by Christina Fisanick Now in its second year, WANA LIVE!, the reading series of the Writers Association of Northern Appalachia, continues to bring the region’s top writers, musicians, and book…
Our passion for each individual voice and perspective brings us closer and improves our craft. We have seen each other grow and struggle and risk and adapt. New voices are welcomed and encouraged and veteran wordsmiths are valued and heard. We believe a wider audience will enjoy storytelling from the Pennsylvania Wilds because we can’t get enough of it!
Our submitters are one big reason why we have been so successful. Our readers are another. There is a hunger in our region for better representation than what is currently available from the media. We have opted for authenticity, diversity and honesty. In a literary world obsessed with superlatives, wanting to know who is better than whom, we instead have chosen to focus on what is real and uplift the voices in our area in truth.
Publishing books is a big step, but it feels like the right directions for TWJ. We will continue to produce quarterly literary magazines, hold workshops and events, but now we have one more opportunity to offer our growing community of storytellers. And more books by more writers in the western PA Wilds is right in line with our mission to elevate and empower regional authorship.
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.
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.