ALTERNATIVE FOR +
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS, ARTS SINCE 1991 PITTSBURGH’S ALTERNATIVE FOR NEWS, ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT SINCE 1991
SEPT. 3-SEPT. 10 , 2025 FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY
PITTSBURGHCITYPAPER
BEFORE THE HAIL STORM
BEFORE THE HAIL STORM
Operating in the legal twilight, Pittsburgh’s jitneys were Lyft and Uber’s analog ancestors BY:
Operating in the legal twilight, Pittsburgh’s jitneys were Lyft and Uber’s analog ancestors
DAVID S. ROTENSTEIN
BEFORE THE HAIL STORM
Operating in the legal twilight, Pittsburgh’s jitneys were Lyft and Uber’s analog ancestors
BY: DAVID S. ROTENSTEIN // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
“[JITNEYS ARE] A SYMPTOM OF THESE REALLY DIFFICULT, THORNY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW DO WE OFFER MOBILITY.”
High-tech ride-hailing arrived in Pittsburgh in 2014 when Lyft rolled into town . Uber followed not long after. The new services reignited a decades-old battle between traditional taxi drivers and jitneys, a low-cost and unregulated alternative with deep ties to Pittsburgh history.
Jitneys originated in Los Angeles in 1914. They were a grassroots response to high transit fares imposed by legally sanctioned streetcar monopolies. Less than a year later, in 1915, Pittsburgh had several jitney bus operators. They became the forerunners to later jitney cab operations and 21 st century app-based ride hailing services, and August Wilson paid homage to the jitney’s place in the Steel City’s urban fabric with his 1979 play, Jitney .
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON Taxi stand outside of the Omni William Penn Hotel
When Lyft and Uber pulled into Pittsburgh, writers glossed over the deeper history of informal livery services in the city. It’s a story of resistance to economic hegemony and racial segregation featuring characters who easily could have found themselves as role models for Wilson’s play.
Katie Wells, a Washington, D.C., geographer who studies Uber and the company’s impacts on labor and communities, quickly switches into professor mode when someone describes Uber and its predecessors as ride-sharing services: “Please call it ride-hailing. I mean, it’s digital ride-hailing, it’s digital chauffeur services,” says Wells — in her opinion, there’s no sharing involved, only economic transactions.
Wells sees clear connections between early 20 th century jitneys and present-day ride-hailing services. “It was a public infrastructure for the underground economy,” Wells says about jitneys.
“There were real issues they were addressing, but we have to see the history,” Wells tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “[Jitneys are] a symptom of these really difficult, thorny questions about how do we offer mobility.”
Today’s ride-hailing economy stems from inequitable access to reliable transportation and people who are unemployed or underemployed. “This informal economy for Uber, it helps people make ends meet, and it also helps other people who are struggling to get to where they need to go,” Wells explains.
Those factors are a lot like what drove Pittsburgh residents to “drive jitney” and to use jitneys to get around, says historian Jessica Klanderud. “One of the people that I did an oral history interview with,” Klanderud tells City Paper , “her husband … was a construction trades worker during the regular season, and in the off season, then, when construction trade dried up, he would drive jitney to help supplement the family income.”
Wilson’s Jitney is set in the 1970s inside a Hill District jitney station. Its characters include Youngblood, a veteran who works several jobs trying to save enough money to buy a suburban Penn Hills home. Becker, the jitney station manager, ends up dying in an accident in the steel mill where he also worked. The play turns on the precarity of jitney drivers’ experiences inside their homes and workplaces.
The Hill District’s jitney stations were one of four jitney markets active in Pittsburgh, according to economists Otto Davis and
Norman Johnson. The pair published a paper in 1984 about Pittsburgh’s jitneys that, according to later historians, remains one of the only comprehensive explorations of the service. Unlike other cities in the United States and Canada, “jitneys in Pittsburgh are a peculiarly Black phenomenon,” reporter Glenn Garvin wrote in 1985.
JITNEYS AT THE CROSSROADS OF HISTORY
A long-forgotten episode that played out in a Hill District parking lot, Pittsburgh City Council chambers, and in Allegheny County courtrooms sheds some light on early tensions between cab companies, city officials, and consumers. It began when Crawford Grill bartender Oscar James opened a Wylie Avenue parking lot in 1941. “It’s the only one on the
Avenue owned and operated by a Negro,” the Pittsburgh Courier reported.
Oscar’s Parking Lot moved to Fullerton Street in 1945 after James sold it to Dave Captain, a smalltime numbers writer. Captain renamed the business the OFA Parking Lot Company, and the events that unfolded after Captain took over read like they leapt from the pages of Wilson’s script. (Coincidentally, one of the company’s earliest shareholders was a man named Sam Youngblood.)
The company occupied a boxy concrete block building built on the site where Pittsburgh’s first Greek Orthodox Church was founded in 1906. “The premises consist of a vacant area and a shanty type building,” read court papers filed in later years.
