The Pittsburgh Writer Out with the old, in with the new.
Several years ago this website began a Five Question Interview journey, where I’d highlight individuals from within the writing community once a week for a set period of time. Last year, due to work life and health issues, I decided to discontinue the project. When one door closes, another one opens. Or so they say. In this instance, the year-long break from interviews gave me a chance to rethink it for the future of chocolateandpaper.com.
This site has gone through metamorphosis several times. In 2016 it was known as anotherhartmanauthor. Then I added a now dead sister site called The Power of Histfic. However, I felt restricted by both those titles. 1: I wasn’t yet an author. I’m still not, but working towards that dream. And 2: what if I didn’t want to write only historical fiction? What if I wanted to write another genre? And what if I was tired of old ideas that no longer worked for any of that?
So chocolateandpaper.com was born, and with it came a few brand new missions. The first: to blog about my writing and baking journeys. The second: to explore and share Pennsylvania history. The third: to learn more about Southwestern PA’s involvement in the literary world. This new project will be a part of the third mission: to learn about PA’s involvement in the literary world. Behold:
Meet The Librarian
This new interview series will (hopefully) introduce fellow book lovers to those who work in the industry, who have direct contact with their constituents and can help us dig up information we may otherwise never be able to find.
Authors write the materials, but sometimes it takes an extra set of eyes to find them. And with daily publishing announcements online, the amount of information out there can be overwhelming to folks who aren’t used to dipping their toe into the book world.
The First Interview
will go live on Sunday, April 17th with a librarian from Northland Public Library. I am very excited because I call this location my “home library.” It’s the easiest I can get to (I’m terrible when it comes to driving new places), and has a broader title selection than several smaller libraries even closer to me. They’re where I conduct 70% of my in-person research, and where I request outside resources for an Interlibrary Loan. Northland was also my second home a few years ago when I needed a secondary option to fill out job applications.
I hope you’ll join me for this new Spring and Summer journey into the Pennsylvania literary scene. Now comes the fun part: are you a Pennsylvanian librarian? Would you like to participate in this series? I’ll feature one of you once a month until September 2022. Please shoot me an email if you’d like more details.
