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January 08, 2010 at 10:02 PM

            Award-winning historical author P.J. Piccirillo will be the guest speaker for the DuBois Area Historical Society’s Annual Dinner, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. at the DuBois Country Club.

            The menu for the evening will include a choice of stuffed chicken breast or honey glazed ham along with Italian wedding soup, parsley potatoes, green been almandine, tossed salad, rolls, and desert. Cost for the dinner is $20. Reservations are due by Jan. 25.

            To make reservations send choice of entrée and a check made payable to the DuBois Area Historical Society to P.O. Box 401, DuBois, Pa. 15801; or telephone (814) 371-9006.

            Piccirillo’s work has been published by newspapers, magazines and syndicates. His short fiction has appeared in numerous journals, most recently The Laurel Reviews and Ellipsis.

            Many of his stories are inspired by the people of the red brick industrial burgs and timberlands of Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Plateau, where his ancestors settled to work farms, tanneries, mines and rail sections. His historical novel “Heartwood” traces the intertwined lives of two men with common roots in the rugged timbering industry of north central Pennsylvania.

            He has won several literary prizes, including the Appalachian Writers Association Award for Short Fiction. As an artist-in-residence (creative writing) for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Piccirillo conducts writing programs in schools, correctional facilities and community centers across Pennsylvania. He is a commonwealth speaker for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. His program Missing Pages:  The Neglected Literature of the Alleghenies, makes a case for literary canon of Pennsylvania’s Appalachian literature. He also leads book discussions for the council throughout Pennsylvania.

            He teaches creative writing at arts agencies and conducts seminars on craft at writers’ conferences. He holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine. He returned to writing fiction after 10 years in marketing communications.

            The annual dinner is the opening 2010 program for the DuBois Area Historical Society. Upcoming activities include:

            March 18 – Scott Foradora, a tour of Foradora Financial Services Inc. (old John DuBois offices), 80 N. Park Place, DuBois, 7:30 p.m.

            April 25 – Joe Skubisz, “Walkin’ the Rails: a walking tour of the former B & O rail yard,” 11 a.m.  Meeting place to be announced.

            May 27 – Galen Kilmer, DuBois High School Local History Projects, E.D. Reitz Museum, 28-34 W. Long Ave., DuBois, 7:30 p.m.

            June 5 – Festival of the Arts, E.D. Reitz Museum, 28-34 W. Long Ave.,  DuBois, open, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

            September 11 – Fourth Annual DuBois Area Historical Society Open House, 28-34 W. Long Ave., DuBois, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

            October 16 – Third Annual Spirit of DuBois Lantern Walk, DuBois Campus of Penn State University, 6:30 p.m.

            November 13 – Fourth Annual DuBois Area Historical Society Luncheon, speaker, Barb Clark, “Hidden Messages of Quilts,” DuBois Diner, noon.