Ohio Author Profiles

Ohio has a rich literary heritage as well as some wonderful contemporary authors. Learn more about them here! You can sort by various categories and see who has participated in our annual book festival by using the category search on the left, or search by keyword (including partial author names) by using the search field on the right.

If you would like to know which Ohio authors and illustrators are available for school and library visits or workshops, visit our School & Library Visits page here.

We continue to add authors, so check back soon!

 

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Photo of Elissa Washuta

Elissa Washuta

Elissa Washuta is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and a nonfiction writer. She is the author of White Magic, My Body Is a Book of Rules, and Starvation Mode. With Theresa Warburton, she is co-editor of the anthology Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers. She’s a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient, a Creative Capital awardee, and an assistant professor of creative writing at the Ohio State University.Read More

Elissa Washuta is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and a nonfiction writer. She is the author of White Magic, My Body Is a Book of Rules, and Starvation Mode. With Theresa Warburton, she is co-editor of the anthology Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers. She’s a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient, a Creative Capital awardee, and an assistant professor of creative writing at the Ohio State University.

Candice Watkins

Candice Watkins was born in Columbus, Ohio. She is a glass and neon artist; a writer; a photographer; has interviewed dozens of musicians, artists and others; and is deeply involved in community arts and music in Columbus. Candy has traveled extensively and her work has appeared in exhibits throughout the country. She has co-authored several books about music in Ohio.…

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Candice Watkins was born in Columbus, Ohio. She is a glass and neon artist; a writer; a photographer; has interviewed dozens of musicians, artists and others; and is deeply involved in community arts and music in Columbus. Candy has traveled extensively and her work has appeared in exhibits throughout the country. She has co-authored several books about music in Ohio. Watkins’ most recent book, Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State has been nominated for the 2012 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.

Photo of Adam F. Watkins

Adam F. Watkins

Adam F. Watkins is a husband, father, and author/illustrator. He spent four years at the Columbus College of Art and Design learning illustration techniques from several of the nation’s best illustration instructors, including C. F. Payne. He has published 5 books with Penguin/Random House and his 6th book is set to release this June. Adam lives in the rolling country of southern Ohio and enjoys his time working, playing with his two kids, Lucy and Fletcher, and exploring in the woods.Read More

Adam F. Watkins is a husband, father, and author/illustrator. He spent four years at the Columbus College of Art and Design learning illustration techniques from several of the nation’s best illustration instructors, including C. F. Payne. He has published 5 books with Penguin/Random House and his 6th book is set to release this June. Adam lives in the rolling country of southern Ohio and enjoys his time working, playing with his two kids, Lucy and Fletcher, and exploring in the woods.

Photo of Sara Bennett Wealer

Sara Bennett Wealer

Sara grew up in Manhattan, Kansas (the "Little Apple"), where she sang in all the choirs and wrote for the high school newspaper. She majored in voice performance at the University of Kansas before transferring to journalism school and becoming a reporter covering everything from house fires to Hollywood premieres. She now works in marketing. Sara lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two daughters, and a growing menagerie of pets.…Read More

Sara grew up in Manhattan, Kansas (the “Little Apple”), where she sang in all the choirs and wrote for the high school newspaper. She majored in voice performance at the University of Kansas before transferring to journalism school and becoming a reporter covering everything from house fires to Hollywood premieres. She now works in marketing. Sara lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two daughters, and a growing menagerie of pets. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the ballet, or obsessively watching ballet on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Learn more at: https://www.sarabennettwealer.com/

Photo of Betty Weibel

Betty Weibel

Betty Weibel is the author of The Ohio Literary Trail – A Guide which will be released in May by The History Press/Arcadia. She has been a successful journalist, public relations professional and agency owner. During her career, she has promoted her home state of Ohio, earning national acclaim from the Public Relations Society of America for work on the Ohio Bicentennial celebration and Ohio Travel and Tourism.…Read More

Betty Weibel is the author of The Ohio Literary Trail – A Guide which will be released in May by The History Press/Arcadia. She has been a successful journalist, public relations professional and agency owner. During her career, she has promoted her home state of Ohio, earning national acclaim from the Public Relations Society of America for work on the Ohio Bicentennial celebration and Ohio Travel and Tourism. She volunteers her time as a board member for both the Ohioana Library Association and Ohio History Connection, which inspired her to develop a digital Ohio Literary Trail. Her love of travel writing lead to her new book.

 

A lifelong equestrian who resides in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Weibel researched and published her first nonfiction book, The Cleveland Grand Prix: An American Show Jumping First, in 2014 with The History Press/Arcadia Publishing. In 2019, she published the inspirational nonfiction book Little Victories: A True Story of the Healing Power of Horses, a story based in the therapeutic horsemanship world. For more information, visit bettyweibel.com.

