Rivers, Ridges, and Valleys: Essays on Rural Pennsylvania

by Jerry Wemple, Anne Dyer Stuart (Editor)

Whether we are native born or have come to settle in Pennsylvania, there is something in the state that seeps into us, that becomes part of us. This collection contains twenty-seven essays. The contributors are all established writers with a variety of publishing credits, and through their writing readers can feel their connection to the rivers, ridges, and valleys of the state. The writers vary in age, representing a couple of generations. About two-thirds are native Pennsylvanians. Those who came to the state came from places as wide ranging as Ohio, North Carolina, Utah, California, and the Philippines. There are several essays dealing with environmental issues such as the aftermath of coal mining and more recent hydraulic fracturing. Some essays celebrate the outdoors whether the adventure is in a backyard or an isolated trout stream. Other essays deal with family legacy and loss, and still others focus on the history of people and places. The essays all have a strong sense of place and represent rural areas in the north, south, east, and west of the state. It is my hope that you will enjoy reading them and learn, as I have, even more about the commonwealth.
In this

Charisse Baldoria - Elements Aurora Bonner - Fractures David Allan Brooks - Frantz Hill Grant Clauser - In the Boughs of Trees Bill Conlogue - Driving Todd Davis - What the Old Ones Show Us Kacie A. England - A Circle Drive Obituary Michael Garrigan - Anthracite Country Crissandra George - Uncovering the Voices, Sounds, and Words of Rural Pennsylvanians Jimmy Guignard - A Rye Sense of Place Lilace Mellin Guignard - Judging Distance Michael Hardin - Build Patrick Thomas Henry - Playing in the Lost Splinters and Pixels Alison Condie Jaenicke - What Are You Famous For? Rachel Kesselman - When Are You Coming Back? Leonard Kress - Centralia Mine Fire Claire T. Lawrence - Bear Shu-Jiang Lu - The Sound of My Rural Home Marjorie Maddox - Pennsylvania Round in Four Parts Abby Minor - Rooms Bathsheba Monk - A Rock and a Hard Place Matt Perakovich - The Bear PJ Piccirillo - On Leaving Steve Schneible - The Old Guard of the American Summer Nick Stanovick - My Father Turns Sixty Today Elizabeth Tussey - On Tussey Mountain Jerry Wemple - The True and Complete Story of Orange

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 24, 2025

Reviews

[Allison Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edited by two former professors and featuring an essay written by a dear friend. Kacie England pens a beautifully haunting piece, "A Circle Drive Obituary," about her childhood home and her family. Check out her short essay on page 46, along with the others included in the collection!