Jo Ann Walczak
Writer & Author of The Walk on Layton
About
Jo Ann is a writer and former English teacher who calls Scott Township, Pennsylvania home. She spent many years teaching at Lakeland High School, then had the chance to teach in China as the first fluent English teacher at a public high school of over 3,000 students—an experience she loved so much that she returned six times to serve at an orphanage. Her writing is rooted in faith and in the idea of "the Walk": how we choose to live our lives. She shares stories on her blog, On Layton: The View from My Front Porch, named after the road she lives on in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She likes to say that if you keep your eyes open, the world is full of stories worth telling.
Books
The Walk on Layton: 52 Modern Parables for Your Journey
Fifty-two short stories about life, family, and experiences in the United States and China—named after Layton Road, where Jo Ann lives. Each story ends with a little encouragement for your own Walk, and the book is meant to be enjoyed one story per week over the course of a year. Released December 2024.
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Stories, reflections, and the occasional conversation from the porch—the same place the book began. Jo Ann has been writing On Layton for years, sharing the view from her front porch and the road beyond. Welcome.
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China
In 2001–2002 Jo Ann was the first American teacher at the Fuzhou Foreign Languages School, China. She taught spoken English to classes of 50–60 and directed a play for the school's first Foreign Language Festival; she was known as Miss Jones. She has returned six times since, including to serve at an orphanage, and former students have visited her on Layton.
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