Internal squabbling and accusations of
PHOTO: COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH CITY ARCHIVES
The URA photographed the OFA parking lot and jitney station shortly before razing it during urban renewal in the 1950s.
fraud and mismanagement rocked OFA soon after Captain became the company’s president. In 1946, OFA’s secretary, Thomas Gaylord, filed charges against Captain alleging that he forged a $150 check drawn on company funds. The case ended after Captain agreed to liquidate his interest in the company.
The 1946 case kicked off seven years of conflict between Captain and his former partners, who went to court in 1953 to get an injunction barring Captain from the property. Captain answered the charges by claiming he had installed the company’s telephone in his own name and that he still had a right to use it for business purposes: i.e., driving jitney.
Captain claimed he repeatedly entered the property to protect the interest he had in the company. In court papers, Captain cited city efforts to eradicate jitneys. “Beginning in the spring of 1950 the city of Pittsburgh began extensive operations to wipe out such illegal taxi service,” Captain’s attorneys wrote in response to the company’s charges.
The Owl Taxicab Company, founded in 1946 by jitney driver Silas Knox, was one weapon in the city’s
toolkit in its battle against jitneys. Owl began operating after a pitched battle to get approval from the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Knox and others claimed that a Black-owned taxi company was the best way to combat discrimination against Black residents and to get rid of jitneys.
Testimony in the PUC hearings included many accounts from Black residents who claimed that Yellow Cabs didn’t provide service in Black neighborhoods and that the company didn’t hire Black drivers.
“The Yellow Cab Company holds a monopoly on taxi service in the city but virtually ignores fares in the Hill District,” the Courier reported in 1946.
Owl prevailed and got its license after such influential figures as Mayor David Lawrence and attorney Paul F. Jones, who later was elected to the Pittsburgh City Council, testified on behalf of the company. Lawrence told the PUC that Pittsburgh’s taxi service was “inadequate.”
Owl became Pittsburgh’s first Black-owned taxi company, and Jones became Owl’s attorney. In 1954, Lawrence appointed him to city council. Captain,
PHOTO: COURTESY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
An early jitney bus in New York City photographed between 1915 and 1920
meanwhile, organized jitney drivers into an informal union, the Pioneer orkers Association, to oppose one of ones’s first legislative efforts: a jitney ban.
“Leaders of the Pioneer orkers Association threw the book at Councilman Paul F. ones in an angered reaction to Mr. ones’ introduction Monday of an ordinance to require jitney drivers to obtain licenses,” the Courier reported in 19 4. Captain claimed, without providing evidence, that ones had worked off the books for jitney drivers before taking office. “ e paid him a month protection fee,” Captain said at the time.
The paper subsequently apologi ed to ones for publishing a story that appeared to validate claims that Jones acted unlawfully or improperly.
CONTEMPORARY TWISTS ON AN OLD THEME
The 19 4 law didn’t end jitney service in Pittsburgh. Like liquor after Prohibition ended in 19 , the lottery in 19 1, and the creep towards marijuana legalization, the state and creative entrepreneurs found ways to transform a once-illegal enterprise into a profitable modern business. And, much in the same way that the Pennsylvania Lottery didn’t end numbers gambling, Blackowned taxi companies and a ride-hailing market cornered by large
PHOTO: COURTESY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Editorial cartoon published in 1923 during a New Jersey public transit strike
corporations haven’t driven jitneys from city streets.
It’s still possible to find jitney drivers picking up fares in the Hill District and the North Side, Klanderud says: “I wonder just what kind of commonalities we would find if we looked at how many people were driving jitney at one point and went to something like one of these rideshare services in the digital age, because there are still people driving jitney.”
There also are opportunities for ride-hailing drivers to work off the books by offering private chauffeur services to fares they pick up at the airport and other transit hubs. Instead of serving customers of limited means with inequitable access to transportation, these drivers fill a niche demand for low-cost private transportation.
“These are people for whom the bus doesn’t come,” says Wells. “Or, these are wealthy people that always were going to find a chauffeur service, and this is just that much easier.”
Wells sees parallels in the debates over Lyft and Uber and jitneys. They both try to fill gaps in urban transportation networks — gaps where people who live in underserved and marginalized communities find themselves. “That’s where it freaks me out about the parallels to Uber, right? Which is that, can we not learn this lesson? Are we going to do this again?” Wells wonders. •
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON Taxi stand outside of the Omni William Penn Hotel
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
A crew works on the former Hollywood Theater in Dormont
PICTURE PALACE ON POTOMAC
With work ongoing, Row House Cinema is planning a November fête for the ambitiously remodeled Hollywood Theater
BY: RACHEL WILKINSON // RWILKINSON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
After an extensive, twoyear renovation, the Hollywood Theater in Dormont is slated to reopen this fall.
Row House Cinema acquired the historic, soon-to-be century-old theater in September 2023 in a bid to expand its single-screen boutique movie house from Lawrenceville into the South Hills.
With the expansion, said Row House Cinemas principal Brian Mendelssohn, came ambitions of restoring the historic theater as a state-of-the-art movie house, a regional draw, and a “mainstay of Pittsburgh’s film scene.”
Following a three-month trial period in fall 2023 — where the Hollywood hosted Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly and the late singer Rebekah Del Rio — the theater has been closed for a $2 million renovation.
