LitFest 2025: Black Womanhood in Pittsburgh with Yona Harvey & Tahirah J. Walker

From the outside, it seems as though Steel City residents have plenty to brag about, from championed sports teams to a bustling jazz history to our longtime designation as one of the most livable cities. But after a 2019 report by the City of Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission showed that Pittsburgh is among the worst cities for Black women to live in, one is left questioning: Most livable for whom?

What does a discovery like this mean for Black women who live in Pittsburgh? What does it mean for the Black women who decide to leave? With these questions in mind, poet Yona Harvey (You Don’t Have to Go to Mars for Love) and scholar Tahirah J. Walker (Rhetoric, Intersectionality, and Black Women in Pittsburgh) will discuss their respective works and experiences, exploring intersectionality, community, and the triumphs and struggles of life in “the most livable city.”

This program features an opening song by INEZ, whose work can be described as an audio diary of her navigation of love and growth as a Black woman. Then Yona and Tahriah will read from their respective works and be in conversation. 

The poems of award-winning poet Yona Harvey’s much-anticipated You Don’t Have to Go to Mars for Love follow an unnamed protagonist on her multidimensional, Afro-futuristic journey. Half-superhero, half-secret-identity, she encounters side-slipping, speculative realities testing her in poems that appear like the panels of a comic book. Music directs readers through large and small emotional arcs, constantly re-troubled by lyric experimentation.

In Rhetoric, Intersectionality, and Black Women in Pittsburgh, Tahirah J. Walker provides an analysis of how Black women in Pittsburgh navigate the public sphere through an examination of the ways intersecting identities shape discourse, silence, and reclamation. Tahirah draws on historical events, personal narratives, and community case studies to zoom in on the intersectional marginalization, resistance, and transformation journeys of Black women in a city deemed most unlivable for them. The book serves as both a testimony to the way intersectionality is turned on its head in Pittsburgh, and as a love letter to every Black woman who has lived in this city and asked herself why.

About the Authors:

Yona Harvey is the author of You Don’t Have to Go to Mars for Love, winner of The Believer Book Award in Poetry, and Hemming the Water, winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award from Claremont Graduate University and finalist for the Hurston/Wright Award. Between the publication of her first two poetry books, Yona co-wrote Marvel Comics’ World of Wakanda, earning an Eisner Award for best limited series, and co-wrote the comic book series Black Panther & the Crew. Her third poetry collection, Season One, Episode Seven, is forthcoming in 2026.

Tahirah J. Walker is a writer and teacher whose work explores the intersections of Black womanhood, community, and expression. She holds a doctorate in rhetorical studies and currently serves as chair of the Department of Community Engagement and Leadership at Point Park University in downtown Pittsburgh. Her work is influenced by the brilliance and insight of Yona Harvey, Brian Broome, Deesha Philyaw, Damon Young, Tony Norman, Kendra Ross, and INEZ. Tahirah endeavors to reflect the vibrant and unapologetic voices that make Pittsburgh feel like home. She is a two-time recipient of the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh grant, an honor that continues to shape and support her creative projects. Tahirah cherishes her family roles, especially those of mother and partner. She believes in exercising the power of joy as resistance. Despite this fullness of heart, she is still processing the tragic day when Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour stop in Pittsburgh was canceled. She has moved forward with grace, sarcasm, and a healthy amount of self-care items from her favorite shop, Plants for Skin. Tahirah has lived in and around Pittsburgh for over 25 years.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is open for brunch from 9:30 to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Please visit OpenTable or call 412-435-1111 to make a reservation.