 Rebecca Avenue
Date: Thursday, October 12th
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Contact: marylu@phlf.org or (412) 471-5808 ext. 527

Gardening Workshop: Tabletop Succulent Trays

Succulents are the hottest trend in indoor plant décor and come in a wide variety of shapes, textures, and colors. A tray of them is an easy-care miniature garden for a desk or tabletop. Come see a variety of ideas for creating these little beauties, along with step-by-step assembly instructions. You’ll be given a materials list with ideas for where to purchase everything you need. Aftercare instructions provided.

About the Presenter

Martha Swiss is a garden writer, designer and speaker. She is a regular contributor to Pennsylvania Gardener magazine and the publications editor for the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. Her articles have also appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Fine Gardening. She is a graduate of Chatham University’s landscape design program and a Penn State master gardener.

All lectures are free to PHLF members. Non-members: $10

RSVPs are appreciated: marylu@phlf.org or (412) 471-5808 ext. 527

Check out http://phlf.org/events/ for more PHLF tours and events.

“Moby Dick” Re-Imagined

City of Asylum (2017)

Paul Eprile

Tuesday, October 17th
8:00 pm

Translator Paul Eprile will be reading from his translation of winner Jean Giono’s Melville: A Novel. It has never been translated into English before.

Melville: A Novel is a work with a unique pedigree. Eighty years after it appeared in English, Moby Dick was translated into French for the first time by the Provençal novelist Jean Giono. The publisher persuaded Giono to write a preface, however Giono took unusual latitudes with this instruction, producing instead something that would transcend the original source material. The result was Melville: A Novel — part biography, part philosophical rumination, part romance, part unfettered fantasy. Paul Eprile’s expressive translation of this intimate homage brings the exchange full circle.

Paul Eprile

“Giono illustrates how an author’s artistic output enriches and illuminates his life, in ways that historical facts cannot provide…Giono expands Melville’s context, painting him as a transatlantic heir to Milton and Shakespeare. At the same time, he also expands Melville’s own influence, cementing his impact on French culture, which has been considerable.”
Los Angeles Review of Books

Paul’s passion for the French language and French literature, and a fascination with Provence, led him to begin translating the works of Jean Giono. His first translation, Hill (Colline) was published by New York Review Books in 2016. The second, Melville: A Novel (Pour saluer Melville) will appear in September 2017. Paul is now working on a third Giono novel, The Open Road (Les grands chemins).

[ebor_button style=”pomegranate” url=”https://cityofasylumpittsburgh.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0F5A00000O1YgHUAV”] Reserve Your Free Tickets [/ebor_button]

Did you know that there is a restaurant in City of Asylum @ Alphabet City? During these events, Alphabet City will be set up so that you can have dinner during the event (or simply order drinks).

[ebor_button style=”concrete” url=”https://www.opentable.com/r/casellula-pittsburgh”] Reserve a Table for Your Visit [/ebor_button]

When making your reservation,
please add that you wish to see the film under special notes.

Free Tickets for Northsiders: The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers

Presented by The Jesters’ Guild
October 13th – 15th

Based on the timeless swashbuckler by Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers is a tale of heroism, treachery, and above all, honor. D’Artagnan and his sister Sabine set off for Paris in search of adventure. They quickly become entangled in a series of plots. Soon after reaching Paris, d’Artagnan encounters the greatest heroes of the day, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the famous musketeers.

You’re Invited

Thanks to the generous support of the Buhl Foundation, Northside residents and workers are invited to attend this performance for free. A limited number of tickets are available online, so reserve your seat today.

[ebor_button style=”pumpkin” url=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northside-oct-13-the-three-musketeers-tickets-38673452337″] October 13 at 8 PM [/ebor_button] [ebor_button style=”pumpkin” url=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northside-oct-14-2pm-the-three-musketeers-tickets-38673516529″] October 14 at 2 PM [/ebor_button] [ebor_button style=”pumpkin” url=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northside-oct-14-8pm-the-three-musketeers-tickets-38673540601″] October 14 at 8 PM [/ebor_button] [ebor_button style=”pumpkin” url=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northside-oct-15-2pm-the-three-musketeers-tickets-38673626859″] October 15 at 2 PM [/ebor_button]

Letter from the President – October 2017

So what are you doing on Tuesday evening?

