Woman mines family’s Pennsylvania roots in penning first novel

Swarthmore resident and author Katie Crawford mined her family’s Pennsylvania roots in penning her first novel.

Though 15 years in the making, “Mine” seems to reflect the current concerns of the rural working class as it follows a troubled family’s path away from its coal country hometown.

“I’m definitely not an expert on coal,” she said. “But I think these characters give us a human way to look at the history of this area and relate to the people.”

Crawford spoke with NewsWorks Tonight host Dave Heller. Listen to their conversation below.