Where is Northern Appalachia?
We at WCoNA define this region as the Appalachian counties of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and the northern portion of West Virginia.
Writers from, living in, or writing about northern Appalachia have yet to be distinguished with a literary identity, as their stories have been underrepresented and undervalued in the broader culture. WCoNA strives to bring our voices and stories to a wider audience.
Visit the Our Team page to find out what northern Appalachia means to each one of us.
A Place With A Literature, and No Name For It
Other regions of America have long had their own defined place on the bookshelf. New England has one; so do the Southwest and the Midwest, the West with its big-canvas writers, and the South with its gothic tale tellers. Each has a canon of literature drawn from its own history, culture, and landscape, recognized by publishers, readers, universities, and archivists alike.
Northern Appalachia is steeped in everything great literature is made from. While it may lack widespread recognition, the area has a culture, landscape, and history just as unique and identifiable. What it has never had is a name for its own place on that shelf.
WCoNA runs entirely on volunteers, and we have a variety of positions open right now! Join us in helping northern Appalachian literature thrive.
Your donation goes toward helping us keep the costs of our conferences and other writers’ services affordable. Help us grow the canon of northern Appalachia.
Tiers for every budget with perks spelled out on one page. Put your organization in the room where the region’s writers gather each year.