WCoNA Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia® Announces Regional Writers Event at Duquesne University, March 11-13

Lee Gutkind and Kathleen George Headline Premier Conference Dedicated to Promoting the Region’s Literature

Brockport, PA, February 2, 2022: The Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia is coming to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh Friday, March 11 through Sunday, March 13. The program features 24 workshops and presentations on topics such as writing historical fiction, finding your voice, Pittsburgh authors, book reviews, magical realism in Appalachia, storytelling, character development, and writing about place. This year’s theme, “Pittsburgh: The Paris of Northern Appalachia,” includes special discussions on how the city fits into the greater region’s literary landscape.

The event, focused on building recognition for the region’s literature and helping its writers hone their craft,  kicks off with an open mic on Friday evening. Pittsburgh novelist and Edgar® Award nominee Kathleen George opens Saturday’s program with the keynote address.

WCoNA invites attendees to sign and sell books during the event at the conference’s book sale.

Lee Gutkind, Vanity Fair’s “Godfather behind creative nonfiction,” headlines the Saturday evening banquet. WCoNA will name the winners of the 2022 Book of the Year and Outstanding Contribution awards.

Gutkind is the author and editor of more than 30 books and a recipient of grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Science Foundation, and the Heinz Endowments. He has appeared on national radio and television shows. In 1991, he founded Creative Nonfiction, the first and largest literary journal to exclusively publish narrative/creative nonfiction.

Kathleen George is a professor of theatre and writing at the University of Pittsburgh and the author of acclaimed novels set in the city, including The Odds, which was nominated for an Edgar® award for best novel. She is the editor of the short story collection Pittsburgh Noir.

According to WCoNA founder and president PJ Piccirillo, a novelist from Elk County, writers from or writing about the region of northern Appalachia haven’t been distinguished with a regional identity as have those from other parts of the nation. The diversity of its peoples, places, cultures, and landscapes are uniquely inspiring. “We believe the stories, poems, and essays these qualities inspire deserve to be represented and valued as a body of work,” Piccirillo said. “We want people to have better access to this outstanding literature, encouraging a greater market for our writers through increased demand from our booksellers and more interest from agents and publishers.”

Registration is open with early-bird pricing through February 20 at www.wcona.com.

The Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia (WCoNA) annually brings together writers and others interested in the region’s literature to honor its work and to enhance the craft of its authors. WCoNA is a catalyst to inspire more novels, poetry, essays, history, memoir, and drama that represent, in some way, northern Appalachia, and so create and promote a canon of writers and writing of northern Appalachia.

This program was supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.