“We want this space to be more than just a movie theater,” Mendelssohn said during a recent preview tour. “Our vision is for it to be a truly unique destination, a communal experience, and, most importantly, a great night out.”
Mendelssohn and the Row House team offered a sneak peek of the ongoing work at the theater, where
a team is “framing all day” and will soon install new theater seats. The theater’s grand opening is slated for Nov. 6.
“This is almost done, believe it or not,” Mendelssohn said. “It doesn’t look that way, but … you’ll start seeing all the cool elements are coming together.”
Rather than “build a box,” Mendelssohn explained, referring to a modern megaplex-style theater, the Row House creative team drew historical inspiration for the remodel, creating an ambitious plan to reestablish the cinema as an “atmospheric theater” that harkens back to movie palaces of the 1920s. When finished, the Art Deco-style theater will be a “permanent tribute” to Fritz
to Row House’s research.
Through a partnership with Needs More Fog — an experiential design company launched by Scott Simmons, owner of the former Scarehouse haunted attraction — Row House will recreate some of the atmospheric theater’s original elements. The curved ceiling and a projected “sky-scape” will return to the 400-seat main theater (thus the marathon metal framing), along with faux façades and added “sci-fi scenery” à la Metropolis . Simmons said incorporating design elements from the black-and-white futuristic film is also a nod to the “industrial vibe of Pittsburgh.”
For its Nov. 6 grand opening celebration , Row House-Hollywood
“THERE’S NOT GOING TO BE ANY OTHER MOVIE THEATER ON THIS SIDE OF PENNSYLVANIA THAT’S GOING TO FEEL LIKE THIS.”
Lang’s 1927 silent film Metropolis
“We’re the first atmospheric theater that’s been built since 1989,” Mendelssohn said. “Nowhere in Western Pennsylvania is there one.”
Popularized in the 1920s, atmospheric theaters were designed to evoke a particular time and place, and incorporated architecture and decor to make moviegoers feel like they were outside. In their heyday, these glamorous “picture palaces” channeled 17th-century Dutch cityscapes, Spanish courtyards, or Mediterranean skies, as with McKeesport’s John P. Harris Memorial Theatre (which closed in the 1970s), attracting Americans to the movies on a weekly basis.
In a case of what’s old is new again, when the lavish Hollywood Theater opened on Potomac Avenue in September 1926, it featured a courtyard interior, a balcony, and a domed ceiling with embedded star lights, even using the tagline “Where the moon and stars shine,” according
will screen Metropolis along with live musical accompaniment, light bites, and champagne. In the coming weeks, the theater will also soft launch programming for members of Row House’s film club, and has Halloween-themed public screenings in the works for October, including Night of the Living Dead
At first glance, said Simmons, creating a haunted house and revamping the historic theater — a project he describes as Need More Fog’s “largest and grandest in scope” — might not appear to have much in common. But they overlap under the heading of “experiential design” and point to larger trends that find patrons willing to spend more on one-of-a-kind and premium experiences. The movie theater industry, in particular, has had to get creative in the face of a serious crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of streaming platforms.
“A lot of times, people think the safe way to go is to be sort o f
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
The Hollywood Theater in Dormont
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
Brian Mendelssohn of Row House Cinemas leads a tour of the Hollywood Theater on Aug. 25, 2025.
middle-of-the-road,” Simmons said. “Actually, I think that’s not the safe way to go. The way to go is to give somebody something they can only get at one specific place … What are you doing to give people something they can’t get anywhere else? That’s that haunted house mindset.”
“There’s not going to be any other movie theater on this side of Pennsylvania that’s going to feel like this,” Simmons said of RowhouseHollywood. “The hope here is that you have plenty of movie theater choices. But if you’re coming to a place like this, which is interesting, visually dynamic, and also locally owned and created … it comes from a place of creativity and heart, not just numbers on a spreadsheet somewhere.”
In addition to renovating the main theater, Rowhouse-Hollywood’s basement — once home to two storefronts and a bowling alley — will house a second 46-seat screening room, two private media rooms, a karaoke room, and a Japanese-style pinball arcade.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show , performed by the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players of Pittsburgh at the venue since the 1990s, will also remain at the Hollywood, with an upgraded stage and a dedicated
dressing room and storage space in the theater’s basement.
Spanning the Hollywood’s 100-year-history, the main theater will offer both digital and 35/70mm film projection using a dual-purpose Norelco projector. Restored from the Byham Theater, the projector was used at the world premiere of Night of the Living Dead in 1968. Screening across formats will allow Row House to show new releases for the first time, alongside repertory films, including a planned 35mm showing of The Exorcist this fall, something especially appealing to younger audiences seeing classics for the first time, Simmons said.
Row House plans to ramp up to 70mm projection at the theater by late 2026 or early 2027. This would make Row House-Hollywood the only theater in the region showing 70mm films, which have recently experienced a contemporary resurgence, promoted by directors including Paul Thomas Anderson and Christopher Nolan.
