Announcing the 2023 Ohioana Book Award Finalists

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A scene from the 2016 Ohioana Book Awards ceremony (Photo by Mary Rathke)

A scene from the 2016 Ohioana Book Awards ceremony (Photo by Mary Rathke)

Ohioana Library is pleased to announce the finalists for the 82nd annual Ohioana Book Awards. First given in 1942, the awards are the second-oldest state literary prizes in the nation and honor outstanding works by Ohio authors and illustrators in five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature, and Juvenile Literature. The sixth category, About Ohio or an Ohioan, may also include books by non-Ohio authors.

The recognition this year’s stellar list of authors has received includes the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the PEN America Literary Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Coretta Scott King Book Award, the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honors, the Edgar Award, and the Kirkus Prize. Four finalists have had their works adapted for film and television. One finalist is a former Governor of Ohio; another is CNN’s Presidential Historian. Eight authors are previous Ohioana Book Award winners.

On June 1, Ohioana will kick off the tenth annual “30 Books, 30 Days,” our popular feature in which we profile one award finalist every day on our social media. This year, we have thirty-three finalists, expanding the feature by three books and three days!

In mid-June we’ll launch the annual Readers’ Choice Award poll. First held in 2016, the poll allows the public to vote online for their favorite book from among all the finalists.

Winners will be announced in July. The 2023 Ohioana Awards ceremony will be held at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on Thursday, September 21. The finalists are:

Fiction

Hyde, Allegra. Eleutheria, Vintage

Ng, Celeste. Our Missing Hearts, Penguin

Okorafor, Nnedi. Noor, DAW

Scalzi, John. The Kaiju Preservation Society, Tor

Umrigar, Thrity. Honor, Algonquin Books

Nonfiction

Brinkley, Douglas. Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening, HarperCollins

Gay, Ross. Inciting Joy: Essays, Algonquin Books

Macy, Beth. Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis, Little, Brown and Company

Millard, Candice. River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile, Doubleday

Mufleh, Luma. Learning America: One Woman’s Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children, Mariner Books

About Ohio or an Ohioan

Celeste, Richard F. In the Heart of It All: An Unvarnished Account of My Life in Public Service, The Kent State University Press

Dyer, Joyce. Pursuing John Brown: On the Trail of a Radical Abolitionist, The University of Akron Press

Ervick, Kelcey. The Keeper: Soccer, Me, and the Law That Changed Women’s Lives, Avery

Jarrett, Gene Andrew. Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird, Princeton University Press

Schulz, Kathryn. Lost and Found: Reflections on Grief, Gratitude, and Happiness, Random House

Schwartzman, Nancy and Nora Zelevansky. Roll Red Roll: Rape, Power, and Football in the American Heartland, Hachette Books

Poetry

Fagan, Kathy. Bad Hobby: Poems, Milkweed Editions

Freeman, Siaara. Urbanshee, Button Poetry

Hindi, Noor. Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow., Haymarket Books

Jones, Saeed. Alive at the End of the World, Coffee House Press

Wagner, Sara Moore. Swan Wife, Cider Press Review

Juvenile Literature

Campbell, Marcy. Illus. by Francesca Sanna. The More You Give, Knopf Books for Young Readers

Hale, Shannon. Illus. by Tracy Subisak. This Book is Not for You!, Dial Books

Hoefler, Kate. Illus. by Jessixa Bagley. Courage Hats, Chronicle Books

Kuo, Julia. Luminous: Living Things That Light Up the Night, Greystone Kids

Wang, Andrea. Illus. by Hyewon Yum. Luli and the Language of Tea, Neal Porter Books

Woodson, Jacqueline. Illus. by Rafael López. The Year We Learned to Fly, Nancy Paulsen Books

Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature

Brown, Echo. The Chosen One: A First-Generation Ivy League Odyssey, Christy Ottaviano Books

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. The School for Whatnots, Katherine Tegen Books

McCarthy, Cory. Man O’ War, Dutton Books for Young Readers

Nelson, Marilyn. Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor’s Life, Christy Ottaviano Books

Van Vleet, Carmella. Nothing is Little, Holiday House

Warga, Jasmine. A Rover’s Story, Balzer + Bray

The 2023 Ohioana Book Festival Authors

Announcing the 2023 Ohioana Book Festival Authors!

2023 Ohioana Book Festival poster by Will Hillenbrand

We’re back!

Yes, the Ohioana Book Festival will once again be LIVE and IN PERSON this April . . . and you’re invited!

Join us as we present our 17th annual celebration of Ohio books and authors at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Main Library on Saturday, April 22, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

It will be a fun-filled day with panel discussions, conversations, readings, and activities, plus an on-site book fair with The Book Loft of German Village where you can shop for books by your favorite festival authors and get them signed!

In addition to the main event, we’ll be presenting a number of outreach programs with community partners from all around Ohio. As we like to say, there’s something for every reader of every age at the Ohioana Book Festival!

