Our Mission

The Watershed Journal Literary Group is a grassroots, autonomous, nonprofit organization located in our region of the Pennsylvania Wilds. We believe in the power of storytelling, in both visual and written forms, as a way to transcend our perceived differences and inspire one another. We also believe in transcendent influence of the natural world, dynamically apparent in our region of the state. 

Our mission is to empower and elevate regional authorship and readership in the western Pennsylvania Wilds. Our literary magazine, cooperative press, and website provide inclusive publishing opportunities while our bookstore, literary arts center, and literary events provide inclusive opportunities to strengthen our literary community.

We produce a quarterly literary magazine, run the Watershed Books & Literary Arts Center, put on monthly Writer’s Block Party meetings, publish long-form books, promote local authors, create a podcast, write blogs, provide resources and more.

TWJ: An Origin Story

By Jess Weible

When I sit down to write about The Watershed Journal (TWJ), there’s always a strong temptation to start at the beginning. This literary community has blossomed and bloomed so brilliantly in only a few years. It would be easy to get swept away with the momentum and forget where and why we started. 

I started the Writer’s Block Party in 2017 because I wanted to take myself more seriously as a writer and I wanted to connect with other writers. I had been writing for the local newspaper and I was meeting so many interesting and creative people, some of them with the same impulse for putting words on paper that I had. At first we had a small group of about five or six people who would meet once a month at Fusion Cafe and share our work. After every meeting, listening to their stories, inspired by their ideas, I would walk away feeling energized, inspired, and rejuvenated. It gave me this feeling that more was possible – more of what, I wasn’t sure, but the experience was generative and it was exactly what I needed creatively.

In the spring of 2018, a few members of the Writer’s Block Party – Sarah Rossey, Kirke Wise, Amanda Smith (then Carrier), and I rallied together with the idea of publishing our own literary magazine. I won’t speak for them, but I’ll confess that I barely knew what a literary magazine was at the time. But I had this vision where all of the writers that I had met and who had shared their work would have a place where their voices would be heard. 

Our first decision in making this idea come to life was giving it a name. We knew that we wanted to have a local focus and that our name should reflect our shared sense of identity, living in this place. We had maybe four or five contenders, but I remember one of the ideas Amanda offered was Hometown Trails, which hit all the right notes. But there was something about the feeling of possibility in the name The Watershed Journal, the phrase “watershed moment” meaning a turning point or moment of change. It felt like something new was about to happen and the name captured that excitement. 

Still, my expectations were modest. I thought we might put together a nice, little spiral-bound collection. Maybe print out a few dozen copies to share among friends and family. I remember working on the cover design in a free version of Publisher Plus on my laptop using an image of the sun rising over a frosted field of grass, the light hitting the glistening blades so that they almost sparkled. It was a picture Sarah had taken and selected as the perfect image to debut our new publication. She was right. In fact, with the combination of Sarah’s amazing eye for design and impressive technical skills, the first edition of The Watershed Journal far exceeded my expectations. She brought a professionalism and quality to the edition that elevated all of our work. And somehow, almost 20 editions later, she has continued to lead us all through an evolution of design and composition that has been breathtaking to watch. 

But when it came time to print, that first edition of The Watershed Journal almost didn’t happen. We had a fundraiser to support the cost of printing and everyone had chipped in, but the cost ended up being quite a bit more than we expected. Kirke, who had such a strong belief in this whole literary experiment that he had made it all seem possible, came to the rescue with a donation that helped us get those first, glossy copies in the hands of readers. 

After the debut of that first edition, something incredible happened. Readers and writers from all over our region took notice of what we were doing and wanted to be a part of it. We started hosting writer’s workshops and poetry readings. Participation at Writer’s Block Party meetings doubled, then tripled. I still remember the first time I met each member of our literary community at one of these events or at first through their submissions to the magazine. When I think about TWJ, I think about the people, their stories, and the look in their eyes when they experience the same thing I described from those early writer’s meetings – the inspiration and the feeling of possibility. You can write a poem. You can finish your book. You can publish it and share it with the world. Your voice matters and we will listen. 

Quick jump

Imprints of The Watershed Journal Literary Group

Watershed Books & Literary Arts Center

Watershed Books is a bookstore and literary arts center open to the public to support readership and authorship in our community.

The new bookstore features a wide selection of used and local books for sale as well as new and past editions from The Watershed Journalliterary magazine. We will also have a dedicated literary arts area where people can drop in and take advantage of resources and we can host seminars and workshops.

We have thousands of new and gently-used books for sale in a variety of genres—popular fiction, classic literature, poetry, self-help, memoir/biography, nonfiction, multi-cultural literature, philosophy, children’s books, and much more! We also feature books by local authors in-store and on our online Bookshop storefront.

Publishing

The Watershed Journal literary magazine

Our extremely local literary magazine publishes quarterly in print and exclusive content online. The production team thoughtfully combines writing and imagery to provide an immersive and diverse experience for our readers.