“Our relationship with media and screens has changed so much in the last century, but we still believe that a movie screening should be a grand and awe-inspiring experience,” Mendelssohn said. “This theater is designed with that goal in mind.” •
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
The Hollywood Theater in Dormont
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
The Hollywood Theater in Dormont
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
Brian Mendelssohn of Row House Cinemas leads a tour of the Hollywood Theater on Aug. 25, 2025.
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
The Hollywood Theater in Dormont
TERMINATED
“Unpaid parental leave at the abortion clinic — that sounds like an Onion headline, but it’s real,” shares Emily Quinn, a counselor at Allegheny Reproductive Health Center and a member of the newly-formed bargaining committee.
BY: INDIA KRUG
Allegheny Reproductive Health Center, one of the area’s only two abortion clinics, serves Pittsburgh and surrounding regions. They also offer gynecological and gender affirming care. Quinn has been among the loudest voices for unionization at the clinic, where she’s worked since 2021.
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
Emily Quinn and Raven Kirksey from the Allegheny Reproductive Justice Union
On une 1 , staff won their election and became a union under OP U. On August 1, they sat down to their first bargaining meeting, to discuss issues like parental leave, wages, and healthcare. But these successes haven’t come easily, uinn says. Over the past four months, four of her coworkers have been fired.
“THE PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE AND THE PATIENTS WHO SEEK CARE THERE DESERVE TO HAVE IT BE A STABLE ENVIRONMENT .”
The first was ikki Terney, described as a mentor and fierce advocate for her coworkers.
“ hen ikki was fired, it was like, oh, all of us are vulnerable,’” uinn tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “And the message was, if you speak up, you are expendable.”
aven Kirksey, a former employee, says that Terney’s termination caused a ripple effect among staff. “Conversations started with us being really upset and sad about ikki,” she shares. “And then it was like OK, well, we’re not protected. s anybody interested in a union ”
The coworkers met to discuss it one night. “ e were with an organi er from Planned Parenthood of estern Pa. that talked
to us about what unioni ing is, what it can look like, the benefits of it,” former employee Colby Bell tells City Paper Staff at Planned Parenthood of estern Pa., the only other clinic in the region, unioni ed in March 1. Both clinics saw surges of patients after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision as abortion bans took effect in surrounding states.
“There was this energy in the clinic of we’re all in this together,’” uinn says. “ e were seeing at least double the amount of people, or 4 names on the schedule per day.”
mployees like Terney say they frequently stayed at the clinic until 1 or 11 p.m. at night. Terney joined the staff a few years before Dobbs, and says she fell in love with the work. “Then, early this year, the culture of the clinic changed,” she tells CP. “ t felt more capitalist, not as much for the community.”
“Allegheny eproductive Health Center is committed to providing safe and quality care to patients,” the clinic said in a statement to CP . “ n general, A HC does not comment publicly on internal personnel matters. A HC respects employees’ rights to engage in protected activities, such as the right to decide whether to unioni e.”
Terney says community is everything to her. She speaks warmly about her patients one thanked her by sending her lunch another reaches out at Christmastime. “ t truly means the world to me,” she shares.
FREE EVENT
hen she was fired, her coworkers and friends set up a GoFundMe to help cover expenses. Over the next month, several more fundraisers would have to be organi ed.
Bell and uinn were among the staff who announced their intent to unioni e on May
. “Management would not look people in the eyes for the rest of the day,” Bell says. Then, when the workday ended on May , Bell was fired. “ was not allowed to gather any of my things from upstairs or see any of my coworkers on the way out, and they escorted me out of a back stairwell,” Bell tells CP. “They also flanked me one manager in front of me, one manager behind me as if was gonna make a break for it or something.”
Bell says one of the reasons management gave them for the firing was “harassment”
“ had put a union email signature in my email,” they say.
Following the announcement, staff hoped that management would voluntarily recogni e the union.
“ e actually found out later that they were retaining lawyers,” Bell shares. uinn characteri es this as a “slap in the face” as she and others try to make ends meet on their salaries. “ ’m on Medicaid have coworkers who are on food stamps. So many of my coworkers are parents,” she says. “ see that there is money for other things there’s money for union-busting. You can’t expect people to take a pay cut just because they believe in what they’re doing for work.”
One parent is Andre’a Bailey, who was fired the week after Bell. Bailey worked at the clinic as an observation technician for individuals coming out of procedures. “ ’m taking care of patients that are sedated,” she tells CP. “ ’m taking care of patients that are sick and nauseous, so they’re spitting up at any given time.”
As call logs began to fill after the Dobbs decision, she was also trained on phones. “Calls could get hectic and mentally draining after a while, so wanted to shift back to my role in the recovery
room,” she shares. “Some days, would do clinical work, and other days would do administrative work.” Then, on une , she was asked to do both at the same time.
“ explained that have to closely monitor these patients, and it’s not a good idea for me to schedule patients at the same time,” Bailey says. “ would also need to ask for medical history, financial history on the phone. So if have patients in here recovering or waiting to go into the procedure, they’re going to hear me discussing that.”
Bailey refused, and finished her work day. “ walked out, and about minutes later, checked the schedule for the next day, and was locked out of our email,” she remembers. “And that’s how found out was fired.”
