Byron Hoot reviews author Jess Weible's new publication, Dead Letters: Delivering Unopened Mail from a Pennsylvania Ghost Town What Fragile Hope Dies ... ? Imagine being given a letter written…
The Stories from the Pennsylvania Wilds podcast is the latest initiative in the department’s mission to make history relevant and engage with people through historical narratives.
Even in the digital age, books still make the best gift. They are thoughtful, personalized and wonderful keepsakes. If you’re looking for a last minute gift for someone in your life, check out these books by local authors, which are in no particular order.
The 72 page account of Gourley’s experiences as an air balloon pilot is divided into a series of stories that are written conversationally, like stories you would tell to your friends, sitting around the living room or at an evening campfire.
Writers in the Northwestern Pennsylvania area are very fortunate to have three literary Journals interested in local voices. This fact is astonishing— how many regions can boast of having such a treasure-trove of publications that prefer the work of the area’s writers? While they each have different missions, they share a focus on our region and our storytellers.
With these three active and dedicated groups, the writers of Northwestern Pennsylvania enjoy a myriad of opportunities to share their work and get feedback, perform their pieces and grow in their craft and creativity. No wonder the area’s water tastes so delicious!
Many of our local writers have found blogging to be a great way to reach their audience. Some of them use blogging as a way to journal their creative processes and some use it as a professional platform. However, all of these blogs feature distinct, unique voices that contribute to our understanding of ourselves as creative people and the world around us. Check out our list of blogs by local writers which are in no particular order.
As if being a veteran, a boxing coach, a philanthropist and a narcotics detective weren’t enough, Jimmy Cvetic published four books containing his hard-hitting, humorous and street-wise poems. His style has been likened to that of Charles Bukowski, an acknowledged influence. Stories from his Catholic childhood in Garfield in the early 1950s, his observations of human nature, and his experiences in the military and in law enforcement dominate his writing.
This feeling only grew when I bought a used copy of Ralph’s book – an autographed copy, it turned out— and began reading. Ralph’s True Stories is a lovely compilation of articles that reminisce about a life lived fully, mixed in with folksy observations and no small amount of humor. Even more wonderfully, these vignettes are accompanied by photographs infused with the vintage charm of old-fashioned cars, clothing and past traditions. There’s Ralph in a gaggle of school boys in front of the old school house, 1930. There he is in a bobsled pulled by the family’s horses, 1931. He and his wife as a young couple, 1948. His mom holding their first-born in front of the chicken coop, 1950. The 300+ page book had one homey, sweet, candid photograph after another.