Nick is the author of eight explosive thrillers in the Peter Ash series, most recently The Price You Pay. His debut, The Drifter, introduced readers to Peter Ash, a veteran who finds demons of war aren’t easily left behind. It won the ITW Thriller award and was a finalist for the Edgar and the Hammett Prize for Best Novel.
Peter Ash must follow his closest friend, Lewis, into the criminal underworld when secrets from the past threaten everything they hold dear in this propulsive new thriller from the bestselling and award-winning series.
Tickets required. Seating is limited.
Porochista was born in Tehran and raised in Greater Los Angeles. She is the critically acclaimed author of two novels, a collection of essays and her 2018 memoir, Sick.
Her highly anticipated third novel, Tehrangeles, is a tragic comedy following the high-functioning dysfunction of an Iranian American family in the McMansion-laden hills of Los Angeles. She’ll be in conversation with poet Ruth Awad.
Tickets required. Seating is limited.
USA Today bestselling author of over 20 novels, Kennedy Ryan writes romance for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies.
Her latest novel to hit the New York Times bestsellers list, This Could Be Us, features a powerful Afro-Latina heroine, lots of sizzle and a phenomenal friend group.
The co-founder of LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, she has a passion for raising Autism awareness. She’ll be in conversation with ABC’s Alissa Henry.
Tickets required. Seating is limited.
Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series, the Carve the Mark duology, The End and Other Beginnings collection of short fiction, Chosen Ones, and many short stories and essays.
Roth’s newest novella, When Among Crows, draws on Slavic folklore to create a lush modern fairytale about righteousness full of monsters, knights and witches. She’ll be in conversation with science fiction writer John Scalzi.
Tickets required. Seating is limited.
Hanif Abdurraqib is a celebrated poet, essayist, and cultural critic. In 2021, Hanif was named a MacArthur Fellow and was recently awarded the Windham Campbell Prize for 2024 Nonfiction.
His newest release, instant New York Times bestseller, There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension shares poignant, lyrical and intimate reflections on life and success through the lens of basketball. Hanif’s 2021 book, A Little Devil In America was a winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal and the Gordon Burn Prize.
Tickets required. Seating is limited.
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Amy Spalding is the author of several novels, including the bestselling For Her Consideration, We Used to Be Friends, and The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles), which was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, The Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, and more. She is a recipient of the 2023 Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award for the authentic, funny, and diverse representation of the LGBTQ+ community in her books.
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Michael Streissguth is the author of ten books, including the critically acclaimed Johnny Cash: The Biography and Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris and the Renegades of Nashville (one of Rolling Stone’s top music books of 2013). He has written and directed three documentary films including the award-winning The Tower Road Bus and Nighthawks on the Blue Highway and served as a program advisor on Ken Burns’ Country Music (2019). He teaches in the Department of Communications and Film Studies at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York.
Alisa Alering, author of the debut novel Smothermoss, grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania and now lives in Arizona. Their short fiction has been published in Fireside, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Podcastle, and Cast of Wonders, among others, and been recognized by the Calvino Prize. A former librarian and science/technology reporter, they teach fiction workshops at the Highlights Foundation.
Alex Brown is a queer, biracial Filipino-American writer who loves rooting for the final girl—especially if she’s a monster. Alex is also one of the co-creators and producers of The Bridge, a spooky, folklore-filled audio drama podcast that has over one million downloads to date! Alex’s Young Adult horror-comedy debut, Damned If You Do was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and was also selected for the 2024 TAYSHAS Reading List. Alex also co-edited Night Of The Living Queers, a YA Horror anthology in its second printing.
Julia was that GenX kid who rode her bike to the library or bookstore and spent all day there. On the way home she drank out of people’s garden hoses when she was thirsty. Now her life looks nothing like that but she still loves books and libraries. Julia remains largely unsupervised and gets paid to make up stuff.
Andromeda Romano-Lax worked as a freelance journalist and travel writer before turning to fiction. Her first novel, The Spanish Bow, was translated into eleven languages and was chosen as a New York Times Editors’ Choice, BookSense pick, and one of Library Journal’s Best Books of the Year. Her next novels, The Detour (2012), Behave (2016) and Plum Rains (2018) have covered subjects from classical art, to the early years of psychology, to artificial intelligence, aging and relationships in the near future. The Deepest Lake (2024) is her first thriller.
Tracey is the 2021 Emma Award winner for Best Interracial Romance for Like Lovers Do, which was named one of the 100 Best Fiction Books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. A former criminal defense attorney, she lives in Virginia with her husband—who she met on the very first day of law school—and is counting down the days until they have an empty nest. (Don’t worry, their three kids are well aware.)
Mazey Eddings is a neurodiverse author, dentist, and (most importantly) stage mom to her cats, Yaya and Zadie. She can most often be found reading romance novels under her weighted blanket and asking her fiancé to bring her snacks. She’s made it her personal mission in life to destigmatize mental health issues and write love stories for every brain.
With roots in Ohio and Philadelphia, she now calls Asheville, North Carolina home. She is the author of A Brush with Love and Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake.
Born and raised in Detroit, DeAnn Wiley is a self-taught illustrator with a master’s degree in counseling psychology. She advocates for social justice from the intersection of multiple identities—Black, Woman, Queer, and Disabled— and she stands in solidarity with other marginalized communities outside of her own.
When she’s not painting, she’s learning, growing, and healing, with each phase of her journey depicted in her art. She is the illustrator of Sarah Rising and the Sunday Adventures series. Homegrown is her author-illustrator debut.
Suma Subramaniam’s picture books include My Name is Long As A River, A Bindi Can Be, Namaste is a Greeting (Crystal Kite Award Winner), She Sang for India, The Runaway Dosa, and more. Suma is also a contributing author of The Hero Next Door (Finalist -Massachusetts Book Award). Her poems have been published in Poetry Magazine, What is Hope?, and other anthologies for children. She lives in Seattle with her family and a dog who will do anything for Indian sweets and snacks.
Keith O’Brien is the New York Times best-selling author of Paradise Falls, Fly Girls, and Outside Shot, a finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing, and an award-winning journalist. O’Brien has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico, and his stories have also appeared on National Public Radio and This American Life. A native of Cincinnati, he now lives in New Hampshire.
Conrade C. Hinds is a retired architect, teacher, and auctioneer. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, he is a graduate of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He has lived in Central Ohio for 47 years. He is retired from the Columbus Department of Public Utilities and Columbus State Community College. He is the author of four published books, including The Great Columbus Experiment of 1908, Columbus and the Great Flood of 1913, Lost Circuses of Ohio and Made in Ohio.
Kat Zhang loves traveling to places both real and fictional–the former have better souvenirs, but the latter allow for dragons, so it’s a tough pick. She is the author of the novels The Hybrid Chronicles, The Emperor’s Riddle, and The Memory of Forgotten Things, and the picture books Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao and Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon.
When not writing, spends her free time scribbling poetry, taking photographs, and climbing atop things she shouldn’t.
A. J. Sass (he/they) is an author whose narrative interests lie at the intersection of identity, neurodiversity, and allyship. He is the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 titles Ellen Outside the Lines, which was also a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, Ana on the Edge, and Just Shy of Ordinary, as well as the co-author of Camp QUILTBAG (with Nicole Melleby).
When he’s not writing, A. J. figure skates and travels as much as possible. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his husband.