Bailey says that taking on multiple roles is just one example of the hidden challenges that come with working in reproductive healthcare. Another is simply trying to get through the clinic door.
“ e’re coming into work and there are protestors outside screaming at us, cursing at us, walking up to our cars,” she shares. “ have two young children, and if was getting dropped off at work, they were screaming at me and my children.”
Despite this, former employee aven Kirksey says, the clinic meets the needs of the community. She knows this first-hand as she was introduced to Allegheny eproductive Health Center as a patient in 1 . “ remember walking out and being like, wow, want to be just like those people,” she tells CP.
Years later, she saw a job opening and applied.
On union election day, Kirksey was a
poll observer. “ t was held in our break room lounge. stayed to watch the election official count the votes,” she says.
The next day, Kirksey was fired. She echoes Terney, Bell, and Bailey when she remarks, “ miss my patients miss my coworkers. miss doing what we did there.”
“And the reason why we’re unioni ing is because the people who work there and the patients who seek care there deserve to have it be a stable environment,” uinn shares. “They deserve to know that there can be longevity in that workplace.”
She knows the community will continue to rally around staff. “ e’ve had incredible support from the abortion worker community and from the unioni ed abortion worker community at Planned Parenthood of estern Pennsylvania. e’ve even received support from the public libraries in Pittsburgh,” she shares.
She anticipates a lengthy bargaining process before a contract is negotiated, “probably at least a year,” she estimates. “ t could be longer, it could be shorter, and we’re here for the whole deal. Pittsburgh is a union town. This is Pittsburgh’s only independent abortion clinic. e are going to fight for ourselves. t’s what we do.” •
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
Emily Quinn and Raven Kirksey from the Allegheny Reproductive Justice Union
READERS’ POLL 2025 PARTY
Join us as we honor the people and places that make Pittsburgh a dream come true! Get ready to conjure up your most whimsical outfits and celebrate with us!
WORKINGCLASS WORDS
In his new collection My Prisoner and Other Stories, Tyler McAndrew explores America’s broke and broken
BY: COLIN WILLIAMS // CWILLIAMS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
Anyone looking for the “real America” is more likely to find it in scrubby backyards, litter-strewn parks, and inner-city blocks than Times Square or the ational Mall. t’s a world of short sentences and tall tales, conspiracy theories, triple-dog-dares, and letters from jail a world of train whistles and bungled crimes and latchkey kids and unavoidable neighbors in short, a world familiar to many Pittsburghers.
“WITH SHORT STORIES, I FEEL LIKE THAT’S A PLACE WHERE I CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE QUIET, A LITTLE BIT MORE HONEST, A LITTLE BIT MORE TENDER.”
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON Tyler McAndrew
Stories . The entries in My Prisoner — slated for release on Thu., Sept. 4 through Mad Creek Books, an imprint of The Ohio State University Press — range from shorter tableaux to longer explorations, each presenting a vision of everyday life, alternately healing or fracturing. Many of them take place in and around fictionalized versions of the Steel City or against similar Rust Belt backdrops.
McAndrew completed an MFA at the University of Pittsburgh, where he now teaches, and at Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12. “Pittsburgh kind of quickly became one of my cornerstones
those unsupervised hours after school or during summer vacation,” McAndrew says. “I spent so much time as a kid just kind of on my own, unsupervised, wandering around in the woods.”
That side of Millennial childhood is front and center in “The Cursed Treasure of the McDaniels Kids,” which sees two bored siblings add intrigue to a local man’s metaldetector walks, and “Shit Plate,” which follows a poor kid’s quest to buy a gold necklace by eating “the grossest stuff from our school lunches.” Both stories are full of shadows, with their narrators catching glimpses into much darker corners of the world through the characters they follow. This perspective recurs in several stories.
“It comes from those early experiences of recognizing … ‘Oh, man, this kid’s life is a lot different from mine,’” McAndrew says of “Shit Plate.” More broadly, McAndrew says many of the stories are about “watching somebody else’s misfortune and not really knowing what to do about it.”
He says the current political moment has helped him “distill” that feeling in My Prisoner's stories, all of which previously appeared in literary journals and zines.
“I started sending it out in maybe 2019, 2020,” McAndrew says. “In some ways, I’ve been working on it since 2008.”
Korine film Gummo as an early influence on his aesthetic, though some stories feel more like William Gay’s Southern Gothic salvos (“How I Came to See the World”) or even Roald Dahl’s horror shorts (“The Storyteller”). Befitting the title, capture and escape play a prominent role in the collection. He says the title story emerged tangentially from a roommate’s daily run on the North Shore “Jail Trail.”
The big picture is one of people scrambling through a half-assembled world and finding pleasure where they can, even if that’s in the company of a burglar or a skunk. In My Prisoner ’s world of fragile trust, these unconventional relationships give McAndrew’s characters something real to hold onto.
“A lot of the other art that I make tends to be very loud and aggressive,” he says. McAndrew also plays in a band, has compiled a chapbook of erasure poems, and is working on a long-form horror comic. “With short stories, I feel like that’s a place where I can be a little bit more quiet, a little bit more honest, a little bit more tender.”