We created a magazine not to compete with big-city publishing, but to better represent the experiences and perspectives of those living in our region. And we believe that there is a broad audience for these stories and images – what is happening in our part of the Wilds is beautifully diverse and fascinating.

The Watershed Journal’s production team runs our magazine on a basis of inclusion and strives to publish as many eligible, local submitters as the magazine can hold. Ours is a rural region, accustomed to exploitation and full of rich tradition.

We are dedicated to serving this underrepresented region and giving a voice to the writers, photographers and artists who call our portion of the Pennsylvania Wilds home.

Book Publishing

Whether it be fiction, nonfiction, poetry or hybrid writing, we want to hear, share and preserve local writers’ books for several reasons: for the sake of their artistic value; to encourage and foster a more expansive literary community; to create a shared space for writers and their audience, which creates better communication for the region as a whole, and can lead to further invaluable artistic explorations.

We published our first full-length book in December 2020 — Fields of His Heart, A Poetry Collection by Wayne H. Swanger. From the foreword: “This collection is well-populated with workers, dreamers, lovers. Some may be hurt by the world, but they remain radiant in their humanity. Grief and joy dance here. Whether short and aphoristic or careful and meditative, all the poems sing in conversational free verse.” (Deborah Sarbin). Available now at Watershed Books, BookShop and Amazon.

Writer’s Block Party

Writer’s Block Party is a social writer’s group that is free to the public. We meet on the last Sunday of the month from 2-4pm and right now all our events are happening online. An average Writer’s Block Party meeting begins with brief introductions and then at least an hour of open reading. First time participants have priority to share their work with the group. Typically, group members spend some time discussing the merits of the work and even offer insights as they relate to the content of the piece. Sometimes the work will relate to the month’s writing prompt, which is posted for all members on Facebook and via email, but the work does not have to relate to the prompt.

Podcast

Writers of the Watershed Podcast is another way for our followers and supporters to get to know the incredibly talented people who make The Watershed Journal possible. In these episodes, our writers will talk about the inspiration and methods behind their work. We have submitters of all types and this podcast shows what a wide variety of writing we have going on in our region.

Our Executive Editor, Jess Weible, has created and produced over forty interviews with local writers who have been published with us. Take a listen and get to know the diverse storytellers who make the local literary scene so exciting.

Blog

Our blog is a collaboration of our staff and many other voices in our area. We aim to provide resources, highlight local literary happenings, and dive deeper into the TWJ mission. Recently, a local writer has been writing a series on his road from manuscript to publication. Readers of the blog will find writing tips, book reviews, storytelling philosophy, inspiration and more.

We are always looking for content to add to our blog. If you’re interested in contributing let us know! We love to feature pieces on writing, on our literary scene and on the overall storytelling experience.

Staff

Sarah Rossey – Managing & Creative Director

Sarah is a freelance graphic designer, website creator, writer and knitter. Sarah was a stringer for the Abilene Reporter News in Abilene, Texas, and has a heart of a writer. She received an interdisciplinary degree in English, history, psychology and philosophy from ACU. Sarah has written for and designed numerous websites, including author sites and business landing pages, but derives her greatest writing satisfaction from spreadsheets. Her non-spreadsheet work has been featured on North/South Appalachia.

As Managing and Creative Director for The Watershed Journal, Sarah edits the website, designs the layout for the literary magazine, helps run the bookstore and handles accounting.

Board of Directors

Jess Weible – Executive Director

As Executive Editor of The Watershed Journal, Jess drives the vision and strategy for the literary magazine.  A founding member of the Writers Block Party group, she leads its monthly meetings and works tirelessly at community-building. Jess has a focus on networking and engagement for the bookstore and the overall efforts of TWJ.

Jess is a freelance writer and reporter who has seen her work published in the Courier Express, Jeffersonian Democrat, the Explore Jefferson on-line magazine and the Brookville Mirror.  After earning her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Secondary Education at Shippensburg University, Jess began teaching English, Literature and Composition to middle school-aged children.  

During those ten years of teaching, Jess pursued a Master’s Degree in Humanities at Penn State University Harrisburg. Jess is a featured guest on the blog for the Center for Teaching Quality. She has presented at seminars on writing such as the annual “Elevating Teachers” conference for Pennsylvania and New Jersey teachers.  In her spare time she manages to write award-winning poetry—she was awarded first place in the 22nd Annual Poetry Contest at the Rebecca M. Arthurs Library.  

Recently, Jess published Dead Letters: Delivering Unopened Mail from a Pennsylvania Ghost Town, investigating the untold stories of the people and places contained in each letter. Find out more about this fascinating book and more at Jess’s website.

