PJ Piccirillo: Sharing tales inspired by the Pennsylvania Wilds

Elk County | Elk Country Landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds

Writing is a craft like many others that doesn’t always come naturally to people.

For PJ Piccirillo, it’s a labor of love.

Piccirillo has been working in literary arts for over 15 years.

“I would read great works and be so moved that I determined I would try,” the author said.

An author of three novels and numerous short stories published in literary journals, his work has won him two Appalachian Writers Association Awards for Short Fiction.

A Pennsylvania Wilds native, his work has at times taken on geographic and social inspirations from the region. They often focus on humans in a state of conflict and working in concert with their environment. Another theme is spiritual redemption.

In addition to being a rostered resident literary artist for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Piccirillo was heavily involved in organizing the first-ever Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia in 2019, which brought together rural writers from Appalachia to inspire more literary writing that represents northern Appalachia. He continues to be involved in the planning and preparations for the annual event, encouraging other writers from Appalachia to uplift the region’s rural way of life through storytelling.

“Stories are a great means to making connections with people,” Piccirillo said about what he most enjoys about his line of work. “Not enough persistence is all that separates the writer from success.”

Learn more about PJ or leave a review/recommendation on his Wilds Cooperative of PA profile here, or find a selection of his products on the PA Wilds Marketplace at ShopThePAWilds.com/pjpiccirillo/.

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