Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, professor of English at Penn State Altoona, has signed a contract to republish her book of poetry, “The River is Rising.”
ALTOONA, Pa. — Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, professor of English at Penn State Altoona, has been invited to offer the keynote address at the Liberian Studies Association’s (LSA) 56th annual conference, set for April 24-26 at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
LSA is one of the oldest scholarly associations in the world and annually brings together scholars in African and Liberian studies from the United States and around the world. The 2025 conference will focus on the theme “Equity, Inclusivity, Gender and Development: New Trends and Challenges.” Jabbeh Wesley’s presentation, “Writing Liberian Literature in a Difficult Landscape: A Poetic Dialogue,” will explore what it means to write about her native Liberia and its people on two different literary landscapes. She also will read from her works while discussing the issues rooted in the history of Liberia and the history of its literary tradition.
Since 1998, Jabbeh Wesley has written and published numerous books of poetry, memoir articles, fiction and other forms of literature exploring Liberia and its people. She is considered by many to be Liberia’s most important author.