Join your neighbors on Tuesday, October 10th at 7:30 pm, at Calvary Church for the monthly meeting of the Allegheny West Civic Council.

Each month, this is where and when we make decisions about our neighborhood – decisions that in ways both small and large will affect you. And we always have a good time socializing and enjoying refreshments while we’re at it!

Everyone is welcome – second Tuesday of each month, 7:30 pm, in the Calvary Church social hall, corner of Beech and Allegheny (use the Beech Avenue entrance). The meeting is usually over by 9:00. It’s also a great way for newer folks to meet your neighbors and get involved!

We hope to see you on Tuesday evening!

Josh DeSantis
President, AWCC

[ebor_button style=”midnight” url=”http://alleghenywest.org/about/neighborhood-history/recent-history-allegheny-west/”] Read John’s Latest Installment in the History of Allegheny West [/ebor_button]

AWCC Membership Meeting Agenda – October 10, 2017

Calvary United Methodist Church, 971 Beech Ave
Tuesday, October 10th at 7:30 pm

  • Visitors
    • Councilwoman Harris’s Office
    • Mayor Peduto’s Office
    • Zone One Police
    • Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
  • New Neighbors & Guests
  • Minutes
  • Treasurer’s Report
    • Finance Committee Progress Report
  • Membership
    • October Mixer
  • Ways and Means
    • Update on Five Year Plan with Calvary
    • Results of Alleys, Axles & Ales Tour
    • Christmas Candlelight House Tour (December 8th and 9th)
  • Friends of Allegheny West
    • Green Space
  • Property
  • Housing and Planning
    • Parking and Traffic
    • MCC: Blocks bounded by Western, Allegheny, Ridge, Bridge
    • Western Avenue Revitalization
    • Light of Life: Ridge Avenue Project
    • Revised AW Film Guidelines
    • Allegheny Commons Update of 2002 Master Plan
    • Expansion of Historic District (LRC Report)
    • Historic District Enforcement Issues (old cases)
    • Medical Marijuana Dispensary (decision to join ZBA appeal)
    • Comprehensive Guidelines for New Construction on Vacant Sites
    • AirBnB Issues/Impacts
  • Northside Leadership Conference
    • Allegheny General Hospital Master Plan
  • Other Business (Old & New)

Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House Tour

On September 28th, the Christmas tour Kick Off meeting was held. Thank you to all who attended. Below is a summary of where we are at with the planning of the 2017 tour:

Houses

Currently we have 3 homes on the tour. We need 3 more. Please contact Carol Gomrick (carolgomrick@gmail.com) if you are interested in putting your house on the tour.

Tour Volunteers-lead Needed

Our fearless leader, Doug Sprague, will not be able to coordinate volunteers this year. We all wish him well on his new adventure! With Doug’s absence, we need a volunteer to help coordinate the docents and other ancillary volunteer openings. Please contact Carol if you’re willing to help, or if you know someone who is. We will be sending out a spreadsheet for signups.

Flyer Mailings

Trish Burton has offered to coordinate the flyer mailing activities. Tentative meeting to
address and send these out is Monday, November 6th. More details to come. Greg Coll will do the graphics and printing of the flyer. Thank you for your efforts, Greg and Trish!

Tickets, Emails and Website Updates

Cathy Serventi will get the website updated and the emails out to announce the event. I’m getting a lot of requests to purchase tickets already, so I’m sure we’ll have another great turnout this year. Thanks for all of your help, Cathy!

After Party

Tom Cihil and and John Engle are the organizers of this year’s after party. Thank you both for stepping up to do this. We now just need an after party venue!

Greens

We’re tentatively scheduling a ‘swag’ party at Cathy Serventi’s porch on Saturday, November 2nd. Tom Cihil and and John Engle will lead efforts to get these on the lamp posts. If you’re interested in volunteering to help with this, please let Carol know.

Administration (Permits, Etc)

Carol with work with Cathy to get these permits in place for the tour. There will be new banners for the tour homes this year.

Train Tours

Cecile Canales will be the contact person for the train tour volunteers.