Born in Puerto Rico and based in Columbus, Rafael Rosado is a seasoned writer, director and storyboard artist for the animation industry. He began his career at Character Builders as an assistant animator and worked his way up to become a character designer, storyboard artist and commercial director. He worked on such shows as Fox’s Emmy Award-winning Life With Louie, HBO’s Happily Ever After and Fox’s Where in The World Is Carmen San Diego.
Jenn Reese (they/she) writes speculative fiction for readers of all ages. Jenn is the author of Every Bird a Prince, the Oregon Book Award-winning A Game of Fox & Squirrels, and the Above World trilogy. They also write short stories for teens and adults.
Jenn lives in Portland, Oregon where they make art, play video games, and build cardboard forts for their cats.
Katie Mazeika is an author/ illustrator who specializes in telling stories based on real people and events. She likes to highlight disabled voices in her work. Katie is the author and illustrator of Annette Feels Free and Beulah Has A Hunch! Katie has illustrated several other books, including three in the Chicken Soup for the Soul: Babies series.
Margaret Peterson Haddix is the New York Times bestselling author of 50 books for kids and teens. An Ohio native, she worked as a newspaper reporter, a newspaper copy editor, and a community college instructor before her first book was published. Her books, including the Shadow Children series, The Missing series, and the Greystone Secret series, have been honored with many awards and translated into over twenty languages.
Margaret’s most recent book, The Ghostly Photos, is the second in the Mysteries of Trash and Treasure series.
Julia Devillers is a bestselling and award-winning author of middle grade and YA fiction and nonfiction books. Her book was turned into the Disney Channel movie “Read It and Weep.” She recently sold a TV pilot to CBS inspired by her life.
Her newest book, Meet Isabel and Nicki, shares the teenage lives of American Girl twins living in the 90s.
Veronica Park Anderson (she/they) is a neurodivergent, queer, feminist millennial writer with a resume that Victor Frankenstein would disown for being “a bit much.”
V’s previous job titles include: award-winning community theater actor, professional lecturer on cruise ships, indie film producer, literary agent, and creative project manager; however, “writer” is the title that always fits. V plays competitive flat track roller derby as “Scarlet Five” #55 and prefers the pivot role, aka “surprise jamming.” Born in Alaska and raised in Oregon, she currently lives with her partner in Upstate NY and has two cats named Skeletor and Bo-Catan.
Kristen Simmons is a critically acclaimed young adult author of more than a dozen books, including the Article Five trilogy, The Deceivers series, and The Glass Arrow. Kristen Simmons’ writing is inspired by her work with trauma survivors as a mental health therapist. She currently lives with her husband and son in Cincinnati, where she spins stories, herds a small pack of semi-wild dogs, and teaches Jazzercise.
Hal Schrieve grew up in Olympia, Washington. Hir debut novel Out of Salem was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2019. Hal’s poetry has appeared in Vetch magazine, and hir comics have been featured in Stacked Deck Press’s 2018 anthology We’re Still Here. Hal works as a children’s librarian in New York.
Mark Sebastian Jordan wears many hats: Local history columnist, historical storyteller, music journalist, screenwriter, poet and more. He has had two books selected by the Ohioana Library Book Festival, has appeared as a history expert on multiple TV shows, has written program notes for the Cleveland Orchestra, and was the screenwriter for the short film “recovered” which was awarded Best US Short Drama Film at the Austin Revolution Film Festival.
Kim Johnson held leadership positions in social justice organizations as a teen. She’s now a college administrator who maintains civic engagement throughout the community while also mentoring Black student activists and leaders. This Is My America was her debut novel.
She holds degrees from the University of Oregon and the University of Maryland, College Park. Kim lives her best life in Oregon with her husband and two kids.
Kellie M. Parker is an award-winning writer of YA fantasy and thrillers. She has college degrees in biology and nautical archaeology, but she’s always found her sense of adventure most satisfied by a great story. When not writing, Kellie can be found teaching her four children, camping, baking, and gardening. She lives with her family in west Michigan.
As a lawyer and daughter of Guatemalan and Cuban bakers, Jessica Parra never objects to an extra slice of cake. She’s a Los Angeles native who loves to write about Latinas with big hair (and even bigger dreams), complicated families, and the healing magic of acceptance.
She’s the author of Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success and The Quince Project (both published with Wednesday Books), as well as many unfinished first drafts about cats living their best lives—all nine of them. When she isn’t drafting books you can find her sipping kombucha, cuddling with her kitties, or co-piloting the Millennium Falcon at Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge.
Jane Simon Ammeson is the author of 16 books ranging from food and travel to true crime. She is the winner of the Lowell Thomas Journalism Competition in the “Travel Book” category and runs a popular travel/food blog. She reviews books for the Shelf Life blog and the New York Journal of Books.
Bestselling author and journalist, Terreece M. Clarke, writes love stories about courageous Black women, in extraordinary circumstances, who are loved completely and unapologetically. Her debut novel, Heartbeat: A Courageous Love Novel, is an international bestseller in two categories.
Mark Cecil is host of The Thoughtful Bro show, for which he conducts interviews with an eclectic roster of award-winning and breakout storytellers. Formerly a journalist for Reuters, he is Head of Strategy for literary social media startup, A Mighty Blaze, and has taught writing at Grub Street in Boston. This is his first book.
Bunyan and Henry; Or, the Beautiful Destiny
Born in the Caribbean, Tobias S. Buckell is a New York Times bestselling and World Fantasy Award-winning author. His novels and almost 100 stories have been translated into 19 different languages. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, and Astounding Award for Best New Science Fiction Author. He currently lives in Ohio.
The Runes of Engagement
Karina Yan Glaser is the New York Times best-selling author of The Vanderbeekers series and A Duet for Home. A former teacher as well as employee of New York City’s largest provider of transitional housing for the homeless, Karina is now a contributing editor at Book Riot.
Karina lives in Harlem, New York City, with her husband, two children, and an assortment of rescue animals. One of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can’t go anywhere without a book.
Ali Terese writes funny and heartfelt middle grade and YA stories. Free Period is her debut novel. It is a story of friendship and period equity complete with laugh-out-loud shenanigans, delightfully disgusting desserts, and some world-changing crafts.
Visit Ali online for book bonuses, giveaways, and resources like discussion guides, recipes, craftivism projects, and more.
Debbie Rigaud is the author of A Girl’s Guide To Love & Magic, Simone Breaks All The Rules, Truly Madly Royally, and the co-author of Alyssa Milano’s New York Times bestselling Hope series and Sarah Mlynowski’s Best Wishes: The Sister Switch.
Debbie started her career writing for entertainment and teen magazines. She now lives with her husband and children in Columbus.
Growing up, Merrill Rainey spent most of his Saturday afternoons drawing, watching monster movies, and going on imaginary adventures. Today, he is a cowboy-boot-wearing, picture-book-creator and paper-toy-maker. Merrill’s work focuses on exploring creativity and imaginative play. His current titles include Roar! I’m a Dinosaur (winner of the Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Board Book of 2022), Oink! I’m a Pig, and the Color, Cut, Create series.
His newest illustrated title Giants Are Very Brave People, written by Florence Parry Heide, is a reimagined classic picture book about a little giant that learns to be brave with the help of a new friend. Merrill also works for many children’s magazines like Highlights, Ranger Rick, and Humpty Dumpty.