Our thanks to Will Hillenbrand for creating this year’s festival poster, with its delightful “Buckeye Readers.” Will is just one of the more than 120 Ohio authors and illustrators who will be featured at this year’s event – see the complete list below.*

In the coming weeks, we’ll be adding more festival news and information on our website, blog, newsletter, and social media—be sure to check them often!

Mark your calendars now for April 22. We’ll see you at the festival!

FICTION

Karina Bartow

Tom Batiuk

Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar

Terreece M. Clarke

Abby Collette

Karin Cecile Davidson

Jen Devon

Srirupa Dhar

Meredith Doench

Alex Erickson

Erin Flanagan

Patti Flinn

Amanda Flower

Eileen Curley Hammond

Anastasia Hastings (aka Kylie Logan/Casey Daniels)

Nancy Herriman

Leanna Renee Hieber

Kip Knott

Jen Knox

Kathryn Long

Olivia Matthews

Josef Matulich

Jess Montgomery

Kerry Rea

Emilia Rosa

Jerry Roth

Lucy A. Snyder

Jessica Strawser

Don Tassone

Judith Turner-Yamamoto

Marie Vibbert

Wendy Vogel

Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Ticana Zhu

NONFICTION

Brian Alexander

Matthew Caracciolo

Richard F. Celeste

Renee Casteel Cook

Shane W. Croston

Mark Dawidziak

Guy Denny

Jessica Fries-Gaither

Chelsea Gottfried & Jim McCormac

John J. Grabowski

Larisa Harper

Edward P. Horvath

Teshauna L. Isaac

Judy Orr James

Robert Kroeger

John W. Kropf

Deseree Liddell & Mary Louise Ruehr

Jacqueline Lipton

David Meyers & Elise Meyers Walker

Bayyinah Monk-Nduaka

Brian Michael Murphy

Brad Ricca

Steven Rosen

Kathy Schulz

Jillian Scudder

Prince Shakur

Ric S. Sheffield

Nita Sweeney

Samantha Tucker & Amy Spears

Jane Ann Turzillo

POETRY

Mark M. Dean

Darren C. Demaree

Adam J. Gellings

Kari Gunter-Seymour

Manuel Iris

Megan Neville

Emily Patterson

Elana Pitts

Bonnie Proudfoot

Annette Dauphin Simon

Felicia Zamora

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT

Breshea Anglen

Kristy Boyce

Cinda Williams Chima

Margaret Peterson Haddix

Jason R. Lady

Terri Libenson

Mindy McGinnis

Jeff Miller

Wes Molebash

Stacy Nockowitz

Bryan Prosek

Mar Romasco-Moore

Jennifer Ann Shore

Erik Jon Slangerup

Tricia Springstubb

Frances Smith Strickland

Sara Bennett Wealer

Brieanna Wilkoff

Misty Wilson & David Wilson

JUVENILE

Frederick Luis Aldama

Lisa J. Amstutz

Lindsay Bonilla

Tim Bowers

Erin Alon Brain

Marcy Campbell

Mary Kay Carson

e.E. Charlton-Trujillo

Jean Colebank

Keila V. Dawson

Jeffrey Ebbeler

Kathy S. Elasky

Jacob Grant

S.R.D. Harris

Will Hillenbrand

Kate Hoefler

Florenza Lee

Margeaux Lucas

Allison Marks & Wayne Marks

Katie Mazeika

Dia Mixon

Samuel Narh & Freda Narh

Merrill Rainey

Blythe Russo

Jennifer Sommer

Carmella Van Vleet & Chiquita Mullins-Lee

Andrea Wang

Julie Whitney

*Author lineup may change without notice.

Announcing the 2022 Ohioana Book Award Winners

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Congratulations to all of the winners!

First given in 1942, the Ohioana Book Awards are the second oldest, and among the most prestigious, state literary prizes in the nation. Nearly every major writer from Ohio in the past 81 years has been honored, from James Thurber to Toni Morrison.

Six of the Ohioana Award winners, as well as the Marvin Grant recipient, were selected by juries. The Readers’ Choice Award was determined by voters in a public online poll. Nearly 2,000 votes were cast for this year’s Readers’ Choice Award.

Listed below are the 2022 Ohioana Book Award winners. Click on the title to learn more about the author and their winning book.

Fiction: Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land

Nonfiction: Hanif Abdurraqib, A Little Devil in America: Notes In Praise of Black Peformance

About Ohio or an Ohioan: Brian Alexander, The Hospital: Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town

Poetry: Felicia Zamora, I Always Carry My Bones

Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature: Jasmine Warga, The Shape of Thunder

Juvenile Literature: Andrea Wang, Watercress

Readers’ Choice: Manuel Iris, The Parting Present / Lo que se irá

Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant

Named for Ohioana’s second director, the Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant is awarded to an Ohio writer age 30 or younger who has not yet published a book. The 2022 Marvin Grant winner is Louise Ling Edwards. Edwards, an essayist and poet living in central Ohio, received her undergraduate degree from Oberlin College in Creative Writing and Neuroscience and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The Ohio State University. During her MFA, she worked as the Production Editor and Online Editor for OSU’s literary magazine The Journal and received the Helen Earnhart Harley Creative Writing Fellowship Award in both creative nonfiction and poetry. She is also the recipient of the Charles W. Medick Scholarship, which is awarded to students with a visual disability.

