Storyburgh

05/01/2026

Is 'community hearing' the new 'mushroom' of buzzwords? 🍄

It feels like every Tom, Dick, and Harry in Pittsburgh is hosting a panel hearing on journalism, but the real question is: Are we just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic or can we actually make some waves?

At Storyburgh, we're all about people power! In our latest newsletter, we dish out the deets from our chats with local media pros: Jeff Freedman, Brian Conway, Lisa Cunningham, and Dr. Jeanna Sybert.

Oh, and we're curious: Should Storyburgh get its own Substack party started to fund DMZ and The Convos -- where Will, Pam, and other contributors post essays, stories, opinions, behind the scenes, and photos/videos?

Check out the full scoop and share your two cents here: https://tinyurl.com/2b9pm646

01/28/2026

🚨 EVENT CANCELLATION: DMZ Storytelling is Postponed

There is a deep irony in today's announcement: The theme for our resuming DMZ session was "Plan B." Yet, as we look at the extreme weather hitting Pittsburgh right now, we’ve realized the one thing we didn’t have was an actual Plan B for a snowstorm and negative degree windchills. Yes, we thought of keeping the Facebook Live portion by bridging it to the Zoom session, but we are encountering a glitch in the matrix 😑.

So, for the safety of our storytellers, coaches, and our community, we are canceling tomorrow's event.

Beyond the safety of the roads, we know how hard you've worked today. After spending the afternoon shoveling and finally securing your street parking with your most reliable 'parking chair,' the last thing we want is for you to give up that precious, hard-earned spot to attend our event, only to return later and find that your lovely neighbor has moved your chair and taken the spot.

Stay inside, keep the heat on, watch our past storytelling events and The Convos podcast on our YouTube channel, and good luck keeping those chairs firmly in place.

Thank you.

01/20/2026

In the Season 3 premiere of Convos Story, host Will Halim sits down with Jeff Freedman — longtime LGBTQ+ community leader, activist, and co-creator of QBurgh. From growing up in Pittsburgh and coming out in the pre-internet era, to organizing one of the city’s earliest gay sports leagues and navigating the AIDS epidemic, Jeff shares a deeply personal and historically rich journey.

🏙️ Growing up in Pittsburgh and finding identity before the internet (02:10)
⚾ Founding one of the city’s first gay softball leagues in the early 1980s (06:40)
👨‍👩‍👦 Coming out to family — fear, growth, and eventual support (08:50)
🏥 Living through the AIDS crisis and confronting stigma head-on (11:20)
🌈 The evolution of LGBTQ+ identity, labels, and pronouns (13:40)
🎉 Why Pride is visibility, power, and celebration (15:05)
📰 Media, representation, and the mission behind QBurgh (16:30)
🤝 Why listening and empathy still matter across generations (18:10)

This wide-ranging conversation explores identity, community, evolving language, media responsibility, and why visibility and empathy still matter. A powerful reflection on how far we’ve come — and what it still means to show up for one another.

🎥 Watch the full episode here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EapkqpHmuEU

Smoke The Map of James Blue Moon Story Life continues Stories of Our Elders Nomadic Librarian Concamo Hidden Potential In Plain Sight Dancing Alone – Interview with Victoria Watford Mother’s Milk Hilltop Men’s Group Once Bullied Now a Surgeon, an Immigrant’s Story New Theatrical Worlds, Hidd...

01/01/2026

2025 Review & 2026 Kick-Off

As 2025 closes, we want to thank our community for your continued patience and support through a challenging year.

Despite unexpected setbacks, we are incredibly proud of the work we accomplished:

🎙️ We successfully interviewed ten inspiring Pittsburghers on The Convos, exploring a diverse range of passions and professions across the city. The conversations covered: technology, environment, religions, civic programs, small businesses, photography, arts, nonprofits, social issues+tech, and veterans affairs, as well as advocacy for cannabis and s*x work.

A huge thank you to our amazing guests: Josh Lucas, Joanna Wiens Deming, Jennifer McCurry, Theresa Nightingale, Daniel Rossi-Keen, Caroline Fisher, Patrick Fisher, Michel Sauret, Chris Berg, and Chuck Ondo.

You can watch and listen to all the authentic, long-form conversations on our **YouTube, iTunes, and Spotify** channels.

Also Please Mark Your Calendar for DMZ "Plan B" on 1/29/26 at 7pm. See Events for further details.

12/19/2025

We sat down with Chuck Ondo, and his story is one you have to hear to believe. Chuck served in the Marines and was a high-performing Pennsylvania State Trooper and undercover detective. But behind the badge, the trauma of the job—specifically the tragic death of a baby he tried to save—broke him.

Attempting to escape the pain, Chuck fell into addiction. He lost his career, his reputation, and his freedom. He spent time in state prison where he was targeted for being a former cop.

But the story didn't end in a jail cell.

After his release, Chuck started the Semper Fi Mission, a nonprofit that helps veterans and the homeless get back on their feet. He now offers "Prayer Cuts"—providing dignity, hygiene, and hope to those society often ignores.

Chuck’s journey proves that no matter how far you fall, you can always stand back up.

🎬 Watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYwflba6hSE

11/30/2025

How many lives can one person live?

This episode of The Convos I talked with Chris Berg — sci-fi novel author, seminary grad, software executive, and one of the earliest people trying to use tech to help the homeless in Pittsburgh.

From being an emancipated 16-year-old in Washington’s desert…
to crunching SPSS at Princeton…
to writing software at IBM…
to building a nonprofit (Swigle) before “tech for good” was even a thing…

In this conversation we also talk about homelessness, Pittsburgh neighborhoods, design thinking, social impact, and how tech can change systems when used with empathy.

If you love stories about people with unexpected paths — this one is worth a listen.

Chris’s journey is thoughtful, inspiring, and full of heart.

Full episode is now available on our YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcast channels. See links in Bio.

10/12/2025

While enjoying your EVs and other "green energy" stuff, please keep in mind that modern-day slaves are "employed" to produce some of them.

Thousands of miles from home, Chinese migrant workers run the nickel-processing plants that do the dirty work of the clean energy transition.

08/15/2025

What a story 😢

06/08/2025

FYI: City of Los Angeles is a part of Los Angeles County.

The city of Paramount, CA, where some of these disturbances occurred is a part of LA County -- not the city obviously.

Mayor Karen Bass disputes president’s claim as she thanks local law enforcement for dealing with unrest following immigration crackdown

12/13/2024

The article failed to mention the names of our policymakers who "deal" with the healthcare lobbyists. 🤔

UnitedHealth Group CEO: America’s health system is poorly designed

In his first public response to the consumer outcry following the fatal shooting of one of his top executives, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty said Friday that the US health system “is not perfect” and that coverage decisions “are not well understood.”