James Rahn featured in Philadelphia Inquirer



The Philadelphia Inquirer
ran a story on James Rahn, auhor of Rittenhouse Writers, and the success of his Rittenhouse Writers Group:

Part writing teacher, part therapist, James Rahn has midwifed countless short stories and novels in the three decades since he founded the Rittenhouse Writers’ Group (RWG), a fiction workshop he offers four times a year in Center City.

Generally considered the longest-running independent writing program in the country, RWG has served nearly 1,500 students, some of whom make up a Who’s Who of writers in the region, including Diane McKinney-Whetstone (Lazaretto), Tom Teti (Miracle at Philadelphia), Samantha Gillison (The King of America), and several former Inquirer editors and reporters, including Tanya Barrientos (Family Resemblance) and Gwen Florio (Reservations).

An Atlantic City native who studied English literature at the University of Pennsylvania and who earned an MFA in writing at Columbia University, Rahn, 62, is the author of Bloodnight, a coming-of-age novel composed of a series of linked sort stories.

He takes a break from fiction in his new release, Rittenhouse Writers: Reflections on a Fiction Workshop (Paul Dry Books; 275 pages), a volume that’s actually two books in one. The first half is a memoir that covers Rahn’s life as a writer, including his years with RWG. The latter half is a collection of 10 stories written by Rahn’s current and former students.
Read the full story...
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