Nicole Melleby, a New Jersey native, is the author of highly praised middle-grade books, including the Lambda Literary finalist Hurricane Season, ALA Notable book How to Become a Planet, Camp QUILTBAG (co-written with A. J. Sass), and The House on Sunrise Lagoon series.
She currently teaches at the Fairleigh Dickinson MFA Creative Writing program and lives with her wife and their cats, whose needs for attention oddly align with Nicole’s writing schedule.
Malia Maunakea is a Hawaiian writer whose middle-grade debut Lei and the Fire Goddess was an Amazon Best Book of the Month and received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. She grew up on Hawaiʻi Island before moving to a valley on Oʻahu in 7th grade.
George is the Lebanese-American author of the Shad Hadid children’s fantasy series and the upcoming graphic novel, Tarik’s Bazaar Adventure. He has also written short stories published in collaboration with UNICEF.
George currently serves as a Creative Writing instructor with Gotham Writers Workshop in New York City. He has been a guest of honor as well as a featured speaker for WriteHive, WorldCon, SCBWI, and the Highlights Foundation.
Nashae Jones is a freelance writer and an educator. Her pieces have appeared in publications such as HuffPost, McSweeney’s, Yahoo Voices among others. Currently she lives in Virginia with her husband, two kids, two cats, and one dog. She is passionate about diversity initiatives, especially in children’s literature.
Hugh “H. D.” Hunter is a storyteller, teaching artist, and community organizer from Atlanta, Georgia. He’s the author of Torment: A Novella, the Futureland trilogy, and Something Like Right, as well as the winner of several international indie book awards for multicultural fiction. Hugh is committed to stories about Black kids and their many expansive worlds.
Tatiana Hill (she/her) is a Black and Latina illustrator by day and roller skater by night. Her art journey began alongside her love for anime in the early 2000s and culminated with a BA in Animation. Receiving awards for Best Art Direction, she would later apply her skill set in color and design to illustration.
Born in Los Angeles and a member of the roller skate community there, Tatiana enjoys participating in a space that celebrates diversity, identity, and found family. She illustrated The Roller World Tarot deck and Blood City Rollers, her debut graphic novel as an illustrator.
Breanna Carzoo is the author-illustrator of the picture books Lou, Greenlight, and The Squish. She crafts illustrations with painted cut-paper collage and mixed media.
Her debut picture book, Lou, was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2022, was shortlisted for the 2023 Barnes and Noble Children’s and YA Book Awards, has been named on many state award lists, and both Lou and Greenlight received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly. She lives in Austin, TX, with her husband and dog.
Meghan P. Browne is the award-winning author of Indelible Ann: The Larger-than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards, Dorothy the Brave, and The Bees of Notre-Dame.
Meghan holds a BA from The University of Arizona and an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas where she now lives with her husband, Greg, their three children, a pasture full of goats and chickens, a thriving honeybee apiary, and two ranch dogs named Josie and Cricket.
Lindsay Bonilla is a professional storyteller and author whose previous picture books include Parents’ Choice Award winner Polar Bear Island, I Love You with All of My Hearts, and The Note Who Faced the Music. She lives with her husband, two wild and creative kids, and her dog, Blitzen, in North Canton, Ohio.
Jenn Bishop is the author of five novels for young readers, including the Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner Things You Can’t Say. Her books have been named Junior Library Guild selections and Bank Street College of Education best books and have been finalists for state book awards. She currently calls Cincinnati home.
Ann Zhao (she/her) is a student at Wellesley College, where she studies linguistics with a minor in women’s and gender studies. She enjoys cooking, baking, and knitting, but she does not enjoy cleaning up after herself when she’s done with these activities. Dear Wendy is her debut novel.
Justine Pucella Winans is the critically acclaimed author of Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything, The Otherwoods, and One Killer Problem. When not writing, they can be found training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, reading a ton of webcomics and manga, and actively avoiding real life scary situations. They live in Los Angeles with their husband and cats.
LaDarrion Williams is a Los Angeles based-playwright, filmmaker, author, and screenwriter whose goal is to cultivate a new era of Black fantasy, providing space and agency for Black characters and stories in a new, fresh and fantastical way. He is currently a resident playwright/co-creator of The Black Creators Collective, where his play UMOJA made its West Coast premiere in January 2022 and produced North Hollywood’s first Black playwrights festival at the Waco Theater Center.
Blood at the Root is his first novel. His viral and award-winning short film based on the same concept, is currently on YouTube and Amazon Prime.
Jonny Garza Villa (they/them) is an author of contemporary young adult literature with characters and settings inspired by their own Tejane, Chicane, and queer identities. Their debut YA novel Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun was a Pura Belpré Honor Book and a Kirkus Best YA Fiction of 2021 selection and their sophomore YA—Ander & Santi Were Here—was a Barnes & Noble YA Book Club selection, an AudioFile Earphone Award Winner, and a Best YA of 2023 selection by Audible.
When not writing, Jonny enjoys reading, playing Dungeons & Dragons, visiting taquerías, listening to Selena, and caring for their many cacti children. They live in San Antonio.
Swati Teerdhala is a storyteller at heart. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a BS in finance and BA in history, she tumbled into the marketing side of the technology industry. She’s passionate about many things, including how to make a proper cup of tea, the right ratio of curd to crust in a lemon tart, and diverse representation in our stories. She currently lives in New York City.
Christen Randall (she/they) is a queer, fat, neurodivergent author of queer, fat, neurodiverse books. When they’re not writing joyful stories for the next generation of geeky gay kids, you can find them working at their local library branch or at home planning all the D&D campaigns they’ll run one day, they swear.
Christen lives in Covington, Kentucky. The No-Girlfriend Rule is her debut novel.
Skye Quinlan (they/them) is a queer, autistic author of YA fiction. They’re an avid reader, have an absurd amount of crystals and gemstones, and if they’re not tending to their garden, you can usually find them playing Animal Crossing. Skye lives in Ohio with their wife, two dogs, a snake, and two lizards.
Susan Lee has had a successful career as a HR executive at some of today’s most successful companies. She now channels her experience into writing lighthearted, quirky stories about the oftentimes hilarious human condition.
Susan is the author of the highly acclaimed young adult romantic comedies Seoulmates and The Name Drop. She currently lives in Southern California with a pack of feisty chihuahuas and a too-hearty obsession with K-pop and K-dramas.
Jae-Jones (called JJ) is an artist, an adrenaline junkie, and the New York Times bestselling author of the Wintersong duology and the Guardians of Dawn series. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she now lives on the wrong coast, where she can’t believe she has to deal with winter every year. When not writing, JJ can be found working toward her next black belt degree in taekwondo, being run ragged by her twin dogs, Castor and Pollux, or indulging in her favorite hobby — collecting more hobbies.
Fern Haught is an author, illustrator, and adjunct professor based in Cleveland Heights. They love crafting stories incorporating queer characters and their relationships, often set in magical worlds. Their two cats, Binx and Honey, are often looking over their shoulder while they work, and do a great job of being honorary co-authors. When they aren’t creating books they decorate cookies at a local bakery and do background painting for games. The Baker and the Bard is their debut graphic novel.
Michael Thomas Ford is the author of numerous books for both adults and young readers. A five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ books, he has also been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Ignyte Award, and the Firecracker Award. He lives in rural Ohio with his husband and dogs.
