Meet Micaela Corn, our Ticketing & Patron Experience Manager
Micaela Corn joined the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures team in July 2025, and has been hard at work preparing for our upcoming season—working with our subscribers, single ticket holders, and bringing her incredible, joyful personality to the office! She brings a wealth of knowledge and a curious spirit to the team, and we’re excited for her to shine with our patrons starting this season.
What did you do before Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures?
I worked in marketing and communications at the University of Pittsburgh for nearly a decade after graduating from there with a BS in psychology, a BA in nonfiction writing, and a certificate in children’s literature. When the pandemic hit, I handled communications for Pitt’s COVID-19 Medical Response Office, which was tasked with managing the emergency on Pitt’s campuses in mid-2020. I’m still super proud of the Vaccination and Health Connection Hub, which grew out of that work. The space on Fifth Avenue continues to be an access point to health care, open to the public and staffed by an inter-professional group of health sciences students and faculty supervisors. Since leaving Pitt, I’ve spent time developing my personal creative practices. Now I find myself excited for a new chapter in the nonprofit literary arts space!
What drew you to work at PA&L?
Before I learned to read, I made every adult in my life read to me. Legend has it that I once drove away a babysitter because she read aloud so much she lost her voice, which meant she couldn’t pursue her artistic dreams, moonlighting as a singer.
As a writer myself now, I’m quite obsessed with “process.” I’m captivated by author talks and think a lot about the power of the written (and spoken) word. I still remember leaving my first Ten Evenings talk in 2018 (M. Gessen discussing The Future Is History), with a renewed sense of urgency about the problems facing society today, and fully convinced of the integral role of literature in solving these problems. I’ve always wanted to work for an organization with a mission like PA&L’s, which inspires me deeply. What a gift to the city, to be connected with contemporary authors and ideas around civic responsibility, compassion, courage, equity, the future of creativity…I feel very privileged to be part of it.
What are some of your aspirations for this role?
As Ticketing & Patron Experience Manager, I’m really looking forward to building strong relationships with our incredible patrons, who have made the past 35 years of lectures possible. It feels extra special to be joining the team for this 35th anniversary season. I’m particularly excited to welcome more people back to the Carnegie Music Hall for our Ten Evenings in person since its renovation. Reading and writing can be such solitary activities; it’s heartening to see big crowds show up for writers and build community around books. I’m also looking forward to getting to know and work with the amazing volunteers who help our events run smoothly.
Tell us more about you—what are some of your favorite pastimes?
Social and solitary activities in equal measure. In no particular order: playing baseball, volunteering at the Garfield Community Farm, making art, going to concerts, watching movies, sharing meals with loved ones, learning things on YouTube, doing local DIY theater, biking, napping, cuddling my cat, reading in coffee shops, doing crossword puzzles, browsing bookstores, walking, and traveling.
The age-old question: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have three books, which would you bring?
Circe by Madeline Miller, a book on how to survive on a desert island, and a blank notebook and pen.
And finally, what are you currently reading?
So. Many. Audiobooks. The Libby app changed my life when I allowed myself to believe that audiobooks count as reading. A few favorites from the past year— Percival Everett’s James, Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, The Book of Dust series by Philip Pullman, Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, and Milk Fed by Melissa Broder (I read that one with my eyes).
