A book fairy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been spreading some book fairy magic on the Pride celebrations in their city! Identifying themselves simply as ‘The Steel City Book Fairy’, they’ve kindly shared their story!

When the Book Fairies launched #BookFairiesWithPride earlier this year I could not have been more excited!  I have many friends who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community and have always been an ally so combining some Book Fairy fun with honoring and celebrating Pride sounded excellent to me.

Pride, Book Fairy style

While I had planned to participate regardless, I was thrilled to receive a supply of Book Fairy Pride stickers with a special rainbow border in my May Book Fairy subscription box! I then went through my stash of books looking for titles or authors with a connection to LGBTQIA+ themes and backgrounds. I also did a bit of research on popular books in the genre and purchased a few more.

Next it was time to select the perfect time and place to hide the books and what better opportunity than Pittsburgh Pride! With the first official Pittsburgh Pride Parade occuring in 1973, Pittsburgh has a rich history of supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. Having never attended a Pride event before I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I had a blast and can honestly say I’ve never attended any other event so full of love.

Pride, on the Andy Warhol Bridge

I started by doing a walk through of the event to scout some hiding spots and enjoy the day. Much of the event was spread across the Andy Warhol bridge. For those of you who don’t know, with 446 bridges spreading across town, Pittsburgh is pretty into having parties on bridges and obviously we had to celebrate on one dedicated to Pittsburgh’s gay icon, Mr. Andy Warhol. Of course I had to hide a few books on the bridge!

Pride, supported by the Library

But the best part of my adventure was stopping by the local library table.  Their wonderful staff had book lists, stickers, and other fabulous items to encourage folks to get involved with summer reading. I quickly introduced myself and asked if they could help select a lucky reader to receive my final book Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin. They were so excited to help and even agreed to pose for a photo!  I trust they made sure the book made it into good hands.

I’m so glad I made it to Pittsburgh Pride and I highly encourage my fellow Book Fairies to take some time this summer to read and share books about LGBTQIA+ experiences. I promise you’ll feel the love!

XO The Steel City Book Fairy

We LOVE hearing these Book Fairy stories from fairies all around the world! If you have a story to share about your book fairy adventures, please email bookfairyemail@gmail.com for a chance to be featured on the blog!

Join The Book Fairies with Pride

The Book Fairies are celebrating Pride all summer, both by attending events and by hiding great stories. If you would like to join us, get some books together and order your Pride stickers today!