The event is free and open to the public.

Written over eight years, Proudly Made: A Story of Reinvention in the Big Woods and Small Towns of the Pennsylvania Wilds captures the compelling personal and professional journey of Ta Enos, a Warren County native, former journalist and founder and CEO of the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship. Blending memoir and regional history, the book explores how rural communities can reclaim their identity and thrive through nature-based development and grassroots leadership.

The evening will feature an author meet-and-greet and book signings, live music by Jody and Sara Aiello of Company Townes, homemade cookies by Enos’s mom – known to many locals as “the cookie lady” from Warren’s annual Christmas Walk, original artwork for sale by Enos’s young son, Dash, and food and drinks available from next-door neighbor Bent Run Brewing Co.

Enos describes Proudly Made as a “memoir intertwined with place-based movement-building.” Through her lens as a new mom returning to her hometown, she tells how she confronted self-doubt and cultural stigmas to become a champion for the Pennsylvania Wilds, a rural region covering 13 counties and more than 2 million acres of public land.

Photo submitted to the Times Observer Pictured is the Author Tataboline Enos.

“No initiative exists in the country on this scale and level of strategic thinking,” said the Society of American Travel Writers in 2008 about the Wilds initiative.

In Proudly Made, Enos reveals how decades of economic hardship and population loss were met not with defeat, but with creativity, resilience, and collaboration. She paints an inspiring portrait of how a region and its people – especially its women – are crafting a future built on pride in place.

“This is a compelling and important book,” said Sam MacDonald, author of The Urban Hermit. “Equal parts literary memoir and activist template, it advances the great tradition of American place-based writers.”

With vivid reflections and grassroots wisdom, Proudly Made traces a 20-year journey from Alaska to Pennsylvania, from journalism to community development, from self-doubt to empowerment. Along the way, Enos has helped build a nationally recognized model for rural revitalization–anchored by public lands, entrepreneurial spirit, and a fierce love of place.

“Ta’s can-do spirit and entrepreneurial talents helped revitalize the region known as the Pennsylvania Wilds and champion fellow Appalachians,” said Cheryl Hargrove, author of Cultural Heritage Tourism: Five Steps to Success & Sustainability.

The book is available for purchase at the launch and online. Proceeds support continued advocacy for rural development initiatives. For more information, follow Allegheny Outfitters on Facebook or visit www.pawildscenter.org.