Her writing focuses on the joys and paradoxes of living as a biracial and bisexual woman by exploring tensions between hunger and abundance, loneliness and belonging. Her in-progress collection of essays, “Paper House,” reflects her experiences living in China’s Shanxi Province for two years, and moves through both haunted and tranquil spaces of a homeland from which she has long been separated. Currently, she advises students at OSU through her role as the Undergraduate Fellowship Coordinator. Her winning entry will appear in this fall’s Ohioana Quarterly.

Award Ceremony

The 2022 Ohioana Book Awards ceremony will be held on October 26 in the atrium of the Ohio Statehouse (tentatively in-person; please watch our website and social media for any possible changes). More information about the Awards and about purchasing tickets is coming soon. Congratulations to all of this year’s Ohioana Book Award winners!

Ohioana Announces the 2022 Ohioana Book Award Finalists

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A scene from the 2016 Ohioana Awards ceremony (Photo by Mary Rathke)

The Ohioana Library is pleased to announce the finalists for the 81st annual Ohioana Book Awards. First given in 1942, the awards are the second-oldest state literary prizes in the nation and honor outstanding works by Ohio authors and illustrators in five categories: Fiction, Poetry, Juvenile Literature, Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature, and Nonfiction. The sixth category, About Ohio or an Ohioan, may also include books by non-Ohio authors. 

This year’s stellar list includes a Pulitzer Prize winner, three finalists for the National Book Award, a Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist, and winners of the Coretta Scott King Book Award, the Caldecott Medal, Newbery Honors, and the Kirkus Prize. Four finalists have had their works adapted for film and television. Eight authors are previous Ohioana Book Award winners and two are past recipients of Ohioana’s Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant for emerging writers. 

Beginning June 1, Ohioana will profile all the finalists with “30 Books, 30 Days,” a special feature on our social media in which one finalist is highlighted each day. Later in June, Ohioana will launch its seventh Readers’ Choice Award poll, allowing the public to vote online for their favorite book from the finalists. 

Winners will be announced in July. The 2022 Ohioana Awards ceremony will be held at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on Wednesday, October 26. The finalists are: 

Fiction

Bethea, Jesse. Fellow Travellers, Bellwether 

Doerr, Anthony. Cloud Cuckoo Land, Scribner 

Gornichec, Genevieve. The Witch’s Heart, Ace 

Stine, Alison. Trashlands, MIRA 

Walter, Laura Maylene. Body of Stars, Dutton

Nonfiction 

Abdurraqib, Hanif. A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance, Random House 

Butcher, Amy. Mothertrucker: Finding Joy on the Loneliest Road in America, Little A 

Haygood, Wil. Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World , Alfred A. Knopf 

Orlean, Susan. On Animals, Avid Reader Press 

Schillace, Brandy. Mr. Humble & Dr. Butcher: A Monkey’s Head, the Pope’s Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul, Simon & Schuster

About Ohio or an Ohioan 

Abbott, Anneliese. Malabar Farm: Louis Bromfield, Friends of the Land, and the Rise of Sustainable Agriculture, The Kent State University Press 

Alexander, Brian. The Hospital: Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town, St. Martin’s Press 

Baier, Bret, and Catherine Whitney. To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876, Custom House 

Broome, Brian. Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir, Mariner Books 

Shesol, Jeff. Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War, W.W. Norton & Company 

Poetry 

Spencer, Emily. East Walnut Hills, Zone 3 Press

Bracken, Conor. The Enemy of My Enemy is Me, Diode Editions 

Iris, Manuel. The Parting Present / Lo que se irá, Dos Madres Press 

Kim, Joey S. Body Facts, Diode Editions 

Zamora, Felicia. I Always Carry My Bones, University of Iowa Press 

Juvenile Literature 

Campbell, Marcy. Illus. by Corinna Luyken. Something Good, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 

Dawson, Keila V. Illus. by Alleanna Harris. Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book, Beaming Books 

Gorman, Amanda. Illus. by Loren Long. Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem, Viking Books for Young Readers 

Wang, Andrea. Illus. by Jason Chin. Watercress, Neal Porter Books 

Wynter, Anne. Illus. by Oge Mora. Everybody in the Red Brick Building, Balzer + Bray 

Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature 

Carson, Rae. Any Sign of Life, Greenwillow Books 

Draper, Sharon M. Out of My Heart, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books 

Kiely, Brendan. The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books 

Wang, Andrea. The Many Meanings of Meilan, Kokila 

Warga, Jasmine. The Shape of Thunder, Balzer + Bray 

Introducing…The 2022 Ohioana Book Festival Authors!

