Fred Shaw

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Articles

Jan Beatty – Poet. Madwoman. Ally. - Belt Magazine

Dec 5, 2024 | beltmag.com | Fred Shaw

By Fred Shaw Dragstripping by Jan Beatty from the University of Pittsburgh PressWrite the poem you’re afraid to write. That’s the mantra-like advice Jan Beatty has been prescribing to budding poets of all stripes for over three decades, as the now-retired professor has seemingly had a guiding hand in the education of every writer in Pittsburgh.
Resource deputy position too costly

Oct 16, 2024 | coastalview.com | Fred Shaw

I’ve had several people ask me why we no longer have a Community Resource Deputy. That position was developed to engage Carpinterians in a more personal relationship with our Sheriffs. The deputy filling that position was not fired but merely reassigned to the position he filled before. The city council was faced with two difficult decisions to balance our budget. One was, with some revenues not keeping up with expenses, how does the city continue to deliver all the services we want?
Re-elect Natalia for District 2

Aug 21, 2024 | coastalview.com | Fred Shaw

Four years ago, after serving two terms on the Carpinteria City Council, including one term as mayor, I decided to step off the council. While I enjoyed my time on council, I felt it was time to bring a new dynamic to our local government. At that time, we were five men and no Latinos serving a community that deserved better representation. I was happy to support a smart, locally involved, experienced Latina to run in my place, and she won.
Mental health in everyday life

May 22, 2024 | coastalview.com | Fred Shaw

Editor’s Note: This Viewpoint is Part 4 of a five-week series submitted by HopeNet of Carpinteria for Mental Health May. As a board member of HopeNet of Carpinteria, I am often reminded of how crucial a person’s mental health is to live a rewarding life. I am a retired letter carrier with a bachelor’s degree. I also serve on the board of directors of the Friends of the Carpinteria Library, the Steering Committees of the Host Program and Seal Watch.
Fred Shaw: Paul Spadafora knows the difference a mentor, and a boxing ring, can make

Mar 17, 2024 | post-gazette.com | Fred Shaw

Boxer Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the face.” For “The Pittsburgh Kid,” Paul Spadafora, former IBF lightweight champ and McKees Rocks-native, the problem was never in-fight strategy, as he ended his stellar career with a record of 49-1-1. In 1999, he brought Pittsburgh its first boxing title in fifty years and was thought of, for a time, as a franchise himself, behind only the city’s professional sports teams in recognition and popularity.
'Christmas Bells' demonstrates that ‘war is many things’

Dec 24, 2023 | post-gazette.com | INEggnog French Toast |Fred Shaw

Editor’s note: This is the 160th anniversary of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s memorable and haunting poem, “Christmas Bells.” To commemorate the poem and to celebrate the holiday, the Post-Gazette asked two local writers to respond to Longfellow’s verses.
The Making of the Mafia

Oct 26, 2023 | pittsburghquarterly.com | Fred Shaw |Alan Paul |Stuart Sheppard |Joann Cantrell

There’s a scene in season one of “the Sopranos” when teen daughter Meadow asks, “Who invented the Mafia?” The question leaves Tony to consider how to respond with a mouthful of mu shu pork. That she then names those five New York City families with ease exemplifies the way La Cosa Nostra has become ingrained in our cultural history. Writer and FBI intelligence analyst Paul N.
Review: Poetry in 'Entangled Souls' illuminates humanity

Feb 26, 2023 | post-gazette.com | Fred Shaw

In the introduction to the City of Asylum-produced anthology “Pittsburgh Live-Ability,” a collection of writing which “amplifies the experiences of disabled folks living in Pittsburgh,” editor and poet Ellen McGrath Smith shares this perspective: “We make things happen for each other, for ourselves, when we listen, when we speak our truths.” One collaborator on that project, poet Rich-ard St. John, has also authored the recent collection “Book of Entangled Souls,” which from the beginning...
Review: The poetry of memory

Jan 29, 2023 | post-gazette.com | Fred Shaw

In an essay for Lit Hub’s “The Craft of Writing,” the recently-deceased yet beloved Pittsburgh-native Gerald Stern once posited that “All poems start by accident, and every poem worth its salt was unpredicted and, as often as not, has its genesis at a low point in the poet’s journey.” It’s advice that gets heeded in Barbara Edelman’s newest poetry collection, “All the Hanging Wrenches,” which finds her exploring pandemic-related isolation, interactions with the natural world and the loss of...