Walk & Write: Homewood Cemetery with Jennie Benford

Stories of the past, present, and future are hidden in plain sight at the historic Homewood Cemetery, founded in 1878. Participants will tour the grounds with archivist and historian Jennie Benford whose passions include shedding light on the little known. Her insights, combined with Sherrie Flick’s prompts, will help us write worlds seen, unseen, and imagined.

About Walk & Writes

Since 2021, local writer Sherrie Flick has led the popular Walk & Write Tour series for Shiftworks Community + Public Arts. The summer and fall of 2024 marks the fourth season of this successful program after three seasons of exploring Downtown Pittsburgh, Hazelwood, Morningside, the North Shore, and the South Side to name a few.

These hour-and-a-half tours traverse city neighborhoods and introduce tour-goers to various walking trails and footpaths. This season includes Flick working with guest writers each exploring a different neighborhood and theme, such as noticing, inside/outside, the past isn’t the past, and immersion.

As participants walk these areas, they will have the opportunity to exercise their creative writing skills, responding to Flick’s writing prompts at each tour stop. The writing prompts are unique to each tour route and correspond with its surroundings.

About Jennie Benford

Jennie Benford is the Local & Family History Librarian at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. She has been affiliated with The Homewood Cemetery, in one capacity or another, for over 30 years. She was University Archivist at CMU, 125th Anniversary historic researcher for Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, a Clayton Docent at The Frick, Pittsburgh Museums and Gardens, and a founding member of guerrilla women’s history action collective LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails).

Additional Information

Registrants should plan to arrive by 9:50 AM and check-in with Shiftworks staff; the tour will begin promptly at 10:00 AM.

All writing abilities are welcome and no previous writing experience is necessary. Bring a notebook, a writing implement, and curiosity for new places and experiences.

Please wear good walking shoes and dress appropriately for the weather.

Access & Accommodations

This event will be held in-person and requires light physical activity.

This event will be held outdoors at the Homewood Cemetery. There is free parking on-site near the cemetery office. If there is a funeral service the day of the tour, parking is available elsewhere in the cemetery. The location is also served by public transit (see “Parking and Transportation”).

A public restroom is availalbe inside the cemetery office.

Please note that masks are not required for attending in-person events but will be made available upon request. We ask that all attendees respect the health and safety of others; if you are sick, please stay home.

To request additional accommodations for this event, please submit your request in writing on the event registration form. A Shifworks staff member will follow up with you directly about your request. We will attempt to implement requests for reasonable accommodations to the best of our ability, but cannot guarantee that all requests will be met. Alternate accommodations may be suggested by staff. All requests must be made by Monday, October 14, 2024.

For any questions, please contact Ashley Anderson at ashley@shiftworkspgh.org.

Cancellations and Refunds

This tour will take place rain or shine; please be prepared for any type of weather. If there is severe weather the day of the tour requiring cancellation, participants will be notified by email 2 – 4 hours before the start of the tour and refunds will be issued to the original form of payment. All other sales are final.

Parking and Transportation Information

Parking is available inside the cemetery. Attendees may park near or behind the cemetery office.

If taking public transportation, there is a Pittsburgh Regional Transit stop at Forbes Avenue and Dallas Avenue that serves routes 61A and 61B. There is another stop approximately four blocks away at Shady Avenue and Ayelsboro Avenue that serves routes 64 and 74. For more information, please visit the Pittsburgh Regional Tranist website at: https://www.rideprt.org/.

Photography, Videography, and Other Documentation

Participants should be aware that photography, video recording, and/or other documentation of the event by Shiftworks, other attendees, or the media may take place during the event. Participants will have an opportunity to indicate if they choose to opt out of being included in event documentation, and our team will make reasonable efforts to accommodate these preferences.

Registration

Registration for this tour is $10 per person; advance registration is required. The button below will redirect you to Eventbrite where you can complete your purchase.