The 16th Ohioana Book Festival is coming in April . . . and you’re invited!

The 2022 festival will be held virtually from April 29 through May 1. As we have done for the past two years, we decided to present the festival in this format to keep everyone safe as the pandemic continues. We’re delighted that we will still be able to share with you all the things you love about the Ohioana Book Festival, straight to your home in a virtual format: a fun-filled weekend featuring panel discussions, conversations, and readings. We’ll also have a number of virtual outreach programs with community partners from all around Ohio leading up to the main event.

110 Ohio authors and illustrators will be featured in the festival’s virtual programs. See the full list below. We’re sure you’ll see some of your favorites in this stellar lineup!

In the coming weeks, we’ll be adding more festival news and information on our website, blog, newsletter, and social media—be sure to check them often! And don’t forget to mark your calendars now for April 29-May 1. We’ll see you online as we celebrate 16 years of the Ohioana Book Festival!

Fiction:

Bree Baker

Karina Bartow

Tom Batiuk

Janet Beard

Connie Berry

Kinley Bryan

Mary Ellis

Erin Flanagan

Amanda Flower

Nancy Herriman

Leanna Renee Hieber

Anna Lee Huber

Allegra Hyde

Barbara Kussow

Tracy Lawson

Olivia Matthews

Tiffany McDaniel

Tim McWhorter

Jess Montgomery

Emilia Rosa

E.F. Schraeder

Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar

Carter Sickels

Jamie-Lyn Smith

Jyotsna Sreenivasan

Don Tassone

Thrity Umrigar

TG Wolff

Robin Yocum

Nonfiction:

Gloria G. Adams

Thomas Crowl

Raffaele Di Lallo

Christina Dorr

Michelle Fishpaw

Carole Genshaft

Marilyn S. Greenwald

Michael Griffith

John D. Harder

Wil Haygood

Mark Sebastian Jordan

Wendy Koile

Carolyn Bailey Lewis

Scott Longert

David Meyers & Elise Meyers Walker

Bayyinah Monk-Nduaka

Mary Newman

Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Janet S. Shailer

Dorri Steinhoff

John Thorndike

Donte Woods-Spikes

Poetry:

Pamela Anderson-Bartholet

George Bilgere

Marianne Chan

Darren C. Demaree

Pauletta Hansel

David Hassler

William Heath

Manuel Iris

Kip Knott

Paula J. Lambert

Wendy McVicker

Lucy A. Snyder

Myrna Stone

Laura Grace Weldon

Middle Grade & Young Adult:

Rachele Alpine

Lisa Amstutz

Chelsea Bobulski

Kristy Boyce

Gary Buettner

Mary Kay Carson

Sarah Anne Carter

e.E. Charlton-Trujillo

Sharon M. Draper

Margaret Peterson Haddix

Kerrie Hollihan

Brendan Kiely

Terri Libenson

Allison Marks & Wayne Marks

Mindy McGinnis

Morgan E. Perryman

Bryan Prosek

Natalie D. Richards

Mar Romasco Moore

Julie K. Rubini

Jennifer Ann Shore

Sam Subity

Juvenile & Picture Books:

Regina Bond

Lindsay Bonilla

Marcy Campbell

Mark Darden

Keila V. Dawson

JoAnn Deak

Jeff Ebbeler

Becky Gehrisch

Jacob Grant

Andrea Hall

S.R.D. Harris  

Will Hillenbrand

Kate Hoefler

Michelle Houts

Ryan Huntley

Leigh Lewis

Dia Mixon

Nomar Perez

Rox Siles

Tricia Springstubb

Tracy Subisak

Joe Sutphin

Donna Wyland

Celebrating the 80th Ohioana Book Awards!

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A screencap from the 2021 Ohioana Book Awards ceremony.

The Ohioana Library has been giving awards to recognize outstanding literary achievement since 1942. But 2021’s event was truly special as we virtually celebrated the awards’ 80th anniversary!

Ohioana’s Executive Director, David Weaver, served as master of ceremonies, with help from Ohioana board members and representatives of sponsors who introduced the award winners.

The award ceremony began with the presentation of the 2021 Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant to Hagan Faye Whiteleather. A competitive award for an emerging Ohio writer aged 30 or younger who has not yet published a book, the Marvin Grant has helped launch the careers of many successful authors, a number of whom have returned later as book award winners.

The presentation of the Ohioana Book Awards followed:

Readers’ Choice: Tiffany McDaniel, Betty

About Ohio or an Ohioan: Carole M. Genshaft, ed., Raggin’ On

Nonfiction: Aimee Nezhukumatathil, World of Wonders

Fiction: Carter Sickels, The Prettiest Star

Poetry: Marianne Chan, All Heathens

Juvenile Literature: Thrity Umrigar, Sugar in Milk

Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature: Jacqueline Woodson, Before the Ever After

After the ceremony, Dan Shellenbarger, head of the Ohio Channel and creator and host of their discussion program, Book Notes, moderated an authors’ roundtable with the winners in which they discussed their creative inspiration and their writing process.

