Quabbin Quills

Joining me from Quabbin Quills, on the Born To Talk Radio Show Podcast on Monday, June 14th from 1-2 PT is Steve Piscitello & Garrett Zecker.

Let’s Meet Steve and Garrett.

Steve Piscitello is the co-founder and president of Quabbin Quills. He works as a teacher in South Western New Hampshire. Steve, his wife, and two boys live in Orange, Massachusetts, located on the border of the lost towns inside the Quabbin Reservoir.

Steve first dabbled in writing for publication when he self-published a novella called Sweet Life of Mystery in 2008. But truth be told, his passion for storytelling predates that when he would regal other kids on the bus with adventure tales. Outside of his few publications, Steve has written and directed over 25 Middle School and Elementary plays. Just another passion stemming from third-grade aspirations and leading roles in high school musicals.

Garrett Zecker is the co-founder and Vice President of Quabbin Quills. He is a writer, actor, and teacher of writing and literature. He holds an MA in English from Fitchburg State University and an MFA in Fiction from the Mountainview MFA. Garrett’s fiction and nonfiction work has been featured in many publications, most recently Parhelion, Black Dandy, Porridge, and Assignment.

Attention Creative Writers and Avid Readers!

Founded in 2017, Quabbin Quills is a grassroots 501 (c) (3) non-profit for New England writers looking to be published while improving their work by collaborating with others.

Steve and Garrett are self-published artists who are still working towards rising to great fame. But even if that fame never comes, they can rest assured they have created a legacy with Quabbin Quills.

It is their hope that a community of writers can put together a collection of stories yearly. There is no worrying about age differences, gender inequality, or even sexual orientation. Everyone has a chance to work with them to improve their work. And at the same time connect it to themes that harken to the natural world, the writer’s journey, and the existential quandaries facing humankind.

In 2020, Quabbin Quills awarded three high school scholarships. They will continue this new tradition because it is only through youth culture that anything becomes sustainable. Many of Quabbin Quill’s board members have backgrounds in education or civil service. They know self-publishing doesn’t have to be self-serving. By giving back to the community and awarding scholarships is the best way to not only promote the arts but to ensure freedom of expression in our society.

Anthologies.

Their first anthology, Time’s Reservoir, was an experiment to see if they could collect enough works to publish a unified voice for the Quabbin reign. They were overwhelmed with responses. The Quabbin region of Massachusetts has a storied history. Deep beneath the waters of her reservoir, time has stood still for close to a century in the flooded streets of the cities lost to progress. Join twenty-two contemporary Central and Western Massachusetts authors as they embark on exploring what Time’s Reservoir means to them.

Up next: