Prairie Lights

Jolene McIlwain will read from her fiction debut, Sidle Creek, described by Shelf Awareness as “a rare gem, a compelling blend of nature and humanity perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer and Daisy Johnson’s Fen.” NPR’s review states, “The 22 stories in Sidle Creek charm, surprise, and convey a deep love of the people and place McIlwain has long called home…beautiful prose.”

Jolene McIlwain’s work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and appears in numerous online and print literary journals including West Branch, Florida Review, Cincinnati Review, CRAFT, Smokelong Quarterly, New Orleans Review, LITRO, Prime Number, and more. Her work was included in 2019’s Best Small Fictions Anthology and named finalist for 2018’s Best of the Net, Glimmer Train’s and River Styx’s contests, and semifinalist in Nimrod’s Katherine Anne Porter Prize and two American Short Fictions contests. She was born, raised, and currently lives in a small town in the Appalachian plateau of Western Pennsylvania.