The Carnegie Library in Oakland occasionally hosts big events, but taking on the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books and the 4,000 enthusiasts expected to attend posed a challenge for the event organizers.
“It’s the biggest building in the world, and there’s still no room in it,” Mary Monaghan, director of public services with Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, tells Pittsburgh City Paper.
But CLP President Andrew Medlar insisted the library should do whatever was necessary to host and promote the festival.
“People associate the main library with quality programming,” Monaghan tells City Paper. “We really wanted it to be in the library. So, we are using every nook and cranny we can find in the building, and we are utilizing some outdoor spaces as well.
Past Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books stretched its legs across venues like the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Campus in Highland Park, and, for the inaugural 2022 event, across multiple locations in East Liberty.
Monaghan traveled to other book festivals, including in Columbus, Ohio, to see how the library and its regular patrons might react to an invasion of book lovers.
“I asked them what it was like — are people mad? Do people complain or whatever?” Monaghan says. “And they said they’ve never had anybody complain. I’m sure there was some grumbling, but most people, at least for them, were happy.”
Medlar says the festival offers a “full slate of awesome (programming)” for readers of all ages. A press release states that the festival will “celebrate the love of storytelling in all its forms with an inspiring lineup of acclaimed authors and poets and engaging panel discussions, workshops, and hands-on activities.”
One highlight is Grammy Award-winning music artist Judy Collins, who will read from her new poetry collection, Sometimes, Its Heaven: Poems of Loss, Love and Redemption.
The Festival also serves as the launch point for an effort to “help more children and adults across Pennsylvania learn how to read and write.” During the event, CLP will announce a major initiative described as “focused on literacy in the area, reflecting a shared commitment with the community to give all readers the tools needed to unlock their full potential.”
“Literacy is a launching point for thriving in school, at work, and in life,” said Medlar. “At the Library, we’re creating more access to culturally relevant, awesome, and fun educational resources to help inspire a love of reading. The Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books is one of many ways the Library is working together with our community and taking action to close literacy gaps.”
Monaghan stresses that there is “something for everyone” at the festival, whether readers are looking for cozy mysteries, fantasy, romance, or local history.
“We have a ton of children’s stuff, a ton of stuff for teens, graphic novels, and poetry,” says Monaghan. “I always, always say Pittsburgh is such a poetry town. We have the Steelers, we have the Penguins. But anytime we do a poetry program, we have a packed house.”
Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., May 31. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh-Main. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. Registration required. All ages. pittsburghbookfestival.org
This article appears in May 21-27, 2025.
