Endorsement sets up the next chapter for proposed city book fest
Marshall Cohen is not an author, a bookseller or a publisher. In fact, he’s not connected with the literary industry in any way — other than through the 2,000 books he says fill multiple rooms of his Shadyside home.
But the 74- year- old man’s plan to single- handedly create a Pittsburgh book festival is moving forward this week after earning endorsement from eight members of City Council.
Born and raised in Shadyside, Mr. Cohen returned to Pittsburgh after he and his wife retired from the National Institutes of Health last year. A voracious reader who frequently travels to book festivals in Los Angeles and Boston, he says he was surprised the city lacked a similar event, given its large library system and the many universities it has.
“The pieces are here to put a festival together — you’ve got a very strong literary community, you’ve got authors, writers, bookstores, publishers, university presses, you’ve got strong support across the community for the arts and culture,” he said. “A piece that’s missing, it struck me, was something that could appeal to people of all ages and all interests across the city.”
He has spent the past several months assembling those pieces, amassing contacts from the literary community and pitching his idea to possible partner organizations. The festival’s website lists a dozen area authors, presses and independent bookstores as “early supporters” of the event.
Adlai Yeomans, owner of the White Whale Bookstore in Bloomfield, is among the supporters. Mr. Yeomans said he believes his shop could help the festival in a number of ways, including by hosting author talks, supplying event staff, or drumming up publicity.
“Pittsburgh has a really vibrant literary scene here,” he said. “Our independent bookstores also are vocal advocates of local writers and local presses, so that’s one thing that we can kind of add.”
Around a month ago, Mr. Cohen raised the idea during the public comment period of a City Council meeting and spoke with Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, who coordinated the council members’ letter of endorsement.
Ms. Strassburger, who represents Mr. Cohen’s council district, said she felt confident about throwing her support behind the book festival after seeing Mr. Cohen’s work fundraising and planning events with the Shadyside Action Coalition
and other neighborhood advocacy groups.
“Marshall is a resident in Shadyside who is fairly new to the neighborhood, but has already made his mark by jumping right in,” she said. “I saw what he could do when he put his energy into something, so when he approached me about this idea, it was a nobrainer.”
In the letter of endorsement, the eight council members offer their support to the organizers of the festival, adding they hope it will “celebrate diversity in literary works” and “appeal to children and families, aspiring writers, and residents from in and around Pittsburgh.”
“Our city lacks a unifying literary event, a festival or fair, that brings all this vibrancy together, for one day, in one location and appealing to a diversity of ages, communities, and interests,” the letter states. “Many cities, both large and small, host such an event, and it is time for Pittsburgh to join that list.”
Now, Mr. Cohen is soliciting input from Pittsburghers via an online survey, with the assistance of a few volunteers. He hopes to finish assembling a steering committee this fall to assist in selecting a venue and creating or partnering with a nonprofit organization to obtain grants and sponsorships.
Karla Schmidt, who directs the Library of Congress-affiliated Pennsylvania Center for the Book, said her organization looks forward to making a donation.
“I think it’s a chance to bring a real diverse group of folks together around literacy,” Ms. Schmidt said. “One of our main things is to support literacy across the commonwealth, so a book festival is one of the most wonderful ways to do that.”
Mr. Cohen says he hopes to kick off the inaugural Pittsburgh Book Festival in fall 2020.
“I’m retired, I have some time,” Mr. Cohen said. “I’ll do the work. What I need is people who will add their voice and their support to build that critical mass.”
“I think it’s doable and I think it’s possible.”