Seeking Essays about Rural Pennsylvania

deadline for submissions: 
January 1, 2023
full name / name of organization: 
Bucknell University Press
contact email: 

Narrative essays about life in rural Pennsylvania sought for an anthology to be edited by Jerry Wemple, a PA-native and award-winning poet and creative nonfiction writer. Outside of settings in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, the idea of rural is open to the writer’s interpretation. However, a sense of place must be at the forefront of the work. (Julia Spicher Kasdorf’s essay “Mountains and Valleys” in her publication The Body and the Book is an example of the type of focus sought.) Rural Pennsylvania has a diverse history dating back hundreds of years. However, the breadth of that diversity is sometimes unacknowledged. Therefore, we are especially interested in considering essays by writers of Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian ancestry. Submissions should be between 1000 to 3000 words. However, shorter or longer essays of merit will be considered. Work should be original, previously unpublished, and in English. We will consider previously published work on a selective basis provided the author holds reprint rights. Submit up to two essays in a Word or compatible format to pennsylvaniawriters@gmail.com. Include a cover sheet with author’s name, address, phone number, email address, essay title and approximate word count. Also include at bio of no more than 200 words that mentions the author’s connection to Pennsylvania. Submission deadline is January 1, 2023. Prospective publication by Bucknell University Press in Spring 2024.