A recent article in Sampsonia Way Magazine recognizes the work of Sherrie Flick, author of Reconsidering Happiness, and poet Nancy Krygowski to keep literature alive in Pittsburgh.  The Gist Street Reading Series attracts large crowds and young writers to a comfortable, friendly environment.  Although she has been working to break the trend of declining readership since 2001, Flick still makes time for her own work.  Published last year, Reconsidering Happiness is the story of two very different women trying to avoid the beaten path.  A young Vivette answers the beckoning call of the Midwest and leaves her familiar life in New England.  Margaret acts as a voice of reason as she lives a quieter life in Nebraska.  To experience part of the adventure, you can read an excerpt from our web site. 

Author Mari L’Esperance talks about her experience writing The Darkened Temple, a collection of poetry.  In an interview, L’Esperance walks through her narrative process: writing the poems first and organizing the collection later, while still creating a strong, coherent narrative.  The Darkened Temple is the story of loss, war, and a disappearing mother that explores our deepest sense of longing.  The book won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry.  To experience the powerful prose, you can read an excerpt from our web site.