Jen Ferguson is Michif/Métis and white, an activist, an intersectional feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice armed with a PhD in English and creative writing. Her acclaimed debut, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, won the Governor General’s Award and received six starred reviews.
In her remarkable second novel, Those Pink Mountain Nights, Jen writes about the hurt of a life stuck in past tense, the hum of connections that cannot be severed, and one week in a small snowy town that changes everything.
Ana Ellickson writes about fierce girls, family curses, and everyday magic. The Vanishing Station is her debut novel, inspired by daydreams about jumping portals in the San Francisco subway. Roman the Renegade—her graphic novel script about street art and Filipino monsters—was awarded the 2021 New Visions Honor by Lee & Low Books. She lives in sunny Santa Barbara.
Nora Shalaway Carpenter’s novels and anthologies have been named “Best of the Year” by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, Bank Street Books, and A Mighty Girl, and have won accolades including the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Her newest books, Fault Lines and AB(solutely) NORMAL, were both named to the 2024 TAYSHAS Texas state reading list.
Shalaway Carpenter holds an MFA from VCFA and serves as faculty for the Highlights Foundation’s Whole Novel Workshop. Hailing from rural West Virginia, she aims to disrupt stereotypes surrounding rural people as well as those living with mental health conditions.
Erik J. Brown is the author of genre-blending books for teens. His debut, All That’s Left in the World, was a Goodreads Choice Award Finalist, received a starred review from Kirkus, and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Childrens Book Award.
His second novel, Lose You to Find Me was a USA Today Bestseller and received a starred review from School Library Journal. He lives in Philadelphia with his family.
The Only Light Left Burning
Maurice Vellekoop was born in 1964 in a suburb of Toronto. A prolific artist and illustrator, he has worked non-stop for the last three decades. In addition to publications, his corporate clients include Swissair, Abercrombie & Fitch, Air Canada, Smart Car, LVMH, and Bush Irish Whiskey. He lives on Toronto Island with his partner, Gordon Bowness.
Jane Ann Turzillo has been nominated twice for the Agatha for Wicked Women of Ohio and Unsolved Murders & Disappearances in Northeast Ohio. She is also a National Federation of Press Women award-winner for Wicked Cleveland and many others. A full-time author and speaker, she concentrates on true crime and history.
Her current book is Northern Ohio Cold Cases. As one of the original owners of a large weekly newspaper, she covered police, fire and hard news. She holds degrees in Criminal Justice and Mass-Media Communication from The University of Akron.
Peter Stark is an adventurer and historian. Born in Wisconsin, he attended Dartmouth College and University of Wisconsin and set out to write adventure-travel articles about Greenland, Tibet and elsewhere for magazines such as Outside, Smithsonian, and The New York Times Magazine.
Based in Montana, he now specializes in researching and writing historical accounts of early American explorers in wilderness settings and their contact with Indigenous peoples. His most recent book is Gallop Toward the Sun: Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison’s Struggle for the Destiny of a Nation (Random House, 2023).
Susan Sleeper-Smith is emerita professor of history at Michigan State University. She is author of Indian Women and French Men: Rethinking Cultural Encounter in the Western Great Lakes and editor or co-editor of several essay volumes, including Why You Can’t Teach United States History Without American Indians, Violence in Indigenous Communities: Confronting the Past, Engaging the Present, Rethinking the Fur Trade: Cultures of Exchange in an Atlantic World, Contesting Knowledge: Museums and Indigenous Perspectives, and New Faces of the Fur Trade.
Kathy Schulz is a retired college librarian from Wittenberg University. A native of northeast Ohio, she has deep roots in the state and degrees from three of its universities: a B.S. in Education from Ohio State, an M.L.S. from Kent State, and an M. Hum. from Wright State. This is her first traditionally published book.
Doug Motz is a lifelong resident of Franklin County and is passionate about Columbus and its history. He is a Past President of the Columbus Historical Society and has led tours for CHS, and the Columbus Landmarks Foundation.
He is a co-author of Kahiki Supper Club: A Polynesian Paradise in Columbus, Ohio, the Lost Restaurants of Columbus and Lost Restaurants of Central Ohio and Columbus. He lives in the Berwick neighborhood of Columbus with his husband Todd Popp and their dog, Gracie.
Lost Restaurants of Central Ohio and Columbus
A graduate of Miami and Ohio State universities, David Meyers is the author of numerous local histories, several novels, and a handful of works for the stage. He is also a lifelong resident of Columbus. For his varied efforts to popularize local history, he was inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.
Highlighting the rich tapestry of Columbus’ firefighting history, the 200th Anniversary History Book presents the most comprehensive historical collection since the organization’s inception in 1822. The 352-page book begins with a detailed accounting of the history of the CFD from 1822 to the present, highlighted with photographs to help tell the department’s story. Nearly 1600 individual photos of current personnel are proudly included. This publication is made possible by the dedicated vision of Columbus Fire Historians, the Central Ohio Fire Museum and the 200th Anniversary Yearbook Committee.
Steven P. Locke is an alumni of The Ohio State University where he did his undergraduate and graduate work. He taught history in the Granville, Ohio Exempted School District. He was Curator of History at the Ohio Historical Society.
Anya Liftig is a performance artist and writer. Her first book, a memoir titled Holler Rat, was published by Abrams Press in August 2023. Called “a searing debut” by Publishers Weekly and cited by Jo Ann Beard as a new influence in her writing, Holler Rat has become a USA Today best seller.
Her experimental film and video work has been screened in festivals in Canada, Greece, UK, Holland, France, and her essays have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and noted in Best American Non-Fiction.
Andrew King is an award-winning journalist who has experience in local news, sports reporting, copywriting and more. He has written for publications including The Athletic, The Columbus Dispatch, Major League Soccer and Columbus Monthly.
Dayna Jalkanen is a proud Buckeye who was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended The Ohio State University, where she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Art Education. Her career path surprised her by leading her to museums rather than a classroom, and she has spent more than 17 years working in the field of museum education, including eight years as the Deputy Director of Museum and Education at the Ohio Statehouse.
She is the author of the book The Art and Artistry of the Ohio Statehouse, which gave her the opportunity to write about two of her passions: art and history.
Highlighting the rich tapestry of Columbus’ firefighting history, the 200th Anniversary History Book presents the most comprehensive historical collection since the organization’s inception in 1822. The 352-page book begins with a detailed accounting of the history of the CFD from 1822 to the present, highlighted with photographs to help tell the department’s story. Nearly 1600 individual photos of current personnel are proudly included. This publication is made possible by the dedicated vision of Columbus Fire Historians, the Central Ohio Fire Museum and the 200th Anniversary Yearbook Committee.
Rob Harvilla is the host of the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s and a senior staff writer at The Ringer; he’s been a professional rock critic for 20-plus years with stops at the Village Voice, SPIN, Deadspin, and various other alt-weeklies that generally no longer exist. (Not his fault.) He lives with his family in Columbus, Ohio, by choice.
David Goodrich is a retired climate scientist who served as the Director of the UN Global Climate Observing System in Geneva, Switzerland. He is the author of A Hole in the Wind: A Climate Scientist’s Bicycle Journey Across the United States.
In addition to his cross-country trip, he has ridden down the Appalachians and across Montana, South Dakota, Texas, France and Spain.
Ben Ferree is the former assistant director of officiating and sport management at the Ohio High School Athletic Association who now works as a civil rights investigator for the Ohio State University. He is a tenacious researcher, radio broadcaster and former sports journalist.
