Fourth and fifth grade gifted and advanced ELA students from Horace Mann Elementary will present a short stories reading at the Artists Hand Gallery
from 1:30-3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 4. All the stories are their own
original writings, and are the result of a Fall artist residency through ArtsPath with professional writer and Teaching Artist, PJ Piccirillo.
The
twenty-day residency took place between September 23 and December 4 with
students of Elizabeth Woods, the Gifted Support teacher for Horace Mann
and Eisenhower Elementary schools. Through the guidance of PJ Piccirillo, an experienced, professional, and published writer, the
residency addressed several standards beyond their grade-level, as well
as the 21st Century Skills of Critical thinking, Creativity,
Collaboration, Communication, Technology Literacy, and Productivity.
The
final result of the Fall residency will be an anthology, with all
students receiving a copy, as well as a copy staying in the Horace Mann
library.
PJ Piccirillo’s stories and articles have appeared in journals,
newspapers, magazines, and as syndicated releases and have won several
literary prizes. His first novel, Heartwood, was published by Middleton Books. His recently published second novel, Indigo Scarf,
is based on the true story of two slaves who fled their owners with
white women into the wilderness of north-central Pennsylvania, and
interprets the little known legacy of slavery persisting in the north
during the nineteenth century.
PJ Piccirillo's residencies, which help participants discover ways of writing stories
that work best for them, are rooted in rediscovering why we write
fiction and in uncovering some of the infinite places where can start.
He often helps the writers create their fictional worlds by building
outward, in steps, from simple core ideas they conceive in writing,
memory, and discussion prompts. PJ also conducts programs for the
Pennsylvania Humanities Council at rural libraries, promoting the value
of literary art for cultural and personal insights. PJ returned to
fiction after 10 years in marketing communications, writing advertising,
promotional, news, and technical copy. He holds a BA in English
literature from St. Francis University and an MFA in creative writing
from the University of Southern Maine.
For more information on ArtsPath and ArtsPath artist residencies, email artspath-info@iup.edu or jwacker@iup.edu, or call the ArtsPath Coordinator for Arts-in-Education Services, Jeff Wacker, at 724-357-4565.
This artist residency and reading was supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal Agency.