Photo of Laura Grace Weldon

Laura Grace Weldon

Laura Grace Weldon served as Ohio’s 2019 Poet of the Year and is the author of four books, most recently the Halcyon Poetry Prize winner, Portals. Her poetry and creative nonfiction appear in Diode, Verse Daily, Cultural Weekly, and others. She works as a book editor, teaches writing workshops, and maxes out her library card each week.Read More

Laura Grace Weldon served as Ohio’s 2019 Poet of the Year and is the author of four books, most recently the Halcyon Poetry Prize winner, Portals. Her poetry and creative nonfiction appear in Diode, Verse Daily, Cultural Weekly, and others. She works as a book editor, teaches writing workshops, and maxes out her library card each week.

Photo of Sarah M. Wells

Sarah M. Wells

Sarah M. Wells is the author of Pruning Burning Bushes, and a chapbook of poems, Acquiesce, winner of the 2008 Starting Gate Award. Poems by Wells have appeared or are forthcoming in Alimentum, Ascent, Christianity & Literature, JAMA, Literary Mama, Measure, New Ohio Review, Nimrod, Poetry East, Puerto del Sol, Rock & Sling, and elsewhere.…Read More

Sarah M. Wells is the author of Pruning Burning Bushes, and a chapbook of poems, Acquiesce, winner of the 2008 Starting Gate Award. Poems by Wells have appeared or are forthcoming in Alimentum, Ascent, Christianity & Literature, JAMA, Literary Mama, Measure, New Ohio Review, Nimrod, Poetry East, Puerto del Sol, Rock & Sling, and elsewhere. Her essays have been published by Ascent and River Teeth. Sarah’s poetry has been honored with two Pushcart Prize nominations. Her essay, “Those Summers, These Days” was named a notable essay in the Best American Essays 2012. She has received scholarships to attend the Key West Literary Seminar and West Chester Poetry Conferences. Sarah serves as the Administrative Director for the low-residency MFA program at Ashland University and Managing Editor for the Ashland Poetry Press and River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative. She resides in Ashland, Ohio with her husband, Brandon, and their three young children, Lydia, Elvis, and Henry. http://www.sarahmwells.com

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Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Andrew Welsh-Huggins, an Associated Press reporter and freelance writer, is the author of the crime novel The End of the Road; the Andy Hayes private eye series, including the Shamus Award-nominated An Empty Grave; and the editor of Columbus Noir. His short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, the anthology "The Best American Mystery Stories of the Year 2021," and other magazines and anthologies.…Read More

Andrew Welsh-Huggins, an Associated Press reporter and freelance writer, is the author of the crime novel The End of the Road; the Andy Hayes private eye series, including the Shamus Award-nominated An Empty Grave; and the editor of Columbus Noir. His short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, the anthology “The Best American Mystery Stories of the Year 2021,” and other magazines and anthologies. Learn more at: https://www.andrewwelshhuggins.com/

Photo of Katie & Carrie Weyler

Katie & Carrie Weyler

Sisters, Katie and Carrie Weyler, are lifelong residents of Ohio.  Growing up, they lived on a small farm in the country with a horse, a goat, several adopted dogs and cats, and a couple of pigs that they showed in 4-H.  This inspired their love for animals, nature, and exploring the great outdoors.  Through their Charlie Tractor picture books, they hope to encourage all children to explore nature and spend time outside with the people they love.…Read More

Sisters, Katie and Carrie Weyler, are lifelong residents of Ohio.  Growing up, they lived on a small farm in the country with a horse, a goat, several adopted dogs and cats, and a couple of pigs that they showed in 4-H.  This inspired their love for animals, nature, and exploring the great outdoors.  Through their Charlie Tractor picture books, they hope to encourage all children to explore nature and spend time outside with the people they love. Visit them online at: https://charlietractor.com/

Photo of Nick White

Nick White

Nick White is the author of two books of fiction: Sweet & Low, a collection of stories, and How to Survive a Summer, a novel. His fiction and essays have appeared in The Kenyon Review, Indiana Review, Catapult, The Literary Review, Guernica, and elsewhere. He is an Assistant Professor of English at The Ohio State University.Read More

Nick White is the author of two books of fiction: Sweet & Low, a collection of stories, and How to Survive a Summer, a novel. His fiction and essays have appeared in The Kenyon Review, Indiana Review, Catapult, The Literary Review, Guernica, and elsewhere. He is an Assistant Professor of English at The Ohio State University.