Playing Saint Barbara by: Marian Szczepanski (story of women in a Pennsylvania coal mining town from 1929-1941)  This will be led by the author, Marian Szczepanski.

Note from the author:

I'm thrilled that my novel Playing St. Barbara will be this Thursday's topic of literary conversation. Since I'm new to the group, Lamar kindly let me know that it's helpful to send out a study guide for the book prior to our discussion.

The questions are available to download from my website www.marianszczepanski.com on the For Readers page, along with a Cast of Characters list, links to a sample of my short fiction and a short video demonstrating how coke ovens work. The site also contains links to reviews, author interviews, my bio, etc.

Since November, I've visited a number of book clubs, both in person and via Face Time, and I've pretty much followed the lead of the club's members in structuring each discussion. For the most part, I've responded to questions about why I wrote the book and the research behind it, as well as participated in general discussions of the story and characters. Each club has been interested in slightly different aspects of the book, and each has had its own way to direct the conversation. I'm always interested in readers' responses to the story, so please don't see the discussion questions as the sole blueprint for our conversation, but simply issues to think about before we get together.

Thanks again for reading PSB. I look forward to seeing you Thursday!
Marian