Tom Ewing was the guitarist/lead singer of Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys for ten years. He is the editor of The Bill Monroe Reader and wrote the “Thirty Years Ago This Month” column for Bluegrass Unlimited.
A co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Curtis Chin served as the non-profits’ first Executive Director. He went on to write for network and cable television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at over 600 venues in sixteen countries. He has written for CNN, Bon Appetit, the Detroit Free Press, and the Emancipator/Boston Globe.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. His essay in Bon Appetit was selected for Best Food Writing in America 2023.
Joyce Dyer has lived in Summit and Portage counties nearly all her life, and her work is often tightly connected to the history and people of Northeast Ohio. She’s authored books about her mother and Alzheimer’s disease (In a Tangled Wood), the Akron rubber industry and the company town where she was raised (Gum-Dipped), an immigrant community in Akron (Goosetown), and her “neighbor” John Brown (Pursuing John Brown). She’s edited or co-edited two collections and published essays in magazines and newspapers including the New York Times and North American Review, as well as numerous anthologies.
Dyer has taught English and writing at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson and at Hiram College–where she was first director of the Lindsay-Crane Center for Writing and Literature.
Renee Casteel Cook is a Columbus-based author of culinary history and travel titles, including The Columbus Food Truck Cookbook and Ohio Ice Cream: A Scoop of History. Her passion for writing and chocolate are equally matched, making this book a labor of nothing but love. Her hope is to inspire future creators of all types to take the leap toward what they love.
Dick Burry has been a photographer most of his life. After retiring from the Department of Neuroscience in the College of Medicine at Ohio State Univeristy, he devoted his time to photography of buildings for many preservation organizations. He has exhibited in many galleries and has three photos on permanent exhibit at the Ohio Statehouse.
Steve Basford is a statistician for Ohio State home football games, a play-by-play sportscaster for Ohio Wesleyan University and Dublin Jerome High School sports, and the author of three books on sports. His sports production jobs have taken him to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
Growing up in bluegrass, Fred Bartenstein had the privilege of knowing and working with virtually all of the music’s first generations. The editor of Muleskinner News from 1969-1974, he has also been a broadcaster, musician, festival MC and talent director, founder of a regional association, scholar, educator, and a lifelong fan.
In his professional life, Fred has been a manager and consultant for nonprofits, government and business. He was named a Distinguished Achievement Award recipient by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2006 and is currently the chair/president of the IBMA Foundation.
Kerry Winfrey is the author of the romantic comedies Waiting For Tom Hanks , Not Like the Movies, Very Sincerely Yours, Just Another Love Song, and Faking Christmas, all published by Berkley. She’s also the author of two YA novels. Kerry lives with her family in the middle of Ohio.
Douglas Westerbeke is a librarian who lives in Ohio and works at one of the largest libraries in the United States. He has spent the last decade on the local panel of the International Dublin Literary Award, which inspired him to write his own book.
María Alejandra Barrios Vélez is a writer born in Barranquilla, Colombia. She has an MA in creative writing from the University of Manchester and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and scruffy dog, Gus.
The Waves Take You Home is her first novel.
mariaalejandrabarriosvelez.com
Joseph Earl Thomas is a writer from Frankford whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in Gulf Coast, The Offing, and The Kenyon Review. He has an MFA in prose from The University of Notre Dame and is a doctoral candidate in English at the University of Pennsylvania.
An excerpt of his memoir, Sink, won the 2020 Chautauqua Janus Prize and he has received fellowships from Fulbright, VONA, Tin House, and Bread Loaf. He is writing a collection of stories, Leviathan Beach, among other oddities.
Sarah Sundin is the bestselling author of When Twilight Breaks, Until Leaves Fall in Paris, The Sound of Light, and the popular WWII series Sunrise at Normandy, among others. She is a Christy Award winner and a Carol Award winner, and her novels have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, and have appeared on Booklist’s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.” Sarah lives in California.
Jessica Strawser is editor-at-large for Writer’s Digest, where she served as editorial director for nearly a decade, and the author of six popular book club novels: Almost Missed You; the Book of the Month selection Not That I Could Tell; Forget You Know Me; A Million Reasons Why; the People magazine pick The Next Thing You Know; and her latest, The Last Caretaker, which was an Amazon Editors’ First Reads pick in November 2023.
She lives with her husband and children in Cincinnati, where she was named 2019 Writer-in-Residence for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
Toni Shiloh is a wife, a mom, and an award-winning Christian contemporary romance author. Her novel In Search of a Prince won the first-ever Christy Amplify Award. It has also been praised by Oprah Daily, POPSUGAR, Library Journal, and Booklist, and is a Parable bestseller. Her books have won the Selah Award and have been finalists for the Carol Award and the HOLT Medallion.
As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Toni loves connecting with readers and authors alike via social media.
John Scalzi is one of the most popular sci-fi authors of his generation. His debut, Old Man’s War, won him the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times bestsellers include The Last Colony, Fuzzy Nation, Redshirts (which won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel), The Last Emperox, and 2022’s The Kaiju Preservation Society. Material from his blog, Whatever, has earned him two other Hugo Awards.
He lives in Ohio with his wife and daughter.
Alexandra Rowland is the author of fantasy books including A Taste of Gold and Iron, A Conspiracy Of Truths, and Some by Virtue Fall, as well as a four-time Hugo Award-nominated podcaster. They have a degree in world literature, mythology, and folklore, and all their work is supervised by their feline quality control manager.
Ali Rosen is a writer of both cookbooks and novels and is the Emmy and James Beard Award-nominated host of “Potluck with Ali Rosen” on NYC Life. Her first novel is Recipe for Second Chances (2023). She has been featured on NBC’s Today Show and Food Network Kitchen and has written for publications including Bon Appetit, The Washington Post and New York Magazine.
Ali is originally from Charleston, SC but now lives in New York City with her husband and three kids and can usually be found cooking in her kitchen or curled up in a chair reading a romance novel.
Vanessa Riley is an award-winning author of historical romance, mystery, and fiction novels featuring realistic multicultural communities and powerful persons of color. To fuel her interest in the Regency and early-Victorian eras, she made time for attending renaissance fairs and consuming period novels and films while obtaining her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and a master’s in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University, as well as a BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University.
Chris Panatier lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, daughter, and a fluctuating herd of animals resembling dogs (one is almost certainly a goat). He writes short stories and novels, draws album covers for metal bands, and occasionally practices law.
Wanda Morris is the award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets, which has been praised by Karin Slaughter as “brilliantly nuanced” and reviewed by The Boston Globe, LA Times, New York Times, among others.
Her second novel, Anywhere You Run, won the Anthony award for Best Historical Novel of 2023 and was longlisted for the prestigious Mark Twain Voice in American Literature Prize. She is married, the mother of three, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Melissa Mogollon holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a BA from the George Washington University. Originally from Colombia and raised in Florida, she now teaches at a boarding school in Rhode Island, where she lives with her partner and dog. Oye is her first novel.
Sujata Massey was born in England to parents from India and Germany, grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and lives in Baltimore, Maryland. She was a features reporter for the Baltimore Evening Sun before becoming a full-time novelist. The first Perveen Mistry novel, The Widows of Malabar Hill, was an international bestseller and won the Agatha, Macavity, and Mary Higgins Clark Awards.
