(Ellis Avery at the 2013 Ohioana Book Festival, photo credit Elizabeth Nihiser) March is Women’s History Month, and today happens to be International Women’s Day. So it seems fitting to pay tribute to one extraordinary woman and writer, Ellis Avery. … Continued
A near capacity crowd was on hand February 20 as Ohioana presented, “From Prison to Prominence: The Life and Literary Work of Chester Himes” at the Martin Luther King, Jr. branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library. Author Yolonda Tonette Sanders, the … Continued
With 2018 winding down, it’s time to look back on the past year and all that has been accomplished. For Ohioana, 2018 was filled with many memorable and record breaking events. Read about them below, and check out our photo … Continued
Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday, an inspiring day of generosity across the globe. We hope you’ll support your favorite nonprofit organizations, including the Ohioana Library Association. Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2019, Ohioana connects thousands of readers with Ohio writers through programs including … Continued
…and Ohioana is feeling thankful! 2018 has been a banner year for the Ohioana Library Association. To our supporters, partners, patrons, friends, volunteers, board, staff, and fans, we cannot thank you enough for continuing to support Ohioana year after year. … Continued
Happy Halloween! Here in Ohio, we enjoy all things spooky. Did you know that Ohio is the state with the most annual haunted house attractions, with 111 in total? It seems that we love being scared, and that goes for … Continued
Are you an author who was born in Ohio or has lived in Ohio for five or more years? Have you published a book in the last year? Then fill out an application to attend the 2019 Ohioana Book Festival … Continued
It’s nearly here! Tomorrow night is the 77th Annual Ohioana Award ceremony, to be held at the Ohio Statehouse. This year’s crop of winners joins a prestigious club that includes such notable authors as Mary Doria Russell, Wil Haygood, Paula … Continued
Have you ever wanted to tell everyone about a book that you really, really like? Maybe the book hasn’t gotten enough attention. Maybe the book’s Ohio connection isn’t very well known and you’d like to fix that. Now’s your chance … Continued
It’s Banned Books Week! BBW is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Typically held during … Continued
Although autumn doesn’t officially start until September 22nd, it certainly already feels as if the seasons have changed. The chilly, rainy weather of this past week might bring to mind thoughts of changing leaves, pumpkin pie and shorter days. Here … Continued
It’s hard to believe summer is almost over! Though the calendar says there are still a few weeks left, many Ohio schools are already back in session. With Labor Day marking the unofficial end of summer, we thought we would … Continued
It’s that time of year again! It’s to the pleasure of everyone at Ohioana to announce the 2018 Ohioana Awards. Every year, the Awards help Ohioana recognize an outstanding title in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, About Ohio/Ohioan, Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature, … Continued
Dear readers, the fate of this year’s Readers’ Choice award lies in your hands. Yes, YOU can cast YOUR vote to decide which of the incredible books nominated for the 2018 Ohioana Book Awards will be THE book, the ONE … Continued
It’s true: all the best movies come from good books. Writers know what they are doing: they create conflict and plot and characters that readers love, and then Hollywood options the work and reaps the reward. Another reaper-of-rewards is author … Continued
Our own Jacqueline Woodson has received honors and awards for her insightful work for many years. Ms. Woodson has over 5 million copies of her books in print, four Newberry Honors, and she is the winner of the National … Continued
The Ohioana Library is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2018 Ohioana Book Awards. First given in 1942, the awards are the second oldest state literary prizes in … Continued
Yes, just like Nelson in his famous song, Ohioana is on the road again! To be exact, a number of Ohioana Book Festival authors are on the road! Our round of outreach appearances with festival authors kicked off April … Continued
Welcome to the official poster of the 2018 Ohioana Book Festival! This wonderful and whimsical depiction of book-loving animals in a spring-green landscape is the work of artist Christina Wald. You can also find Christina on Twitter at @yellokat_cwald. Christina … Continued
Ohioana lost a very dear friend this week: former librarian Barbara Meister. She loved books as much as any human on the planet. Barb starting working at Ohioana back when it was downtown on the river. And because Ohioana moved … Continued
Ohioana is proud and excited to announce the author list for our 12th annual Ohioana Book Festival! You can read all about it in Ohioana’s latest newsletter. This year’s event will return to the Sheraton Columbus Capital Square … Continued
Poet Dave Lucas! For the second time in Ohio’s history, a poet laureate has been named. Serving a two year term is Dave Lucas, a native of Cleveland, award-winner (including an award from Ohioana in 2012), published writer and teacher. … Continued
One of the highlights of every holiday season is the release of new films – how many of this year’s crop have you seen? Studios release their biggest and most important films at year’s end not only to draw … Continued
It’s never too late to buy Yuletide/Holiday/Christmas presents. Even if you were to be abducted by aliens on December 24 and not released from the Mother Ship until December 26, you can always apologize to those on your Christmas list. … Continued