As we did in 2020, we moved the awards ceremony online, due to the recent upsurge of COVID-19 cases. The Ohio Channel, our media partner, streamed the entire program live on Facebook and YouTube to thousands of viewers in Ohio and beyond. If you missed the program, or would like to see it again, here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRu542oeE9A.

Copies of all of this year’s winning titles are available from our official bookseller, the Book Loft of German Village, at www.bookloft.com.

While we missed celebrating in person with authors and attendees, the virtual awards event was nonetheless a great success. Our thanks to everyone who made it so—sponsors, partners, presenters, and the Ohioana board and staff. And of course, all of this year’s award winners— congratulations once again!

Hopefully, we’ll be back live and in person next October at the Ohio Statehouse. We’d love to have you join us as we celebrate the 2022 Ohioana Book Awards!

The Ohio Literary Trail Expands!


The new Toni Morrison Historical Marker at Lorain Historical Society. Photo by Kathryn Powers.

The Ohioana Library Association is excited to announce that its Ohio Literary Trail has expanded with the addition of seven new sites honoring Ohio literary greats.

Introduced in 2020, the Ohio Literary Trail connects readers and Ohio writers and shines the spotlight on Ohio’s unique role in shaping culture and literature worldwide.

Among the notable Ohioans honored with new sites are the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, the journalist and travel writer who introduced the world to “Lawrence of Arabia,” the greatest female humorist of the past 60 years, a science fiction writer and screenwriter who wrote the script for The Empire Strikes Back, and the Union general who won the Civil War and penned the most acclaimed memoir of any American President.

Criteria for inclusion on the Trail includes nonliving people or places that illustrate Ohio’s contributions to the literary landscape or literature nationally or internationally. The sites are physical places tourists can visit year-round and share information to educate a visitor, such as museums, permanent library displays, historical homes, and Ohio Historical Markers. There are more than 1,800 markers across the state, administered by the Ohio History Connection, Ohio’s statewide history organization, including more than 50 literary themed markers on the trail.

The new additions to the Ohio Literary Trail include:

  • Northeast Ohio Region: Lorain County, Lorain Historical Society Carnegie Center, 329 W. 10th St. Toni Morrison Historical Marker. The trail’s newest site, dedicated August 12, 2021 and sponsored by Ohioana with the Lorain Historical Society, Ohio History Connection, Lorain YWCA, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, this marker honors Ohio’s most acclaimed author. Morrison, winner of many awards including the Nobel Prize, was born in Lorain in 1931 and died in August 2019. The Carnegie Center is the former Lorain Public Library where Morrison worked as a youth.
  • Northeast Ohio Region: Cuyahoga County, next to the Columbus Road Bridge or at the corner of Columbus Rd. and Merwin Ave. Hart Crane Memorial Park features a tribute sculpture by Ohio artist Gene Kangas honoring American poet Hart Crane (1899-1932), who is considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. The Park is stewarded by Canalway Partners.
  • Northeast Ohio Region: Trumbull County, Kinsman Square at 6086 Ohio 5 in Kinsman. Kinsman/Leigh Brackett Historical Marker. Born in California, Brackett moved to Kinsman with her husband and lived there about 20 years. The science fiction writer who perfected the subgenre of “space opera” in her writings was nominated for a Hugo Award for The Long Tomorrow (1955). As a screenwriter, she wrote the script for The Empire Strikes Back/Star Wars II.
  • Southwest Ohio Region: Montgomery County, University of Dayton campus, Zehler Dr. on the north side of St. Mary’s Hall. Erma Bombeck Historical Marker is on the campus where the celebrated columnist and author graduated in 1949. She went on to become a household name in the 1970s and ‘80s. For more information visit https://ermabombeckcollection.com/.
  • Southwest Ohio Region: Clermont County, Point Pleasant and Brown County, Georgetown.  Two-term 18th President of the United States and victorious military commander of the Union Army, Ulysses S. Grant, worked tirelessly to complete his autobiographical manuscript before his death. It became one of the most acclaimed memoirs of the 19th century, Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant. Several Ohio sites offer a glimpse into his life: U.S. Grant Birthplace (1551 State Route 232 in Point Pleasant) and U.S. Grant’s Boyhood Home (219 E. Grant Ave. in Georgetown) and Schoolhouse (508 S. Water St. in Georgetown).
  • Southwest Ohio Region: Darke County, Garst Museum at 205 North Broadway in Greenville. Lowell Thomas’ 1880s restored Victorian Gothic style-home and the museum collection honor the TV and Cinerama producer and author of some 60 books, who flew around the world more than 30 times. His adventures­­ included traveling with T.E. Lawrence, which led to Thomas’ book Lawrence in Arabia, and the movie Lawrence of Arabia.
  • Southeast Ohio Region: Jefferson County, 407 S. 4th St., Steubenville. Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) and the Carnegie Library of Steubenville Historical Marker in front of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County honors Ohio’s first Carnegie Library, which was approved for funding in June 1899. 

