Anna Pack writes in a journal while underneath trees in Chicago. Associated Press

G-Jun Yam

As writers, finding true inspiration can be hard.

That’s why we applaud the Writers on the Prairie program. About to be held at the Jennings Environmental Education Center the Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia aims to inspire writers from Northern Appalachia to speak with one voice.

The initiative, like others before it held in places such as Cook Forest, aims to give voice to authors from our region and make those voices as well heard as those from other regions more well-known in literature, such as Southern Appalachia and New England.

The event will enable writers to meet and, perhaps, draw inspiration from Jennings. It also will bring novice and established writers together. It may even give unpublished writers the chance to work toward publication.

Crystal Franciosi writes outdoors in Worcester, Mass. Associated Press File Photo

Stephan Savoia

The written word is still the last marker of history. For better or worse, what we write down survives long after us.

We applaud these authors for diving into the frightening void of the blank page, and we applaud the conference and Jennings for working together to give them the opportunity.

— JP