"Big George's Wylie Avenue: Wisdom of The Hill"
A Reading and Conversation Series for the Community

Opening Reading with Kelli Stevens Kane
at Trinity A.M.E. Church on May 30, 2012 at 6:30pm
 

Kelli Stevens Kane opens her Reading and Conversation Series entitled "Big
George's Wylie Avenue: Wisdom of The Hill," on May 30, 2012 at Trinity A.M.E. Church, 2700
Wylie Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Doors will open at 6pm, light refreshments will be served until 6:45. Introduction by Kelli Stevens
Kane's uncle, civil rights activist Tim Stevens. Event ends at 8pm.

Kane will read from her oral history manuscript, "Big George's Wylie Avenue." The manuscript
celebrates the legacy of The Hill District in stories told by people who knew her late grandmother,
Hill District matriarch Georgetta Holmes Stevens (aka Big George). Kane will encourage audience
discussion on themes of family, community, and home.

Said Kane, "Big George used to visit funeral homes whether or not she knew the deceased person.
In trying to figure out why, I managed to collect a treasure trove of stories about what made family
and community strong in her era." Kane added, "We have August Wilson's Hill; we have Teenie
Harris's Hill; and now we have this portrait of The Hill from a woman's perspective."
The reading is free to the public and will be videotaped.

This Series is funded by the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh Initiative of The Pittsburgh
Foundation and The Heinz Endowments.

Kelli Stevens Kane is a poet, playwright and oral historian. Kane's literary works--an oral
history manuscript, "Big George's Wylie Avenue"; a play, "I Never Laughed So Much at a Funeral";
and a poetry manuscript, "Hallelujah Science"--represent four generations in her family, all rooted
in Pittsburgh's Hill District. Kane is a 2011 August Wilson Center Fellow and a 2011 Cave Canem
Fellow. Kane reads nationally, including recent performances at the Cornelia Street Cafe and
Bowery Poetry Club in New York City, The Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh, and TEDxWomen
Pittsburgh.

For more information visit www.kellistevenskane.com