ALCStudies Journal

It’s common in the business world for organizations to state their earnings at the end of each quarter. Unlike some, we are not obligated to break a few eggs and cook our books to make an omelet, or engage in other financial shenanigans to show an ROI. While Advanced Labor & Cultural Studies is not primarily a profit-making enterprise, it perhaps makes sense for us to step back occasionally and review the balance-sheet. Of course, returns on investment are not (and should not) always be tallied in dollars and cents. Here, then, is an accounting of our efforts during the first quarter of this year, as well as a look toward what’s upcoming in the next.

1Q 2013 Events & Projects:

January 5th : A return engagement of  ‘The Thin Man’ Comes to Pittsburgh at the Brew House in Pittsburgh

• Expenditure: The time and talent of a wonderful cast and crew, musician and sound designer
• Income/Reward:  The pleasure and satisfaction of partnering with the BH folks and the joy of watching the audience enjoy our original live radio production on Pittsburgh’s South Side

January 5th:  Brave New World:  Technology in Literature and Popular Culture presentation at The Carnegie Library People’s University.

• Expenditure:  Time and thought to gather and organize ideas, historical examples and stories of how we affect and are affected by technology in our daily lives.
• Income/Reward: The chance to interact with an attentive audience of all ages with varied opinions and experience.

March 19th:  From An Gorta Mor to Riverdance: The Irish Famine in History & Memory at UPMC Cumberland Woods

Expenditure:  Involvement in the heart wrenching story of  the most traumatic event in Irish history, resulting in the death of an estimated 1 million people and the great 19th-century diaspora of the country’s people to other lands.

Income/Reward: The chance to celebrate and honor the Gaelic spirit through recounting first-hand stories and interacting with an engaged audience, many of whom had Irish ancestry.

Upcoming 2013 Events & Projects:

May 17th – June 14th: Offering Brave New World: Technology in Literature & Popular Culture  as a 5-session course through the University of Pittsburgh Osher Lifelong Learning

June 11th: Presenting Labor & Identity in Southwestern Pennsylvania for Alloy Pittsburgh. Alloy Pittsburgh is a unique visual and performing arts initiative at the Carrie Furnace national historic area developed and administered by the Kipp Gallery at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

– DA