Welcome! Call me Carolyn. I’m a blogger, poet, and author of non-fiction, short stories, and novels. The world is full of stories that I want to capture and share with you. You can jump to a list of my published work, contact me, or keep reading to learn more about me.
My published work includes the short story “Zoning Adventures: A Home Addition Paper Chase,” the blogs urbantraipsing and Diving into Details, and vignettes for the Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture alumni newsletter. A sample of my works-in-progress covers books on the morality of zoning and Pittsburgh’s adaptively reused religious buildings, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and a poetry collection “Quarantined for Life and Other Love Poems.”
Portfolio
When you give a zoning employee an application for a home addition…it’s hard to tell who will be more relieved to get it approved.
Zoning Adventures: A Home Addition Paper Chase
Zoning Adventures: A Home Addition Paper Chase
Open the pages of this illustrated, short story to see what goes on behind the zoning counter in the fictional, hilly city of Yinzburgh.
urbantraipsing
Follow my footsteps as I explore urban experiences across bridges, past religious buildings and public art, and through changing neighborhoods. In 2024, January is the two-year anniversary of the collapse of Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge, Bridge Madness returns in March, and Buffalo, New York, will be the featured city for most of the year with exploration of the city’s parks and bridges.
Diving into Details
Past posts unpack zoning tips and tools for applicants and professionals in Pittsburgh and provide an introduction to the history and exclusionary impacts of zoning. In 2024, posts will be less frequent and will focus on zoning, housing, and equity over the last 100 years.
Carolyn Ristau 