Homing—Exploring a Sense of Place in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Join Rivers of Steel for a special evening in conversation with writer Sherrie Flick. Her latest publication, Homing: Instincts of a Rustbelt Feminist, is a collection of autobiographical essays that traces her journey from her hometown of Beaver Falls to her cultivated home on the South Side Slopes, with time spent living on the East Coast, West Coast, and a significant stop in between. While reflecting on the experiences that shaped her, Flick offers insights on culture, characters, and place—with a special emphasis on the fabric of southwestern Pennsylvania.

Guiding the conversation with Flick is Amy Camp, who as a trails and tourism consultant is a woman who knows how to explore a sense of place. Also an author and fellow Beaver County native, Camp describes herself as having come up “a town and a decade apart” from Flick. From the boom and bust of a steel town adolescence to the vibrant communities these women help to shape today, Rivers of Steel explores perspectives of life in the Rust Belt.

The evening will also include excerpted readings from Flick, a cumulative Q&A with both women, and the opportunity to pick up a copy of Homing: Instincts of a Rustbelt Feminist.

About Sherrie Flick

Sherrie Flick is the recipient of a 2023 Creative Development Award from the The Heinz Endowments and a Writing Pittsburgh Fellowship from the Creative Nonfiction Foundation. Her debut essay collection, Homing: Instincts of a Rustbelt Feminist, is part of the American Lives series at University of Nebraska Press. She’s the author of a novel and two short story collections. Autumn House Press will publish her third collection I Have Not Considered Consequences in Spring 2025. She lives on the South Side Slopes of Pittsburgh.

About Amy Camp

Amy Camp, owner of Cycle Forward, is a trails and tourism consultant who helped launch the nationally recognized Trail Town Program® in 2007. She supports local leaders and communities in trail town development, strengthening heritage tourism, and bolstering the outdoor recreation economy. She has consulted and led workshops throughout Appalachia, the Rust Belt, and other locations in the U.S. and Canada. Her book, Deciding on Trails, details the history of the Trail Town movement and recommends best practices for trail communities. She lives in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood.