The Wednesday Night Writing Group, four writers based in the Youngstown area, has just published its first short story collection. The 170-page volume, titled WNWG Presents, features 20 stories by authors Joseph E. Arrowsmith, K. W. Koocher, Anthony Marchionda Jr. and Lawrence Payne.
Pittsburgh native K. W. Koocher was born in South Side Hospital and grew up in Arlington. She is a 1975 graduate of South Hills High School. She attended the University of Pittsburgh in 1976 and 1977, before moving first to Boston, then to New York City. She has lived in Youngstown, Ohio since 2004.
Ms. Koocher’s mother, Dorothy Williams, is an active member of Knoxville United Church. She also volunteers at UPMC South Side and at the Meals On Wheels at the Henry Kaufmann Center in Arlington.
The group members met while taking a non-credit fiction writing class at Mahoning County Career & Technical Center. After the class ended, they continued meeting on Wednesday nights, and the Wednesday Night Writing Group was formed.
The stories offered in their first publication are as various in subject matter and style as the four authors are different in careers and lifestyles.
The fiction genres explored in this book range from the Western-influenced offerings of Arrowsmith and the macabre stylings of Koocher to the comedic pulp fiction of Marchionda and the social narrative of Payne.
WNWG Presents is available in large paperback format and can be ordered by mail or online for $12. To order, write to WNWG, P.O. Box 248, Campbell, Ohio 44405. It is also available for purchase at The Bean Counter in downtown Youngstown or the Boutique at Angels for Animals in Canfield. Or visit the group’s website.