Proudly Made: A Story of Reinvention in the Big Woods and Small Towns of the Pennsylvania Wilds, written by Tataboline Enos, a former director at Grow Rural PA, has received a Silver Nonfiction Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association. Written over eight years, Proudly Made: A Story of Reinvention in the Big Woods and Small Towns of the Pennsylvania Wilds captures Enos’ personal and professional journey. Enos is a Warren County native, former journalist and founder and CEO of the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship. The book explores how rural communities can reclaim their identity and thrive through nature-based development and grassroots leadership.

“Locally-led, place-based development is happening in communities all across the country and is so deserving of support,” Enos said. “My hope was there were lessons from our journey in the Wilds that could translate and be useful to others. I’m thrilled the award judges called that out.”

The Pennsylvania Wilds, home to the greatest concentration of public lands in Pennsylvania, is a state-designated conservation landscape and designated tourism region in Pennsylvania. It gets about 7 million visitors a year and has been highlighted in numerous national studies as a model for rural, asset-based development.

Enos’ book captures how the Pennsylvania Wilds brand and movement were born, including its rocky moments, intertwined with Enos’ own backstory of growing up in rural Pennsylvania and Alaska. It also covers how she came to be one of the movement’s chief instigators, eventually founding the PA Wilds Center, the nonprofit that today leads the effort across 13 rural counties.

Pictured is the cover of the book “Proudly Made”.

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.

“I am not at all surprised that Ta’s book is receiving national notoriety,” said Deborah Pontzer, president of Grow Rural PA. “Ta’s work, as founder and CEO of the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, positions her as an authoritative voice for local economic development. The book adds new insights about Ta’s personal journey and the region she calls home. Proudly Made tells the collective story of the PA Wilds. It lifts up our rural region and our collective voice. That is so important to sustaining the future of rural Pa. I’d encourage everyone to pick up a copy.”

The book was published in June under Sunbury Press’ Catamount Press imprint, which focuses on Northern Appalachia. It is available through SunburyPress.com, BarnesandNoble.com, BooksAMillion.com, BookShop.org, Amazon.com, and independent bookstores worldwide. A free book club discussion guide is also available at Ta-Enos.com.