I don't think Ohio's education system is any better or worst than any other state. Maybe it's geographical or historical. I don't know. The life of a writer includes a lot of rejection. Young authors need to get some writing under their belts before publishing.
Books are like children.
You send your children out there and a cold editor sends them back rejected. If you don't have a sense of self, you'll probably be very disappointed. The collection of essays, poems and short stories reflect the challenging beginnings of a serious writer and educator's life. The daughter of an alcoholic, welder father and an artistic mother, Piirto moves readers through the iron mines, isolated communities, a remote Air Force B-52 base, and birch branch switching in ubiquitous saunas. Her Finnish background plays a major role in the life portrayal.