This event will be tonight, February 17th, at 7pm at Dorian Books. More details can be found here.

As a native Pittsburgher, Lori Jakiela (rhymes with tequila) has a weakness for gigantic deep-fried fish sandwiches, thinks slippy is a real word, and sometimes drinks Iron City Beer for sentimental reasons.

Her hometown, Trafford, PA, is widely thought of as the birthplace of the chocolate-covered pickle.

Jakiela, who once had a great fear of flying, worked as a flight attendant at a major airline for six years. She is currently on leave from the airlines. She now spends her days on the ground, teaching at The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, where she is also director of the writing program.

Miss New York Has Everything (Warner Books) was published in January 2006. Jakiela’s essays and poems have appeared in DoubleTake, River Styx, Creative Nonfiction, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, The Chicago Review, 5 AM, Nerve Cowboy, Tears in the Fence, Chiron Review, Slipstream, and elsewhere. Her chapbook, The Regulars — a collection of poems and essays — was published by Liquid Paper Press (See Links) and was awarded first prize in Nerve Cowboy’s 2001 chapbook contest.