If you look up the word “pathos” in the dictionary, you’ll find The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Not really. But we consider that an oversight to be corrected. Some people consider the story comic, what with the … Continued
December is National Read a New Book Month, and there’s still plenty of month left if you haven’t started yet. We’d like to suggest the latest from Jennifer Chiaverini. The Enchantress of Numbers is the story of Ada Byron Lovelace, … Continued
He looks like a certain jolly old elf and he does bring gifts, but he’s not Santa. He’s King Gambrinus and he doesn’t have a special day, but maybe he should. We’d like to suggest December 5 because of its … Continued
Happy Giving Tuesday! Now that Thanksgiving is over (it’s OK if you don’t want to eat any more turkey) and we can stick a fork in the unofficial shopping holidays, it’s time to get back to basics: supporting the people, … Continued
Here at Ohioana, we have a lot to be thankful for. We’re thankful that we get to work with books and people who love them, just for starters. And on this day before Thanksgiving, we want to send a shout-out … Continued
We’re not surprised that Ohio writers are named over and over again as award winners, but it is nice to see those recognitions flow in! Amazon released its list of the best books of 2017, and of course the list … Continued
Today is Day One of National Novel Writing Month, the writing sensation that’s been sweeping the nation every November since 1999. So let’s all party like it’s 1999, fuel up on the java, and get some writing done! … Continued
One of the things I treasure about fall in Ohio is the number of events celebrating books and authors that happen around the state. Book fairs and festivals, poetry readings, writing workshops – there is something going on every week, … Continued
BOO! Did we scare you? Just a little? It’s that time of year, when pumpkins get carved into jack-o-lanterns and everyone dresses up in great costumes to pretend to be someone (or something) else for a day. There’s plenty of … Continued
What a great night! Food, friends, music, awards — and BOOKS! Once again, we gathered in the Atrium of the Ohio Statehouse to honor the recipients of one of the oldest state literary awards in the nation. We were … Continued
Hello World!
“I am really grateful because I know the people who have won [the Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant] in the past go on to do bigger and better things.” Negesti Kaudo, 2015 Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant winner congratulated by Steven … Continued
Books are banned for all kinds of reasons. They might contain graphic depictions of sexuality or violence, or they might be considered unsuitable for younger readers. The language might be offensive to some or the ideas might not fit with … Continued
It’s a day of nostalgia for us at Ohioana because ten years ago today, September 15, 2007, the very first Ohioana Book Festival was presented, “A ‘Good Roots’ Celebration,” based on the book edited by Lisa A. Watts and published … Continued
There are two great opportunities for area writers coming up this month, and there’s still time to register! The Thurber House, where laughter, learning, and literature meet, begins its adult two-session writing workshops on September 11 with Revise Like a … Continued
Join us for one of Ohioana’s most elegant evenings: the 76th Ohioana Awards on October 6. We’ll gather in the Statehouse Atrium on Friday, October 6, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and honor our writers and Ohioana’s grand tradition … Continued
For several years now, the Ohioana Quarterly has benefited from the help of a special group of reviewers: students at the Columbus School for Girls. The girls at CSG have provided their unique insights and kid-focused opinions to give us some much-appreciated reviews … Continued
Even though 2018 seems like it’s far into the future, it’s practically tomorrow when it comes to the Ohioana Book Festival. Yes, we have begun planning for our 2018 event and we are once again reaching out to qualifying authors. … Continued
The Ohioana Library has announced the winners of the 2017 Ohioana Awards, including seven book awards and the Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant. First given in 1942, the Ohioana Book Awards are the second oldest, and among the most prestigious, state … Continued
We asked Amy Gustine, one of our Ohioana Award Fiction finalists, to provide some insight about her work. Amy, thanks so much for taking the time to do this. We appreciate your work and your support of Ohioana! Ohioana: What … Continued
Calling all readers! Earlier this week, Ohioana launched our second annual Readers’ Choice Award online poll – and we want to hear from you! Created last year in celebration of the Ohioana Awards’ 75th anniversary, the poll invites readers to … Continued
In recognition of the five finalists in fiction for the Ohioana Book Award, we’re featuring a question and answer with each author over the next few weeks. This week’s post features Tiffany McDaniel. Tiffany is an Ohio native whose writing … Continued
This is not a drill: Ohioana’s operating support has been eliminated from the state budget, or at least the version passed May 2 in the Ohio House of Representatives. I’m sure you’re as surprised and shocked as we are. Ohioana promotes … Continued
This year marks Ohioana’s 88th year in operation, and during that time Ohioana has had plenty of time to grow, adapt and, of course, collect literature from Ohio authors. Ohioana’s collection now includes more than 45,000 books, 10,000 pieces of … Continued
