News

Jermyn native, Judy Kiehart will be at the Carbondale Public Library for a book signing event Sunday, October 8th from 1pm to 3pm. A question and answer period will follow a short reading from her award-winning memoir, Calico Lane. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

Launched in January 2022, Kiehart’s memoir chronicles the coming-of-age and coming-out story of a Lackawanna Valley girl grappling with the realization that she is not the person her family — or most anyone — expects.  Set in The Lane, a neighborhood in Pennsylvania surrounded by dense woods, creeks, and rutted mining tracks, Calico Lane deals with universal themes of family, acceptance, faith, and love.

Winner of the 2022 Best Indie Book Award (LGBTQ Memoir) and the First Place Winner in the first quarter 2023 Firebird Book Awards (LGBTQ Nonfiction).

Judy Kiehart was born and raised in Jermyn, PA.  She attended the Lakeland school district and then graduated from Lackawanna Jr. College in 1973. As an adult, she earned her BA Degree from Marywood in 1996. Kiehart’s writing achievements include one-act plays and short stories. Staged works have been performed in Salida, Colorado and Oympia, Washington. Her short story, ‘Listen, the Board is Talking,’ is included in the 2023 NIWA Anthology, Harbinger. She holds memberships with the National Association of Memoir Writers, the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association, the Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA), the Chaffee County Writers Exchange, and the South Sound Indie Authors (SSIA).

For more information about the Author Talk event and to register, please contact the Carbondale Public Library at 570-282-4281.  This program is part of the PA Forward® initiative to promote Basic Literacy to our community to power a better future for everyone.