Ashlee, Author at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Krista Bremer on Love and an “Accidental Jihad”

I recently returned from a writing retreat in the Great Smoky Mountains. One of the teachers at the event: Krista Bremer, associate publisher of The Sun Magazine, taught workshops about … Continued

Letter to a Future Lover: Ander Monson’s Essays on Ephemera

Ander Monson is a master bibliophile. He’s president of the Tucson Poetry Festival, editor and publisher of DIAGRAM journal, and Director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at the … Continued

“The Secret” Is Out

There’s a podcast called By the Book, in which comedian Jolenta Greenberg and producer Kristen Meinzer read various self-help books and put each of the books’ tactics into practice. Described … Continued

Zadie Smith and Politics Through the Lens of Self

For the February installment of Talking Books @ LBPH, we read Swing Time by Zadie Smith. This was the first Smith book I’ve read and initially, I was intimidated by … Continued

Cover art of For The Benefit Of Those Who See by Rosemary Mahoney

Books On the Experience of Blindness

When I first started working as a Library Assistant and Reader Advisor at LBPH three years ago, I was clueless about how to work with people who are blind. Once, … Continued

Writing Advice from Stephen King

American adults read or listen to an average of 12 books per year. Stephen King, on the other hand, reads seventy or eighty. He calls himself a “slow reader.” In … Continued

Analyzing the Dream State

I recently read a profound book by scientist and sleep researcher Rosalind Cartwright called The Twenty-four Hour Mind: The Role of Sleep and Dreaming in Our Emotional Lives. I’ve always … Continued

Everyday Spiritual Fulfillment

Spiritual fulfillment doesn’t come only to those who renounce mainstream society to live in an ashram in India. At least that’s what Rick Fields, Peggy Taylor, Rex Weyler, and Rick … Continued

A Course in Miracles: A New-to-Me Classic in Modern Spirituality

A sucker for self-help books, I was excited to crack open my latest find: A Course in Miracles (DB 43840). This mystical book came to me highly recommended from both … Continued

Elaine Dundy and the “Lost Year”

We’ve (almost) all been there: Our “lost year” (or two, or three). Sometimes it’s after high school or college; sometimes it’s after a breakup, a divorce, or a loss; sometimes … Continued

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Free To The People

Author: Ashlee