The Ohio Literary Trail can be accessed at: http://www.ohioana.org/resources/the-ohio-literary-trail-2/

Click here for a downloadable PDF of the Ohio Literary Trail.

Announcing the 2021 Ohioana Book Award Winners

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Ohioana Book Awards

First given in 1942, the Ohioana Book Awards are the second oldest, and among the most prestigious, state literary prizes in the nation. Nearly every major writer from Ohio in the past 80 years has been honored, from James Thurber to Toni Morrison.

Six of the Ohioana Award winners, as well as the Marvin Grant recipient, were selected by juries. The Readers’ Choice Award was determined by voters in a public online poll. Nearly 4,000 votes were cast for this year’s Readers’ Choice Award.

Listed below are the 2021 Ohioana Book Award winners. Click on the title to learn more about the author and their winning book.

Fiction: Carter Sickels, The Prettiest Star

Nonfiction: Aimee Nezhukumatathil, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

About Ohio or an Ohioan: Carole M. Genshaft, ed., Raggin’ On: The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson’s House and Journals

Poetry: Marianne Chan, All Heathens

Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature: Jacqueline Woodson, Before the Ever After

Juvenile Literature: Thrity Umrigar, Sugar in Milk

Readers’ Choice: Tiffany McDaniel, Betty


Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant

Named for Ohioana’s second director, the Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant is awarded to an Ohio writer age 30 or younger who has not yet published a book. The 2021 Marvin Grant winner is Hagan Faye Whiteleather.
A writer, editor, and professor based in Northeast Ohio, Hagan Faye studied English and Psychology at Kent State University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing & Environment with a Teaching Excellence degree distinction from Iowa State University. During her education she served as Editor-in-Chief of KSU’s literary arts journal, Luna Negra, and as Nonfiction Editor for ISU’s Flyway: Journal of Writing & Environment. Her in-progress memoir, Tangled in the Roots, explores the grounds and graves of Moultrie Chapel Cemetery, familial ties, parental loss, and the experience of providing end-of-life care. When she isn’t reading, writing, or out walking, she’s teaching creative and critical writing at her alma mater, Kent State. Her winning entry will appear in this fall’s Ohioana Quarterly.

Award Ceremony

The 2021 Ohioana Book Awards ceremony will be held on October 14 in the atrium of the Ohio Statehouse (tentatively in-person; please watch our website and social media for any possible changes). More information about the Awards and about purchasing tickets is coming soon. Congratulations to all of this year’s Ohioana Book Award winners!

Color, Cut, Create – Kids’ Contest and Interview with Merrill Rainey

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For the virtual 2021 Ohioana Book Festival, we partnered with illustrator and paper engineer Merrill Rainey to create a fun contest for kids featuring his two books, Color, Cut, Create – Dinosaur World and Horse Ranch. The contest kick-off took place during the virtual festival weekend and included a live discussion and Q&A with Merrill. (There’s still time to join in the fun! Visit https://color-cut-create.com/ for contest registration and all the info on guidelines, important dates, and prizes. And be sure to check out the FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY at the end of this blog post!)

While all the young creators are busy making their submissions, Ohioana’s Office Manager, Kathryn Powers, sat down with Merrill to learn more about his books, art process, and inspirations. We hope you enjoy this special blog interview—and the bonus tips and tricks Merrill shared with us, too, that will help make your contest dioramas and stop-motion videos really shine!

Q) Can you tell us about these two fun paper engineering books you featured at the 2021 Ohioana Book Festival?

A) I sure can, Kathryn! The Color, Cut, Create book series is what we call “paper engineering made easy!” And what I mean by that is that each book in the series is designed to allow young creators the opportunity to be able to succeed with minimal directions. The idea for the books came from my own personal experiences with and observations of my own children. On the surface, the books appear to be super cool paper toy books about horses and dinosaurs, but below the surface there is an underlying theme present in each book. That theme is creation based on your imagination. My hope is that once each book gets built, it will not only educate the user with some basic knowledge of paper toy construction, but also inspire them to keep creating! These books are just a starting point, or in other words a means of inspiration!

Whenever I speak to young creators about the Color, Cut, Create series, I always like to leave them with a final question… Now that you have everything created, what else is missing to help bring your project to life?

Q) What inspired you to become an illustrator and paper engineer? Was there a specific book or artist that sparked your passion?

A) As far as I can remember, I have always loved art. As a kid, I would spend a lot of time on the weekends crafting with my mom, and drawing monsters, wizards, and mythical creatures with my brothers. Most of my drawing skills as a kid started from just tracing my favorite comic book characters (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman, and Spiderman) until I was good enough to draw them free-hand.