Antonio Vallone

Antonio Vallone is an associate professor of English, coordinator of English,  and program leader of the 2- and 4-year Multidisciplinary programs at Penn State DuBois. Currently the poetry editor of Pennsylvania English (the journal of the Pennsylvania College English Association), his editing experience includes the Brockport Review and the Indiana Review. He is also the publisher of MAMMOTH books (a non-profit literary press). He has published several collections, The Blackbird’s Applause, Grass Saxophones, Golden Carp, and the chapbook-length poem Chinese Bats. Forthcoming collections include American Zen and Blackberry Alleys: Collected Poems and Prose. In progress is The Death of Nostalgia.

Kirke Wise

Kirke Wise is an eclectic writer, who does not identify as a writer, with a finger on the pulse of the local literary scene. While he is a technician by trade and interest, his writing is inspiring and challenging. He has been an avid supporter of The Watershed Journal since its inception and brings an important, unique perspective to our organization.

Kirke’s poems have appeared in every issue of the journal and he is active in performing at local open mics and has published many of his poems online.

Debbie Allen

Debbie Allen has worked for decades in fields such as journalism, scholarly journal and book editing, and educational publishing. She is committed to causes such as arming all with the power of literacy and combating systemic inequities. As well, she has a passion for studying, critically responding to, and writing poetry and currently serves as an associate poetry editor for the online journal Poets Reading the News. She enjoys the challenge of working in meter and rhyme but appreciates all types of poetry. Debbie’s poems have appeared in The Watershed Journal and Tobeco Literary Arts Journal, with much of her published poetry tending toward response to injustices.

Fred Wilbur

In 1961, Fred Wilbur was on a pathway to becoming a math teacher and got sidetracked teaching computers how to work. He wrote programs in over 20 different software languages then moved on to managing software projects, architecting new systems, and leading technical gurus.  He worked in large, small, startups, established, good, and bad companies.  Forty years later he finished his BS degree, gave up working in corporate America, and started working on his own agenda. While working part-time in technology, he helped his wife move her pottery studio from New Hampshire to Western PA, built a house, and helped a local family-owned business grow its eCommerce business. 

Today, Fred’s agenda is to help others grow, learn and develop.  That ranges from helping others use technology to tutoring a neighbor teenager to pass sixth grade.  Fred enjoys hiking mountains, playing pickleball, making pottery, playing piano, reading constantly, and writing stories. He has also been accused of having an insatiable curiosity, scary problem-solving skills, and uncompromising integrity. 

Fred and his wife, Rita Nichols, live on 26 acres in Rochester Mills.

Greg Clary

Greg Clary is Clarion University professor emeritus of rehabilitation and human services who was born and raised in southern West Virginia. Clary earned his bachelor’s and masters’ degrees from Marshall University and his doctorate from Kent State. He and his wife, Cass Neely, have resided in Clarion County for the past 40 years. 

Shortly after retirement, Greg’s photographs and a poem were published in the second issue of The Watershed Journal. This was a huge source of encouragement leading him to continue as a regular contributor. He also became involved with the journal-related group, The Writer’s Block Party, where he met poet Byron Hoot. They subsequently collaborated on an ekphrastic book of poems and photographs, Piercing the Veil: Appalachian Visions, available through Amazon Publishing. The layout and design of this book was coordinated by Sarah Rossey.

In addition to the Watershed Journal, his writing and poems have appeared in The Rye Whiskey Review, The Bridge Literary Arts Journal, Northern Appalachia Review, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Waccamaw Journal, Rusty Truck, Anti-Heroin Chic, Sterling Clack Clack, Trailer Park Quarterly, Rust Belt, Breath of Love: An Anthology, and North/South Appalachia: Poetry and Art, Vol 1.

His photographs have been published widely including The Sun Magazine, Looking at Appalachia, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, Hole in the Head Review, Rattle, Change Seven, Detour Ahead, Bee House Journal, Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel, Reservoir Road Review, Tobeco, Stick Figure Poetry, The Ear, Rubbertop, and Bluestone Review. 

Book covers: 

And it All Came Tumbling Down, Hannah Allman Kennedy, Mammoth (2022)

Milky Way Accent: Poems of Bob Snyder, Dos Madres Press (2020)

David Drayer

David Drayer is the author of the novels Strip Cuts, A Noble Story, Something Fierce, the novella, Attachment, which is currently under-option for a film with Paperclip Productions in Los Angeles, andthe autobiographical collection, Wayward Son: Travels and Reflections. Born in Rimersburg, Pennsylvania, Drayer has lived in Los Angeles, New York, and many cities in between. He holds an MFA from the University of Iowa and has worked countless jobs, including stints as adjunct English professor, ghostwriter, and corporate trainer. 

Since his return to the area, he has done numerous readings, writing workshops, and served as judge in writing contests for libraries and community groups all over western Pennsylvania. 

In 2022, Drayer published new stories in Sterling Clack Clack, Appalachian Lit, and the Watershed Journal. Presently, he is at work on a new novel.

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