Sidle Creek

"The 22 stories in Jolene McIlwain’s debut collection all take place in the Appalachian plateau of western Pennsylvania, where the author grew up and lives now, and all convey the deep love of the people and place McIlwain has long called home. One of the collection’s recurring motifs is a masculine softness that isn’t always easy to express in words but that is nevertheless deeply felt. Another theme is community care; not in the Hollywoodized small town “aw shucks” kind of way, but rather in the difficult, intentional work of maintaining contact with one’s neighbors and trying to provide what people need."