During high school, I dabbled a lot with different art mediums, but when I look back at it, I was influenced the most by impressionistic painters like Monet, Van Gogh, and Matisse.

It wasn’t really until college that a professor of mine, Doug Goldsmith, introduced me to an author/illustrator by the name of Chris Van Allsburg. I fell in love with Chris’ use of storytelling, his technique, the design of his illustrations, his use of color, and how he used value in his black and white illustrations.

My interest in paper engineering didn’t come into play until after I had started my first job out of college. I came across a paper toy artist by the name of Matthew Hawkins (http://matthewmadeart.com). At that time, Matthew was creating and posting a new downloadable paper toy every week. Each week I would download and build them, thus beginning my love of paper engineering. Matthew’s creations inspired me to research more about paper engineering and eventually, once I felt comfortable enough doing so, I started designing my own paper toy creations.

Q) That leads perfectly into our next question! Your paper toys are so detailed, and there is such a variety of figures and accessories for kids to craft. How do you design your build-able creations?

A) First, I start with creating a plan in my notebook. My notebook is where I always jot down ideas and how I think they will work and function. I create multiple small sketches (called thumbnail sketches) until I have my idea just right. From there, I take my thumbnail sketches into a software called Adobe Illustrator. In Adobe Illustrator I refine my sketch into what is called a die-line. A die-line is a line drawing of your art that acts kind of like a cookie cutter, but for paper. The die-line lets me, or a machine, know where to cut out the paper shapes that will eventually form a paper toy.

From there I keep making prototypes until it’s just right. Sometimes it can take multiple iterations just to figure how to make one toy work.

There are three things that I always like to mention to young builders that I keep in mind when creating paper toys. These are Creativity, Ingenuity, and Stability.

1. Creativity: What ideas do you have? This is your brainstorming stage. This stage has no limits. It’s your opportunity to come up with the coolest toy ever.

2. Ingenuity: Once you have all of your creative ideas formed, now you need to figure out the best way possible to build them.

3. Stability: One of my biggest pet peeves as a kid was having a toy that couldn’t stand up on its own. So, I always like to emphasize how important it is for future toy makers that whatever you create, it has to be balanced enough to keep from falling over when you set the toy down.

Q) That was always a pet peeve in our household, too—no one wants a toy or figure that falls over or has to be constantly propped up! Now that we know how your books and paper toys are designed, let’s talk about the contest assignment. As a reminder for readers, kids 5-8 will be creating and photographing a diorama of their dinos or horses from Color, Cut, Create, and kids 8-12 will be making a stop-motion video. Can you give us any tips or tricks to make an extra-awesome diorama or animation for the contest?

A) Three things that I touched on in our kick-off video that I really think can help your project be extra, extra awesome are:

1. Using interesting props and background objects (trees, bushes, clouds, ground cover, extra animals, character costumes, etc.). These can really give your audience a sense of place (setting), and what your story might be about. These visual clues are such an important part of storytelling. As an example . . . what if your Dinosaur jungle includes skyscraper buildings that are tucked in between the trees? What would adding those large buildings tell your viewer about this particular jungle?

2. Lighting is another great tool for storytelling. If you place a light close to an object you’ll get an elongated shadow, or if you have the light high above an object you will get a smaller shadow. The length of shadows can really tell what time of day it is, or add some extra drama to your project. For example, elongated shadows usually indicate sunrise or sunset. Most people see sunsets as a goodbye scene as it indicates the end of the day. So, envision that your best dino friend is moving away and the sun is setting in the background. Similarly, people will see sunrise as the start to a new day. Envision the sun rising as your horses start out on a new journey. Smaller shadows usually indicate midday, as the sun is higher in the sky. Most people will agree that the sun is the hottest when it is the highest in the sky, so the phrase high noon comes to mind. This particular lighting technique is great for indicating a hot day. Maybe your dinos and horses are crossing a hot dessert (maybe a wasteland) and there is no water in sight. The sun would be high in the sky beating down on them. Or maybe it’s a hot summer day, again the sun is high in the sky, but this time your horse’s or dino’s ice cream is melting. I bet they can’t wait till sunset, when the temperature will be just a little bit cooler and they can finally enjoy their ice cream without it melting!

3. Whether you are animating or not, the use of camera angles is such a great way to add visual interest to your projects. If you are animating, camera angles can help with the pacing of a story. A simple close-up of a character placed between your bird’s eye view scenes can really enhance your project. You can re-watch the contest kick-off video for camera angle inspiration.

One last thing that I think is important when taking a photo or shooting a stop-motion animation is the use of a tripod or easel (or maybe even a stack of books) to create a stable base or stand of some sort for your camera or tablet. Having a steady hand when photographing is not always an easy thing to do, but having a tripod or some kind of camera support will give your device extra stability. Having a stable device will help your photographs look less blurry, and your stop motion animation will appear smoother.

Q) Any other advice for the contest participants?