Christine Ma-Kellams is a Harvard-trained cultural psychologist and writer whose fiction and essays have appeared in Prairie Schooner, Saturday Evening Post, The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today and elsewhere.
Two of her short stories were also nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her empirical studies on culture and relationships have also been widely covered in GQ (Australia), Esquire (Middle East), Boston Globe, Vice News, Elle Magazine (UK), Yahoo News and more.
Meredith grew up in New Orleans, collecting two degrees from Louisiana State University before running away to Chicago to be an actor. She fought in the Chicago Golden Gloves, ran the Chicago Marathon, and competed for team U.S.A. in the savate world championships in Paris. In spite of doing each of these things twice, she couldn’t stay warm and relocated to Nashville.
She owns several swords, but lives a non-violent life, saving all swashbuckling for the page, knitting scarves, gardening, visiting coffee shops, and cuddling with her husband and two panther-sized cats. Ghost Tamer is her first novel.
Ananda Lima is the author of the poetry collection Mother/land, winner of the Hudson Prize. Her work has appeared in The American Poetry Review, Poets.org, Kenyon Review Online, Gulf Coast, Witness, and elsewhere. She has an MA in Linguistics from UCLA and an MFA in Creative Writing in Fiction from Rutgers University, Newark.
Craft: Stories I wrote for the Devil is her fiction debut.
Yume Kitasei is the author of The Deep Sky. She is half Japanese and half American and grew up in a space between two cultures—the same space where her stories reside. She lives in Brooklyn with two cats, Boondoggle and Filibuster.
Her stories have appeared in publications including New England Review, Catapult, SmokeLong Quarterly, and Baltimore Review. The Stardust Grail is her second novel.
Libby Kay lives in Columbus with her husband. When she’s not writing, Libby loves reading romance novels of any kind. Stories of people falling in love nourish her soul. Contemporary or Regency, sweet or hot, as long as there is a happily ever after—she’s in love! When not surrounded by books, Libby can be found baking in her kitchen, binging true crime shows, or on the road with her husband, traveling as far as their bank account will allow.
Libby cohosts the Romance Roundup podcast with Liz Donatelli. Together they share their favorite romance books, authors, and tropes, as well as interview fellow romance authors and readers.
Linda Kass is the author of three historical novels: Tasa’s Song (2016); A Ritchie Boy (2020), an IPPY Gold Medal Winner in Historical Fiction in 2021; and Bessie, which was named A Hasty Book List Most-Anticipated Historical Fiction Title for 2023.
Linda began her career as a magazine journalist and correspondent for regional and national publications. She is the founder and owner of Gramercy Books, an independent bookstore in Columbus, Ohio.
Stephen Mack Jones is a published poet, award-winning playwright and winner of the Kresge Arts in Detroit Literary Fellowship. Stephen has received many accolades for his August Snow crime/thriller series, which won the Nero Award, and he has been shortlisted for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and a finalist for the Shamus Award as well as the Strand Critics Award.
In 2018, the International Association of Crime Writers presented Stephen with the prestigious Hammett Prize for literary excellence in the field of crime writing. He currently lives in the suburbs of Detroit.
Lauren Kung Jessen is a mixed-race Chinese-American writer with a fondness for witty, flirtatious dialogue and making meals with too many steps but lots of flavor. She is fascinated by myths and superstitions and how ideas, beliefs, traditions, and stories evolve over time. From attending culinary school to working in the world of Big Tech to writing love stories, Lauren cares about creating experiences that make people feel something.
When she’s not writing novels, she works as a content strategist and user experience writer. She also has a food and film blog, A Dash of Cinema, where she makes food inspired by movies and TV shows. She lives in Nashville with her husband (who she met thanks to fate—read: the algorithms of online dating), two cats, and dog.
Miesha Wilson Headen is the winner of a Best Minority Issues Reporting Award from the Greater Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists, aand a BINC Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists. She is the former mayor of Richmond Heights, OH, where she lives with her husband and two sons. She graduated from Columbia University and Ursuline College. She is also a preacher’s kid. Her latest work is as an editor of Cleveland Noir.
Anastasia Hastings is the author of the Dear Miss Hermione historical mystery series. In a review of the first book of the series, Of Manners and Murder, the Wall Street Journal says, “The book’s thrilling denouement evokes the shocking revelations of Wilkie Collins, the social acuity of Jane Austen and the comic melodrama of Oscar Wilde.” The second book of the series, Of Hoaxes and Homicide, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
Anastasia lives in northeast Ohio with her husband, David, and her two dogs. When she’s not planning murders, she enjoys exploring old cemeteries and digging into family genealogy.
Sarah Gailey is a Hugo Award winning and bestselling author of speculative fiction, short stories, and essays. Their nonfiction has been published by dozens of venues internationally. Their fiction has been published in over seven different languages.
Their most recent novel, Just Like Home, and most recent original comic book series with BOOM! Studios, Know Your Station are available now.
Jess Everlee writes decadent romance from the Northeast Ohio split-level she shares with her small family of furballs and fellow humans. She holds a B.A. from The Ohio State University, where she studied English and Gender Studies, focusing on Victorian Literature and public health topics. While that background resulted in an eclectic resume, her passion for reading and writing has never wavered.
Alex Erickson has always wanted to write, even at a young, impressionable age. He’s always had an interest in the motive behind murder, which has led him down his current path. He’s always ready with a witty—at least in his opinion—quip, and tries to keep every conversation light and friendly.
Alex lives in Ohio with his family and resident felines, who provide endless amounts of inspiration.
Amanda Dykes’s debut novel, Whose Waves These Are, is the winner of the prestigious 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year, a Booklist 2019 Top Ten Romance debut, and the winner of an INSPY Award. She’s also the author of All the Lost Places and Christy Award finalists Yours Is the Night and Set the Stars Alight.
Jason B. Dutton is a Columbus-based author, where he does all he can to nurture his lifelong love of song, dance, and books. When he’s not writing, Jason loves to watch and passionately discuss movies, particularly anything involving Spider-Man. He can often be found singing, whether bystanders want him to or not, and as a writer with cerebral palsy, he delights in finding the humor, beauty, and possibility in life with a disability.
Phyllis R. Dixon is the acclaimed author of Intermission, Forty Acres, and Down Home Blues, which was shortlisted for the Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List by the Texas Library Association. She also is a contributor to the New Tri-State Defender book review column and to Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she is a former independent bookstore owner, previously worked for the U.S. Treasury Department, and serves on several nonprofit boards. She currently lives in Memphis, Tennessee.
Ryan Chapman is a Sri Lankan–American writer originally from Minnesota, and currently based in Kingston, New York. He is the author of Riots I Have Known, which NPR named “one of the smartest—and best—novels of the year,” among other accolades. His criticism and humor pieces have appeared in Bookforum, The New Yorker, The Guardian, McSweeney’s and elsewhere.
The Audacity
Christopher Buehlman is an author, comedian, and screenwriter from St. Petersburg, Florida, whose books include The Blacktongue Thief and The Daughters’ War. He tours the country most years, writing fantasy and horror and performing at Renaissance festivals. He and his wife, Jenn, travel with their rescue dog, Duck, and a black cat named Jane Mansfield, who is proficient in ninjutsu.
The Daughters’ War
Neely Tubati Alexander is originally from the Seattle area and currently resides in Arizona with her husband and two elementary-aged children. If she’s not tucked away writing, you can find her at some kiddo activity, drinking wine, or watching reality television, usually the last two together. She is also the author of Love Buzz.
