FIRST PERSON Archives - PublicSource

illustration of american flag with a monster shadow

A childhood sexual assault persists in this Pittsburgh woman’s mind, magnified by a post-Roe world

by First-person essay by Stephanie Graf July 8, 2022July 7, 2022

I wrote this poem to help myself process the grief and anger I was feeling at the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Portrait of Nikki Burfield in a pink shirt holding an ice cream cone

GENDER & IDENTITY

How coming out as a trans woman set me free

by First-person essay by Nikki Burfield June 29, 2022June 29, 2022

Tahirah Walker, photographed outside her home, writes an essay about 10 years of life in Turtle Creek and what it taught her.

Ten Years in Turtle Creek where I learned about community-making

by Tahirah Walker May 26, 2022May 26, 2022

Braddock Starship #1 (Photo by Nathan Van Patter/PublicSource)

The beauty and decay around my North Braddock home drove my art forward with a question: Where do we think this is going?

by First person essay and photographs by Nathan Van Patter May 9, 2022May 6, 2022

Hospital Worker, Alyssa Lisle, photographed outside of UPMC Mercy Hospital.

‘We sit with them’: An ER social worker reflects on the trauma left by the Airbnb party shooting

by First-person essay by Alyssa Lisle April 30, 2022May 13, 2022

illustration of Joey Murphy holding a mask with a smiley face on it that represents a zoom computer window, all superimposed on a large orange shape in the background

Alternate routes: Making a way for people with autism to find fulfilling work

by First-person essay by Joey Murphy February 17, 2022March 16, 2022

Katherine Davoli photographed near Frick Park. (Photo by Lucas Zheng/PublicSource)

Hollow: A nearby resident’s reflection on the bridge collapse over Frick Park

by First-person essay by Katherine Davoli February 1, 2022February 14, 2022

A black and white photo of the front arched entrance of St. Mary's Help of Christians church in McKees Rocks with a wedding party spilling out onto the front steps

Faith, Race, Place

Old-world tensions, new beginnings: What I learned of Pittsburgh’s ethnic parishes from my Slovak Catholic grandmother.

by First-person essay by Agnes Howard January 31, 2022January 29, 2022

Essay author Sally Hobart Alexander sits in a chair holding granddaughter Raya Greenberg. Standing next to her is her husband, Bob and their children, grandchildren and dogs. Joel and Vannida Alexander stands in the center; Jeremy and Leslie Greenberg, holding Clyde, are to the left; with dogs Sabrina and Dave.

Guilt, burden, motivation: A blind woman tackles the hard questions of parenthood and marriage

by First-person essay by Sally Hobart Alexander November 29, 2021December 16, 2021

Why Indigenous place names matter

by First-person essay by Katrina Phillips, Belt Magazine November 26, 2021December 16, 2021