A) Let your imagination run wild with this project! There are limitless possibilities of ideas and things you can create based on each of these books. But before you do anything, be sure to make a plan. And if you need help with figuring out how to build or animate something, just ask a sibling, friend, parent, or another family member if they can help. I guarantee that once they see what you are working on, they will want to join in on all of the fun!

Seeing some of the contest entries in-progress pictures on social media has really inspired me! I can’t wait to see what each and every one of our young creators come up with! Kathryn, to you and everyone at the Ohioana Book Festival, THANK YOU for hosting the contest and inviting me to be a part of this year’s event!

A big thank you to Merrill for giving us this behind-the-scenes peek into his creative life with this insightful interview, and for partnering with us to bring young creators this exciting contest!

If you want to join in and have the opportunity to win a FREE copy of either Color, Cut, Create – Dinosaur World or Horse Ranch,  please leave a comment on this blog post OR comment on and retweet our contest Twitter post by midnight (Eastern time) on 5/27/2021. Good luck!  

We CAN’T WAIT to see everyone’s submissions! Happy creating!

Ohioana Announces 2021 Book Award Finalists

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The Ohioana Library is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2021 Ohioana Book Awards. First given in 1942, the awards are the second-oldest state literary prizes in the nation and honor outstanding works by Ohio authors and illustrators in five categories: Fiction, Poetry, Juvenile Literature, Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature, and Nonfiction. The sixth category, About Ohio or an Ohioan, may also include books written by non-Ohio authors.

Among the literary honors this year’s finalists have previously received are the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the Coretta Scott King Book Award, the Newbery Medal, the Kirkus Prize, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Cleveland Arts Prize. Five authors are finalists for their debut books. Six have previously won Ohioana Book Awards and one is a past recipient of Ohioana’s Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant for emerging writers.

Beginning June 1, Ohioana will profile all of the finalists with “30 Books, 30 Days,” a special feature on our social media in which one finalist is highlighted each day. Later in June, Ohioana will launch its sixth Readers’ Choice Award poll, allowing the public to vote online for their favorite book among the finalists.

Winners will be announced in July. The 80th anniversary Ohioana Awards ceremony will be held at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on Thursday, October 14. The finalists are:

Fiction

Martin, Lee. Yours, Jean, Dzanc Books.

McDaniel, Tiffany. Betty, Alfred A. Knopf.

Nesbit, TaraShea. Beheld, Bloomsbury Publishing.

Schultz, Connie. The Daughters of Erietown, Penguin Random House.

Sickels, Carter. The Prettiest Star, Hub City Press.

Nonfiction

Downs, Maggie. Braver Than You Think, Counterpoint Press.

Jones, Saeed. How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir, Simon & Schuster.

Nezhukumatathil, Aimee. World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments, Milkweed Editions.

Ricca, Brad. Olive the Lionheart: Lost Love, Imperial Spies, and One Woman’s Journey into the Heart of Africa, St. Martin’s Press.

Sutter, Paul M. How to Die in Space: A Journey Through Dangerous Astrophysical Phenomena, Pegasus Books.

About Ohio or an Ohioan

Backderf, Derf. Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio, Abrams Books.

Genshaft, Carole, ed. Raggin’ On: The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson’s House and Journals, Ohio University Press.

Giffels, David. Barnstorming Ohio to Understand America, Hachette Books.

Goldbach, Eliese Colette. Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit, Flatiron Books.

Heyman, Stephen. The Planter of Modern Life: Louis Bromfield and the Seeds of a Food Revolution, W. W. Norton & Company.

Poetry

Black, Ali. If It Heals at All, Jacar Press.

Chan, Marianne. All Heathens, Sarabande Books.

Gay, Ross. Be Holding: A Poem, University of Pittsburgh Press.

Lambert, Paula J. How to See the World (Harmony), Bottom Dog Press.

Majmudar, Amit. What He Did in Solitary: Poems, Alfred A. Knopf.

Juvenile Literature

Hubbard, Rita Lorraine. Illus. by Oge Mora. The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read, Schwartz & Wade.

Metcalf, Lindsay H., Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley, eds.  Illus. by Jeannette Bradley.  No Voice Too Small, Charlesbridge Publishing.

Muth, Jon J. Addy’s Cup of Sugar: Based on a Buddhist Story of Healing, Scholastic.

Rex, Adam. On Account of the Gum, Chronicle Books.

Umrigar, Thrity. Illus. by Khoa Le. Sugar in Milk, Running Press Kids.

Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature

Creech, Sharon.  One Time, HarperCollins.

Pearsall, Shelley. Things Seen from Above, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Reynolds, Justin A.  Early Departures, Katherine Tegen Books.

Taylor, Mildred D. All the Days Past, All the Days to Come, Viking Books.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Before the Ever After, Nancy Paulsen Books.

The 2020 Ohioana Book Award Winners. Each year, our winners receive beautiful awards like these ones, which were designed by Kathryn Powers and created by Auld Crafters, INC.
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