Denny S. Bryce is an award-winning, best-selling author of historical fiction. A former professional dancer and public relations professional, Denny is an adjunct professor in the MFA program at Drexel University, a book critic for NPR, and a freelance writer whose work has been published in USA Today, Harper’s Bazaar, and FROLIC Media. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Tall Poppy Writers. Originally from Chicago, she now resides in Savannah, Georgia.
Author Can No Longer Attend
Khadijah L. VanBrakle is a Muslim woman of color living with her family in the southwestern US. As someone born and raised in Canada to American parents, she writes to ensure teens who share her Black & American Muslim dual marginalization see themselves on the printed page. She was chosen as one of the recipients of a two-year, 2021 Highlights Foundation Muslim Storytellers Fellowship.
Author Can No Longer Attend
C.L. Clark (they/she) is a BFA award-winning editor and Ignyte award winning-writer, and the author of Nebula-nominated novel The Unbroken, the first book in the Magic of the Lost trilogy. She graduated from Indiana University’s creative writing MFA and was a 2012 Lambda Literary Fellow. She’s been a personal trainer, an English teacher, and an editor, and is some combination thereof as she travels the world. When she’s not writing or working, she’s learning languages, doing P90something, or reading about war and [post-]colonial history. Her work has appeared in various SFF venues, including Tor.com, Uncanny, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
Author Can No Longer Attend
Vanessa A. Bee is a consumer protection lawyer and essayist. Born in Cameroon, she grew up in France, England, and the United States. Vanessa holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada and a law degree from Harvard. She lives in Washington, DC.
Her experimental memoir, HOME BOUND: An Uprooted Daughter’s Reflections on Belonging, was published via Astra House in Fall 2022.
Lisa McMann splits her time between Tempe, AZ, Sacramento, CA, and Vancouver, BC. She is married to fellow children’s author, Matt McMann, and they have two adult children. Her son is artist Kilian McMann and her daughter is actor Kennedy McMann.
Lisa was born in Holland, Michigan, and she lived there until 2004, when she moved to Arizona with her family. Her first book, Wake, came out in 2008.
In her spare time, Lisa likes to take walks along Tempe Town Lake and on the Arizona State University campus, shop at local stores, and cook. She also enjoys watching TV and movies, and loves to read fantasy, realistic fiction, memoirs, and books about cooking.
Lisa is the author of over two dozen books for young adults and children. Some of her most well-known books are The Unwanteds series for middle grade readers and the Wake trilogy for young adults. She hopes to keep writing books for a long time.
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Lynette Eason is the USA Today bestselling author of Life Flight and Crossfire, as well as the Danger Never Sleeps, Blue Justice, Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of three ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, among others. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has a master’s degree in education from Converse College. Eason lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.
Author Can No Longer Attend
Mary Robinette Kowal is the four-time Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award winning author of The Glamourist Histories series, Ghost Talkers, the Lady Astronaut Universe, and The Spare Man. She is a cast member of the award-winning podcast Writing Excuses and has received the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. Her stories appear in Asimov’s, Uncanny, and Year’s Best anthologies. Mary Robinette, a professional puppeteer, also performs as a voice actor (SAG/AFTRA), recording fiction for authors including Seanan McGuire, Cory Doctorow, and John Scalzi. She lives in Nashville with her husband Rob and over a dozen manual typewriters.
Natalie D. Richards writes books that will keep you up way past your bedtime. A champion of literacy and aspiring authors, Richards is a frequent speaker at schools, libraries, and writing groups. In addition to writing, she spends her days working at a local public library. Richards lives with her wonderful family in Columbus, Ohio. When she’s not writing or reading, you can probably find her wrangling Wookiee, her enormous dustmop of a dog.
B.L. Blanchard is an author, a mother, and an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, a federally-recognized tribe. She graduated from UC Davis’s inaugural undergraduate Creative Writing Honors Program in 2006 and was a Writing Fellow at Boston University School of Law. B.L. Blanchard is originally from Sault St. Marie in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and now lives in California with her family. She can stare at maps all day and is always looking for new podcasts and shows about true crime.
Mary A. Turzillo won a Nebula award (“Mars Is No Place for Children” 1999) and two Elgin awards (Sweet Poison, with Marge Simon, 2014, and Lovers & Killers, 2012, solo).
Her novel Mars Girls (Apex) features two young Martian women rescuing themselves from Face-on-Mars crazies. Her purrfectly delicious story collection Cosmic Cats & Fantastic Furballs appeared March 2022 from WordFire. As the 11th rated woman épée fencer in the US in her age class, she lives with scientist-author-fencer Geoffrey Landi.
Jeff Chenault is an author, producer, music historian, and exotica DJ. He has written for various publications including Cool and Strange Music Magazine Tiki News, Bachelor Pad Magazine, and Tiki Magazine.
In addition to his first book on the Kahiki Supper Club, a famous Polynesian restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, he has published its companion, The Kahiki Scrapbook, with co-authors David Meyers, Elise Meyers Walker and Doug Motz.
Susan Azim Boyer writes young adult and women’s fiction featuring Iranian American heroines (whom she *never* encountered growing up), who make messy, complicated choices that rapidly snowball into avalanches. JASMINE ZUMIDEH NEEDS A WIN is out now; her second young adult book, THE SEARCH FOR US, is coming on 10.24.23. She is working on what will be her adult debut.
She lives in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area with her husband, Wayne, and her sweet rescue pup, Jasper. Her son, Alec, lives in New York.
Robyn Gigl, the author of the Erin McCabe legal thrillers, is an attorney, speaker and activist who has been honored by the ACLU-NJ and the NJ Pride Network for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court to the Court’s Committee on Diversity Inclusion and Community Engagement, she’s practiced law for more than 40 years, representing clients in state and federal courts. She is active in the New Jersey State Bar Association where she is a member of the Women in the Profession Section and a Past Chair of the Bar’s LGBT Rights Section. She also is a member of the Board of Directors of Garden State Equality, NJ’s largest LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Organization. She lives in New Jersey and is a frequent lecturer on diversity issues.
Tom Betti is dedicated to bringing history to life through entertaining story telling. He co-led various local history tours for over a decade, where he brought dry humor and wit. He served on the board of Columbus Landmarks Foundation for two full terms and chaired the Education Committee charged with leading the organization’s educational tours and extensive programming. Tom was lead researcher on the National Register of Historic Places nominations for both the Hartman Hotel Building and the Athletic Club of Columbus.
Tom has coauthored many books with Doreen Uhas-Sauer on local Columbus history available through The History Press. He serves on the board of the Pan Am Museum Foundation and host the Pan Am Podcast. A native of the Cleveland, Ohio area, it is fitting that his condo resides in the historic 1898 Hartman Hotel Building in Columbus, Ohio with his pug, Roosevelt.
Doreen Uhas-Sauer is a past president of Columbus Landmarks Foundation and a current trustee of Green Lawn Cemetery Association. She has served on Columbus’s Historic Resource Commission, is currently involved with the Christopher Columbus Statue Committee, and was recently reappointed to the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Board by the governor as a public historian. Doreen is also a prolific author on Columbus history topics and you can check out many of her books through the library.
Jenna Miller (she/her) writes Young Adult books about fat, queer, nerdy girls who deserve to be seen and have their voices heard. When she’s not obsessing over words, she can be found making charcuterie boards, befriending people online, cross stitching, or adventuring in the Minneapolis area.