McAndrew will appear at several live events for My Prisoner , including a reading on Thu., Sept. 11, with fellow Pitt writer William Lychack at White Whale Books, and, later in the year, a reading in Cleveland, Ohio, with Pittsburgh-based author Patrick McGinty.
Pittsburgh City Paper . “I latch on to specific little locations in Pittsburgh that I like to write about.”
McAndrew’s own life is, for the moment, more concerned with the day-to-day: as a new father and educator gearing up for another academic year, sleep has been harder to come by. “My brain is scrambled,” he says with a chuckle. But McAndrew says the collection is firmly rooted in his own childhood in Syracuse, N.Y., and the unconstrained world of childhood at the end of the millennium.
“I’ve always been drawn to this world of childhood, when you have
For all its heavy themes and title, My Prisoner is surprisingly full of humor and delightful details. McAndrew mentions the Harmony
He tells CP he’s taken a brief break from story writing to work on other projects. Beyond that, his main focus? “Having a newborn baby.” •
BOOK LAUNCH: TYLER MCANDREW MY PRISONER AND OTHER STORIES WITH WILLIAM LYCHACK 7-8:30 P.M. THU., SEPT. 11. WHITE WHALE BOOKSTORE
FESTIVAL • RANKIN
IN PITTSBURGH
THU., SEPT. 4
ART • SQUIRREL HILL
Opening Reception: The Pittsburgh Plein Air Collective Exhibition 5:30-7:30 p.m. Frick Environmental Center. 2005 Beechwood Blvd., Squirrel Hill. Free. Registration required. pittsburghparks.org
ART • GARFIELD
Opening Reception: As It Is and Meanwhile in Detroit. 6-8 p.m. Continues through Oct. 18. Silver Eye Center for Photography. 4808 Penn Ave., Garfield. Free. silvereye.org
LIT • SHADYSIDE
Appalachian Writers Series: Laura Jackson and Amanda K. Jaros. 7-8:30 p.m. Chatham University. 107 Woodland Rd., Shadyside. Free. Open to the public. Livestream available. chatham.edu/events
FILM • DOWNTOWN
ReelAbilities 7 p.m.. Continues through Thu., Sept. 11. Point Park University-Pittsburgh Playhouse. 350 Forbes Ave., Downtown. $5-18 single tickets, $75-125 passes. Virtual screenings available. filmpittsburgh.org
TUE., SEPT. 9
MUSIC • MUNHALL
Kenny G 8 p.m. Doors at 6 p.m. Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall. 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. $81.41-116.81. librarymusichall.com
MUSIC • NORTH SHORE
Don’t look, Team Lana! See one of the most controversial musicians working today when Ethel Cain stops at Stage AE during her Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour. The young, trans-identifying musician has made headlines for her talent, and for an online presence defined by regrettable past posts and a beef with Lana Del Ray. See Cain with supporting artist 9million. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. 400 North Shore Dr., North Shore. $98.93. $1 from each ticket sold benefits The Ally Coalition LGBTQ+ nonprofit. promowestlive.com
FRI., SEPT. 5
MARKET • SHADYSIDE
The Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh presents A Fair in the Park 1-7 p.m. Continues through Sun., Sept. 7. Mellon Park. 1047 Shady Ave., Shadyside. Free. All ages. craftsmensguild.org
Experience Celtic music, dance, cuisine, and more when the Pittsburgh Irish Festival returns to the Carrie Blast Furnaces. The annual event celebrates its 34th year with a slate of new food o erings and entertainment, including a stone-lifting competition, a live performance by Bodhrán Blitz, and a traditional Irish breakfast. The Pittsburgh Steelers will also host numerous activities, giveaways, and more in honor of their upcoming game in Dublin. 4-11 p.m. Continues through Sun., Sept. 7. 801 Carrie Furnace Blvd., Rankin. Ticket prices vary. Free for kids 12 and under. pghirishfest.org
MUSIC
• STRIP DISTRICT
Jillith Fair: Loving Jill Sobule. 7:30 p.m. Doors at 6 p.m. City Winery. 1627 Smallman St., Strip District. $20-35. citywinery.com/pittsburgh
MUSIC • NORTH SHORE
Women Who Rock Benefit Concert with Jessica Simpson 7:30 p.m. Doors at 6:30 p.m.
