Local writers have stories to tell

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

“Who inspires you?”

That’s the question members of the Tube City Writers group were asked in preparation for the second installment of Tube City Writers Live.

At 6:30 p.m. Thursday  on the lower lawn of Carnegie Library of McKeesport, a group of six writers from the Tube City Writers group will read stories they’ve composed about people from the Mon Valley.

The Point Park University Center for Media Innovation’s McKeesport Community Newsroom is partnering with the Carnegie Library of McKeesport for the event. 

The first installment of the TCW Live event was held in November 2019.

On Tuesday, Tube City Writers Jim Busch of White Oak, Jennifer McCalla of West Mifflin and Colette Funches, Nya O’Neal and Tayler Cleveland, all of McKeesport, gathered at the library for a rehearsal and to reflect on what it was like to tell someone else’s story through a profile piece.

Absent from the rehearsal was Tube City Writer Maria Palmer of McKeesport.

Martha Rial, project manager, said the idea for the theme was in part inspired by the coronavirus pandemic.

“This has been such a difficult, challenging year,” she said, adding, “I know I’ve turned to the people who inspire me” for encouragement and a fresh perspective during the pandemic.

She figured the writers had idols or role models in their lives who would have interesting stories to tell.

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Wednesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.