My name is Patrick. I recently graduated from Penn State Behrend in Erie with a B.F.A. in Creative Writing.  I have lived in Pittsburgh for eight years (attended South Fayette High School, 2006 alumni).  I am going through the process of resettling after my time in college and I am actively seeking a job at this moment. In the meantime, I want to continue working on my writing skills along with revising and editing some of my stories that I have written in college.  I was an assistant editor for Penn State Behrend’s Lake Effect Literary Journal, which has been gaining more recognition over the years so it was a wonderful opportunity to work for it and to read and recommend manuscripts by future, aspiring writers for publishing.

Many events in my life have had a major impact on my writing.  I was born with a cleft lip and pallet so the numerous surgeries I’ve had throughout my life have always been an influence, although I have never had the interest in writing stories involving surgeries.  I have also moved around the country so the people I’ve met and the things I have experienced in the states that I’ve in lived in also play into my writing.  The two American cities that have been a major focus in my stories are Pittsburgh and Las Vegas (I never lived in Nevada, but I went there for my 21st birthday celebration so I have a lot of experiences from that).  Pittsburgh, in particular, is an intriguing place to write about. New York is a certainly a treasure trove of writing material, but Pittsburgh is a great place for writing potential – a beautiful landscape, an intriguing culture (sports, music, and people), and a fascinating history.

I also enjoy reading and the writers that I like to read are Cormac McCarthy, Dan Chaon, Joanna Howard, Christopher Hitchens, Mark Twain, Robert Frost, George Orwell, Joseph Campbell, and Hunter S. Thompson.

When not reading or writing, or debating whether or not the last six years of watching “Lost” was worth it, or being bogged down in deciding what I want to do with my life, I enjoy traveling, watching sports (especially hockey), listening to music from many genres, having the occasional alcohol beverage, being in good company with friends, hanging out, video games, and discussing politics, philosophy, religion, and any other subject that could be worth a thoughtful discussion.  I’m also into Texas Hold’em (thanks to my college friends), although I’m not an avid gambler.

I am eager to begin attending these meetings and hope to use this as a chance to engage with other writers in the area and improve my writing and editing skills.