The Watershed Journal: Uplifting and empowering local literary arts

The Watershed Journal Literary Group is an autonomous, grassroots, charitable nonprofit literary organization located in the I-80 Frontier Landscape of the PA Wilds serving storytellers in western Pennsylvania.

The Watershed Journal Literary Group is a multi-faceted organization. They publish a literary magazine, run Watershed Books and Literary Center, host monthly Writer’s Block Party meetings, publish books, promote local authors, create a podcast, write blogs, and provide writing resources.

It all began in 2017 when Brookville, PA freelance writer and reporter Jess Weible started the Writer’s Block Party. The mission was to provide an open, supportive space where writers could share work and benefit from encouraging feedback. The Writer’s Block Party is free and open to the public, with meetings held on the last Sunday of each month. The event has remained the same while expanding to generate ideas for events and collaborations.

The Watershed Journal continually looks for storytellers of all ages, experiences, and backgrounds with ties to the western PA Wilds area. Unsolicited submissions of poetry, short stories, personal essays, photography, and other storytelling imagery are welcome as they seek to provide diverse content.

Since the summer of 2018 when the first issue of the magazine was released, The Watershed Journal has published 22 issues, both in print and online. Print copies are available at various retail locations across the following counties:  Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Venango, and Warren.  

After leading the effort to start the Writer’s Block Party, Jess Weible continued to play a role at the head of the effort and now serves as the Executive Director of The Watershed Journal. Sarah Rossey is the Creative Director and Office Manager.  

One source of income for this literary magazine, in the mountains of northwestern Pennsylvania, is through book sales at their store located on Main Street in Brookville. Watershed Books opened in November 2020.  You will find twenty plus genres of gently used books, new and past editions of The Watershed Journal, along with the largest collection of local authorship in the western PA Wilds region. 

Watershed Books is also a Literary Arts Center which is open to the public to support readership and authorship in the community. Enjoy the quiet reading room while you sip a complimentary cup of tea, meet a friend to work on your latest writing draft, or take advantage of their free literary resources.  Check their website (TheWatershedJournal.org) for the calendar of events which includes seminars and workshops. They will even post your literary event on the calendar, free of charge. Also on the website and social media pages, you will find online exclusives, podcasts, and professional development content.  Membership to The Watershed Journal Literary Group costs $75, which includes a subscription to the quarterly magazine, quarterly newsletters, behind-the-scenes materials from the staff and other extras.  

Sarah Rossey stated, “Writing can be very isolating as a practice. But having a community like The Watershed Journal Literary Group can be invigorating and inspiring. It was never the intention of The Watershed Journal to compete with big-city publishing, but to better represent the experiences and perspectives of the people in their PA Wilds region. What is happening here is beautifully diverse and fascinating. They are ready to literally ‘spread the word.’”

Photo Credit: The Watershed Journal Literary Group

The Watershed Journal Literary Group is a Host Site under the Experience Maker membership in the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania. Learn more about the Watershed Journal Literary Group and leave them a review or recommendation on their WCO profile by visiting wildscopa.org/our-members/.