The Ohioana Library is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2017 Ohioana Book Awards. First given in 1942, the awards are the second oldest state literary prizes in the nation and honor outstanding achievement by Ohio authors in five … Continued
The 11th annual Ohioana Book Festival is now part of history! From the people eagerly waiting to get in before the doors opened, the large and enthusiastic crowds at many panel discussions, the huge number of kids and teens in their … Continued
It’s here! Hope you have time on Saturday to join us for the Ohioana Book Festival! It’s free! This is the 11th one, and we’re just as thrilled and psyched for this event as we were for the first one … Continued
The Winter issue of the Ohioana Quarterly focused on our good friend, the Mercantile Library in Cincinnati. This library is one of the gems in the crown of the Queen City. It was established in 1835, according to the feature story written by … Continued
It’s here! Spring is here! On Monday, did you run outside and beat on the ground with a stick to tell the earth to wake up? And some daffodils were blooming on Monday. Did you pick one and eat it? No? *Whew!* Good move! They’re … Continued
March is a month when we remember fate and destiny. Or the lack of fate and destiny. Sometimes, things just happen. March 15 is famous for being the Ides of March, or the middle of the month. It’s the day … Continued
Pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Nothing worthwhile happens overnight and change takes time — and work. Lots and lots of work. In politics, Ohio can make a proud claim: Victoria Woodhull (1838-1927) was the first woman to run … Continued
It’s so exciting to have a new bookstore in town! Gramercy Books in Columbus suburb city Bexley opened its doors just about six weeks ago. What? Aren’t independent bookstores dead? Didn’t they get buried in the rise of the big … Continued
People all over central Ohio are crossing the days off on their calendars and getting their wish list together. But it’s not the first month of winter and the days are getting longer, not shorter. So what are we talking about? … Continued
The bad news: Valentine’s Day was yesterday. The good news: Valentine’s candy is on sale and the cost of long-stemmed red roses is back down to pre-holiday levels. The better news: In Ohio, love is always in the air. February … Continued
Black History Month was much shorter when it began in 1926: it was only a week long. The celebration was the brain child of historian and educator Carter G. Woodson, who spent quite a bit of his youth in Huntington, … Continued
Hello to our Ohioana friends and family! Hope you are doing well and taking time to read lots of great books by Ohioans, about Ohio, or both! We’re re-animating the Ohioana blog and will provide weekly updates on all things … Continued
The Ohioana Book Festival is celebrating its tenth birthday, and you’re invited! Join us at the Sheraton Columbus at Capitol Square on Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a fun-filled day with more than 120 Ohio … Continued
The 10th anniversary Ohioana Book Festival is less than three months away! The event, which is free and open to the public, is set for Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Columbus. More than … Continued
Next spring will mark a milestone for the Ohioana Book Festival as we celebrate its TENTH Anniversary! It has grown from only ten authors and 600 attendees in its inaugural year to more than 100 authors and nearly 3,500 attendees … Continued
As Children’s Book Week draws to a close, we wanted to highlight some of the incredibly talented children’s book writers and illustrators who have called Ohio home. Although we don’t have room to list everyone here, you may want to … Continued
As National Poetry Month draws to a close, we’re sharing some beautiful vintage books by Ohio poets Paul Laurence Dunbar and Alice and Phoebe Cary. We’ve already shared biographical information and the cover of Li’l’ Gal by Paul Laurence Dunbar … Continued
Having actual food in the archives would be bad, but menus are another story. The Laura M. Mueller ephemera collection includes a selection of Columbus restaurant menus that spans most of the 20th century. We’re sharing a few sample menus below. … Continued
This week marks the 50th birthday of Ohio University Press. We’d like to congratulate them on reaching this milestone and wish them 50 more great years! OU Press was a key partner in the very first Ohioana Book Festival, held … Continued
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this week we’re highlighting a recent addition to our collection: Controversy and Hope: The Civil Rights Photographs of James Karales. Karales was born in 1930 in Canton, Ohio. He attended Ohio University, … Continued
This week we’re sharing a few vintage Christmas-themed books from Ohioana’s collection. First is Christmas Every Day and Other Stories Told for Children by William Dean Howells, published by Harper & Brothers Publishers in 1893. We talked about Howells in our … Continued
This past weekend, keepsakes and other items belonging to Nancy Drew author Mildred Wirt Benson were sold at auction in Toledo, where Benson worked as a newspaper reporter for nearly 60 years until her death in 2002. Items sold at … Continued
Today we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of Toni Morrison’s Nobel Prize in Literature! Unlike other literature prizes that are awarded for a specific book, the Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded for a body of work. When Morrison won the … Continued
During the 1800s publishers began looking for an economical way to produce books in large quantities. Cloth covers replaced leather, and case binding (where the text block and cover were produced separately and the cover was then attached with glue) … Continued
