ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joe Webb is a finishing doctoral candidate in the Department of English at Saint Louis University. In addition to his forthcoming dissertation on the Chicago Novel of 1890-1920, Joe has written academic journal articles on everything from baseball to Mark Twain to Wal-Mart. He is the author of the short story, “Chasing George MacDuffey,” and the forthcoming book, Dr. Wizard’s Advice for College Students.
In the Spring of 2005, Joe was serving as the Worship Director at First Christian Church in Mattoon, Illinois, where he had attended and taken part in Christmas musicals for several years. Inspired by the idea of writing a more modern piece to be performed for the Christmas season that would mix the Biblical message of Jesus’s birth with music and a story that a younger audience could relate to, Joe penned the script and songs for The Pennsylvania Story during a harried week in April. Amazingly, by December, the musical had been polished, produced, and was ready to be performed live by an exciting cast of the church’s actors and musicians.
Joe now lives in St. Louis’s Central West End with his dog, Harvey Wallbanger.