Stage AE. 400 N. Shore Dr., North Shore. $75.65. mageewomens.org/events
THEATER • SHARPSBURG
Vigilance Theater presents Campfire Stories. 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sat., Sept. 13. Camp Guyasuta. 300 23rd St. Ext., Sharpsburg. $35. vigilancetheater.com
COMEDY • ALLENTOWN
Nico Carney. 8 p.m. Doors at 5 p.m. Bottlerocket Social Hall. 1226 Arlington Ave., Allentown. $29.18. bottlerocketpgh.com
FILM • DOWNTOWN
Boys Go to Jupiter 8 p.m. Continues through Thu., Sept. 11. Harris Theater. 809 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $10-13. trustarts.org
SAT., SEPT. 6
CONVENTION • DOWNTOWN
Get your fix of animation, video games, and other pop culture when ToonFusion Expo takes over David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The event makes its Pittsburgh premiere with tons of voice talent from anime, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and other series, celebrity panels, and gaming tournaments, as well as a cosplay contest and other activities. Grab your fellow fans and enjoy this weekend of fun. 9:30 a.m. Continues through Sun., Sept. 7. 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Downtown. Tickets start at $29.75. toonfusion.com
ART • DORMONT
Dormont Arts presents Art in the Park 2-7 p.m. Dormont Park. 1695 Dormont Ave., Dormont. Free. All ages. dormontarts.com/artinthepark
PARTY • LAWRENCEVILLE
Union Day Party. 4 p.m. Thunderbird Music Hall. 4053 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $22.75 in advance, $54.65 at the door. 21 and over. thunderbirdmusichall.com
COMEDY • DOWNTOWN
Tom Papa: Grateful Bread Tour 7 p.m. Byham Theater. 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $50.74-68.44. trustarts.org
PARTY • BLOOMFIELD
MySpace Nite 10 p.m. Brillobox. 4104 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. $10. 21 and over. brilloboxpgh.com/events
SUN., SEPT. 7
TOUR • NORTH SIDE
Mexican War Streets House and Garden Tour. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 604 West North Ave., North Side. $30. mexicanwarstreets.org
BURLESQUE • STRIP DISTRICT
Velvet Hearts Burlesque Brunch. 12 p.m. Doors at 11 a.m. City Winery. 1627 Smallman St., Strip District. $15-25. citywinery.com/pittsburgh
MUSIC • MILLVALE
Cosmic Supreme Tour featuring John Mark McMillan and Citizens 7:30 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Mr. Smalls Theatre. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $33.45. mrsmalls.com
MON., SEPT. 8
TALK • OAKLAND
R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar: Restoring an Ancient Fishpond in Maui, Hawaiʻi 12-1 p.m. Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. Registration required. carnegiemnh.org
PHOTO: JEREMY DANIEL
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at the Benedum Center
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE PITTSBURGH IRISH FESTIVAL
Pittsburgh Irish Festival at Carrie Blast Furnaces
FILM • OAKLAND
Carnegie Museum of Art Film Series: Here or There (5). 7-10:30 p.m. Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $10, $8 for members. Registration required. carnegieart.org
TUE., SEPT. 9
LIT • OAKMONT
Author John Patrick Green with Pat Lewis
6:30 p.m. Mystery Lovers Bookshop. 514 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. Free. Registration required. mysterylovers.com
MUSIC • NEW KENSINGTON
Crypta: In the Other Side North America Tour. 7 p.m. Doors at 6 p.m. Preserving Underground. 1101 Fifth Ave., New Kensington. $32.15.preservingconcerts.com
Cain at Stage AE
THEATER • DOWNTOWN
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sun., Sept. 14. Benedum Center. Seventh Street and Penn Avenue, Downtown. $49.86-165.50. trustarts.org
WED., SEPT. 10
MUSIC • OAKMONT
Ruben Studdard 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. The Oaks Theater. 310 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. $34.75-79.75. theoakstheater.com
FILM • POINT BREEZE
Mamma Mia!: Outdoor Movie and Live Choir Sing-Along. 8 p.m. The Frick Pittsburgh. 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze. $10-20. thefrickpittsburgh.org
TUE., SEPT. 9
PUBLIC AUCTION
Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 110 Kisow Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15205 September 17, 2025 at 11:15AM. Keith Steed- 344. The auction will be listed and advertised on www. storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
PUBLIC AUCTION
Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 111 Hickory Grade Road, Bridgeville, PA 15017, September 17, 2025 at 12:30pm. Autumn Gangl 3064. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.
Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction.
Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
MARKET PLACE
PUBLIC AUCTION
Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 141 N Braddock Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15208, September 17, 2025 at 11:00am. Charece Lyons 1178A, Elizabeth-Ann DiSanto 2151A, Stephen Williams 3242A, Jamar Jackson 4010, Simone Deakings 4022, Walter Thomas 5012, Christopher Cornelio 6038, Jan-Michael Mckenzie L026. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures. com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction.
Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
PUBLIC AUCTION
Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its a iliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 700 E Carson St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. September 17, 2025 at 12:15 PM. 2140 Julien DeMarco, 2190 Laura Walsh, 3004 Shanel Terrell. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.
Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction.
Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
PUBLIC AUCTION
Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its a iliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 902 Brinton Road Pittsburgh, PA 15221 on September 17th, 2025 at 11:30 am. Corey Smith 3014, Colten Bircher 3187 Claudy Pierre 3215 . The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures. com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction.
Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
PUBLIC AUCTION
Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its a iliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 1005 E Entry Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15216 on 9/17/2025 at 11:30 AM. 2140 Benita Turner, 2156 John Mcquillan, 4108 Michael Miller, 4134 Nathan Gibson, 8115 Ireti AdebayoThomas. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
PUBLIC AUCTION
Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 1212 Madison Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 on 9/17/2025 at 1:30 pm for 1033 Michele Judge, 117 James Cunningham and 5013 Jorge Torres. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
PUBLIC AUCTION
Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its a iliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 880 Saw Mill Run Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15226, September 17, 2025, at 1:15 PM. Sergio Hill 1041, Lamar Scott 1046, Latoya Reed 2010, Chris Hunt 3002, Atiba Wilson 3089, Ed Gordon 4028, Cameron Brown 4116, Tobbie John Logistics 4234. The auction will be listed and advertised on www. storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
Notice of ctitious name: Se ck Tax & Advisory. - Tax Preparation - Tax planning - Personal budgeting 412-737-7672 PUBLIC NOTICE
SERVICES
DIRECTV OVER INTERNET - Get your favorite live TV, sports and local channels. 99% signal reliability! CHOICE Package, $84.99/mo for 12 months. HBO Max and Premium Channels included for 3 mos (w/CHOICE Package or higher.) No annual contract, no hidden fees! Some restrictions apply. Call IVS 1-877-350-1003
FREE 2 AKC REGISTERED MALE & FEMALE TEACUP YORKIES PUPPIES are ready for Adoption Raised in a Loving Home. Small size, a ectionate and ready for their forever home, if Interested Contact: boylecharlesallen@ gmail.com
PERSONALS
White male, 56, health conscious, non-smoker, non-drinker. I’m very caring, talkative and loving. I enjoy oldies, nature, animal-lover. The simple things in life make me happy. Desire a girl with similar interest. 412-781-5989, best time 7p.m.-8:30p.m.
PERSONALS
A happy guy who loves good food, great conversation, and even better company — just looking for someone who enjoys the same interests! Give me a call at 412-313-4320 —and if I miss your call, leave a message and I’ll get back to you soon!
ESTATE NOTICE ESTATE OF ANDREWS, GABRIEL KING
A/K/A IF NECESSARY, GABRIEL, KING ANDREWS, DECEASED OF PITTSBURGH, PA No. 022504855 of 2025. Suzanne Andrews Extr.
340 Bank Street, Sewickley, PA 15143
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION of the SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:
Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at Modern Reproductions
We are an equal rights and opportunity school
Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coverage for their entire working life, throughemployer-provided benefits. When those benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to put off or even go without care.
Simply put — without dental insurance, there may be an important gap in your healthcare coverage.
When you’re comparing plans ...
Look for coverage that helps pay for major services. Some plans may limit the number of procedures — or pay for preventive care only.
Look for coverage with no deductibles. Some plans may require you to pay hundreds out of pocket before benefits are paid.
Shop for coverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits. Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.
Medicare doesn’t pay for dental care.1
That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it was never meant to cover everything. That means if you want protection, you need to purchase individual insurance.
Early detection can prevent small problems from becoming expensive ones. The best way to prevent large dental bills is preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends checkups twice a year.
Previous dental work can wear out.
Even if you’ve had quality dental work in the past, you shouldn’t take your dental health for granted. In fact, your odds of having a dental problem only go up as you age.2
Treatment is expensive — especially the services people over 50 often need.
Consider these national average costs of treatment ... $222 for a checkup ... $190 for a filling ... $1,213 for a crown.3 Unexpected bills like this can be a real burden, especially if you’re on a fixed income.
WHY CAN’T BOTH SIDES BE TRUE?
ACROSS
1. Intro to Greek?
6. One with a fresh game face?
10. Put on a long face
14. Integra maker
15. Lupin star Sy
16. Battle of Endor critter
17. Most unexciting Hawkeye State?
19. “___ Is On My Side” (Rolling Stones hit, or an alternate title for this puzzle)
20. Straw quickie
21. Mason jar covering
22. Home’s location
24. Young man
25. Polynesian paste
26. Heartburn medicine that works in tiny spaces only?
35. Extra man in old school video games
36. Cream
37. Downloadable program
38. Made to look older
39. West Pointer
40. Funny smell
41. Evil action
42. Animal seen in a pack, or on a pack
43. From a certain point
this street?
44. With 57-Across, service just a little further along or scrape
47. Toss overhead
48. Singersongwriter Kershaw
49. Like some U-boat-targeted weapon
53. Cologne cooler
54. LIV competitor
57. See 44-Across
58. Post “9:00” and “5:00” on X?
61. Doing nothing
62. Over somebody
63. Coach’s first name on Cheers
64. Bucks in the woods
65. Resident Alien channel
66. Dreadlocked dude
DOWN
1. Some head gear
2. Berry-yielding palm
3. Cut of beef
4. Dr. known for production
Old-time lighter
Reason for bouncing
“Down in the dumps” vibe
Mid-Atlantic convenience store chain
Fight Club star
Kind of unit
Minor bump
12. Small toys, for short 13. Scrapes (by)
18. Laundry room brand
23. All finished 24. Praise
26. Bread for breakfast
27. Radio personality Martinez
28. Actress Davis
29. Latin lover’s words
30. Back in the day
31. Area of personal growth?
32. Lacked, briefly
33. Historical division
34. Spending ___
39. Persian back doors
40. Cry while slopping
42. Some rebranding overseers, for short
43. Deere rival
45. Mini burger
46. “Sit ___ and rotate!”