Mar Romasco-Moore (she/they) is the YA author of I Am the Ghost in Your House and Some Kind of Animal, as well as Ghostographs, a collection of short stories paired with vintage photographs. Krazyland is her middle-grade debut. She is also an instructor at Columbus College of Art and Design.
Matthew Caracciolo is the author of Moon Ohio and The Waygook Book: A Foreigner’s Guide to South Korea. As a travel writer, his work has appeared on Amateur Traveler, Only In Your State, Columbus Navigator, Columbus: A Book Project, and his blog “Travel is Fatal.” He’s currently a Tour Researcher and Writer with Shaka Guide and lives in the Columbus area with his family.
Courtney Kae (they/she) writes the sweet and steamy happily ever afters that give her queer little heart great joy. She lives in Southern California with her husband, child, and growing hoard of plants. Some of her favorite things include: movie nights, mountain air, and pretending she doesn’t have a coffee “problem”. Courtney’s debut novel, In The Event Of Love, released on August 30, 2022 with Kensington and Headline Eternal, and the sequel, In The Case Of Heartbreak, will follow on July 25, 2023.
Lydia Conklin (they/them) has received a Stegner Fellowship, a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer’s Award, three Pushcart Prizes, a Creative Writing Fulbright in Poland, a grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation, a Creative Writing Fellowship from Emory University, work-study and tuition scholarships from Bread Loaf, and fellowships from MacDowell, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, Djerassi, the James Merrill House, and elsewhere. Their fiction has appeared in McSweeney’s, American Short Fiction, The Paris Review, One Story, and VQR. They have drawn cartoons for The New Yorker and Narrative Magazine, and graphic fiction for The Believer, Lenny Letter, and the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. Last year they served as the Helen Zell Visiting Professor in Fiction at the University of Michigan and they are currently an Assistant Professor of Fiction at Vanderbilt University. Their story collection, Rainbow Rainbow, was published by Catapult in North America and Scribner in the UK.
Phil Stamper is the bestselling author of The Gravity of Us, As Far as You’ll Take Me, Golden Boys, and other queer books for kids and teens. He currently works in author development for a major book publisher in New York City, where he lives with his husband and their dog. Small Town Pride is his debut middle grade novel.
Kate Fussner (she/her) is a novelist, teacher, and accidental poet living in Massachusetts with her wife and dramatic dog. When not reading or writing, Kate can be found spending time with her family, baking, or singing her favorite musicals. Kate believes in the power of a good laugh and a good cry, and hopes her stories will provide readers with both.
James Bird’s debut middle-grade novel, The Brave, was a Book Riot Best Book of 2020. He is also a screenwriter and director at the independent film company, Zombot Pictures; his films include We Are Boats and Honeyglue. Originally from California, James Bird is of Ojibwe descent, and now lives in Massachusetts with his wife, the author and actor Adriana Mather, and their son.
M. Elizabeth Weiser is a professor of rhetoric and museology at The Ohio State University, specializing in public memory and national narratives. She is the author of Museum Rhetoric: Building Civic Identity in National Spaces and other books.
The Fertile Earth and The Ordered Cosmos, published by Ohio State Press, was edited by M. Elizabeth Weiser, Timothy R. W. Jordan, and Richard D. Shiels.
Ric S. Sheffield has researched, taught, and lectured extensively about rural diversity in general, and the Black experience in small town America in particular. As co-director (with Prof. Howard Sacks, Kenyon College) of the award-winning Community Within: Black Experience in Knox County, Ohio project and co-director (with Prof. Brooke Bryan, Antioch College) of the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s (GLCA) Oral History in the Liberal Arts (OHLA) program, he has designed and executed projects intended to explore minority communities in small town America. He also offers workshops on exploring diversity in rural geographies and cultural contexts.
Negesti Kaudo is a Midwestern essayist who holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from Columbia College Chicago and has worked as a copywriter, a sex toy columnist, and an adjunct writing instructor. She is the youngest recipient of the Ohioana Library Association’s Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant for unpublished writers under 30. Her work has appeared in Fourth Genre, Best American Experimental Writing, Seneca Review, and elsewhere. Ripe is her first book.
Suzanne Gordon is Senior Policy Analyst at the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute and the author of many books, most recently, Wounds of War: How the VA Delivers Health, Healing, and Hope to the Nation’s Veterans.
Ruth P. Watson is the author of Blackberry Days of Summer, An Elderberry Fall, Cranberry Winter, and Strawberry Spring. A musical stage play, Blackberry Daze, is based on her debut novel. She is the recipient of the Caversham Fellowship, an artist and writer’s residency in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where she published her first children’s book in Zulu, Our Secret Bond. She is a freelance writer and member of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and has written for Upscale, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and other publications. She is an adjunct professor and project manager, who lives with family in Atlanta, Georgia.
Thao Thai is a writer living in Ohio with her husband and daughter. Her work engages with tangled family relationships and the intersections of motherhood and identity. She’s been published in Cup of Jo, Eater, Catapult, Sunday Long Read, and more. A recipient of the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, she has also been nominated for multiple Pushcart Prizes and earned fellowships in creative writing. She received her MFA from The Ohio State University and her MA from The University of Chicago.
Rasheed Newson is a writer and producer of Bel-Air, The Chi, and Narcos. He currently resides in Pasadena, California with his husband and two children. My Government Means to Kill Me is his debut novel.
Vibrant, humorous, and fraught with entanglements, Rasheed Newson’s My Government Means to Kill Me is an exhilarating, fast-paced, coming-of-age story that lends itself to a larger discussion about what it means for a young, gay, Black man in the mid-1980s to come to terms with his role in the midst of a political and social reckoning.
Shelley Shepard Gray is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 books. Two-time winner of the HOLT Medallion and a Carol Award finalist, Gray lives in Colorado, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
Ariel Delgado Dixon was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey. Her short stories have appeared in Kenyon Review, The Mississippi Review, The Greensboro Review, and elsewhere. She received her MFA from Boise State University and currently lives in Philadelphia.
Wesley Chu is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and the author of The Art of Prophecy, Time Salvager, The Rise of Io, and The Walking Dead: Typhoon. He won the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. His debut, The Lives of Tao, won the Young Adult Library Services Association Alex Award. Chu is an accomplished martial artist and a former member of the Screen Actors Guild. He has acted in film and television, worked as a model and stuntman, and summited Kilimanjaro. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Paula, and two boys, Hunter and River.
Julie Anne Lindsey is an award-winning and bestselling author of mystery and romantic suspense. She’s published more than fifty novels since her debut in 2013 and currently writes series as herself, as well as under multiple pen names, for Harlequin, Kensington, Sourcebooks and Crooked Lane Books. When Julie’s not creating new worlds or fostering the epic love of fictional characters, she can be found in Kent, Ohio, enjoying her blessed Midwestern life. And probably plotting murder with her shamelessly enabling friends.
Julie Anne writes under the pseudonyms Bree Baker (Seaside Café Mysteries), Jacqueline Frost (Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries), and Julie Chase (Kitty Couture Mysteries).
Rajani LaRocca, MD, was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area with her wonderful family and impossibly cute dog. She earned a BA and an MD from Harvard and spends her time writing novels and picture books, practicing medicine, and baking too many sweet treats.