Earlier this year we did a special series of blog posts in support of Banned Books Week. From now until December 2 you have a unique opportunity not only to support the freedom to read, but also to score some … Continued
Today we have a guest post by Ohioana’s executive director, David Weaver, who served as development director for nearly eight years before assuming his new position in September. On the anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, David reflects on his … Continued
One hundred and fifty years ago today, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most famous speeches in U.S. history. In honor of this we’re highlighting a new book in Ohioana’s collection: Writing the Gettysburg Address by Martin P. Johnson. Johnson, … Continued
Today we’re highlighting a recent addition to Ohioana’s collection: Edison and the Rise of Innovation by Leonard DeGraaf. The author is an archivist at the Thomas Edison National Historic Park, and it shows; almost every spread contains images such as … Continued
In the spirit of election week, we’re featuring a few items from our Ohio Presidents collection. We’ve featured some ephemera from this collection in a previous post; today we’re sharing some pre-presidential correspondence. This letter signed by Ulysses S. Grant … Continued
In addition to biographical files on Ohio authors, the Ohioana Library’s collection includes manuscripts, artwork, correspondence, and more. To celebrate the last day of National Archives Month, we’re highlighting some items from our Lois Lenski collection. Lenski was born in … Continued
The Ohioana Library’s collection includes periodicals focused on Ohio literature, people, and places. Although many of the titles are contemporary, the collection also includes titles from the late 1800s and early 1900s, including The Kit-Kat, The Buckeye Informer, and Buckeye … Continued
As we continue to celebrate National Archives Month, we’re sharing some ephemera from Ohioana’s archival collections. Although these items were designed to be thrown away after they had served their purpose, paper can be surprisingly resilient. Today they provide a … Continued
In addition to numerous books about the Civil War, Ohioana’s collection includes several archival items. This letter from Joseph Moore to his father describes the difficult conditions he encountered as he traveled from Atlanta late in 1864, fought in the Battle … Continued
In observance of National Archives Month and Columbus Day, we’re featuring this program from the “Columbian Centennial Celebration of the Discovery of America,” which was held on October 21, 1892 in Columbus. The celebration was sponsored by the Board of Education; … Continued
As part of National Archives Month we’re highlighting archival items in several areas of our collection, starting with music. In addition to nearly 10,000 pieces of sheet music, Ohioana’s collection includes nineteenth- and twentieth-century songbooks, scrapbooks, and other items related … Continued
Throughout the month of October we’ll be highlighting archival items in the Ohioana Library’s collection–including scrapbooks, postcards, correspondence and other personal papers, photos, and manuscripts. Stop back often to see images of these rare and one-of-a-kind items! Click here to … Continued
Ohioan Dav Pilkey appears twice on the American Library Association’s list of Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009: at #13 for his Captain Underpants series, and again at #47 for The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby. Captain Underpants is also listed … Continued
Ohio native Toni Morrison has three books on the American Library Association’s list of Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009: #15 The Bluest Eye, #26 Beloved, and #72 Song of Solomon. Beloved is also #10 on the ALA’s Top Ten Challenged … Continued
Ohioan Chris Crutcher has three books on the American Library Association’s list of Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009: #41 Whale Talk, #44 Athletic Shorts, and #85 Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Crutcher was born in Dayton, Ohio, but grew up … Continued
The second Ohio author to appear on the American Library Association’s list of Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009 is Mildred Taylor. Her award-winning book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry appears at #66. Taylor was born in Jackson, Mississippi, but spent … Continued
September 22-28 is Banned Books Week! Celebrate your freedom to read! Every year the American Library Association collects information on challenged and banned books in schools and libraries across the country. Five Ohio authors appear on the ALA’s list of … Continued
James Garfield was born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. After working various jobs to support himself, he graduated from college and worked first as an educator and then as a lawyer. He served in the Ohio Senate … Continued
Robert McCloskey was born on September 14, 1914 in Hamilton, Ohio. As a child he liked music and electronics; his interest in art surfaced later when he began creating illustrations for his high school yearbook. After studying art in Boston … Continued
Amplify your gift by donating to the Ohioana Library during this special online giving event! For a 24-hour period beginning at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, September 17, all donations of $20 or more made to the Ohioana Library via The Big … Continued
The Ohioana Library is pleased to announce the completion of its first major collection digitization project! Seven publicity scrapbooks that document the library’s activities from its founding in 1929 through the 1970s have been scanned and are now available for … Continued