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.
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Jane Congdon
Jane Congdon grew up in the mountains of West Virginia. After graduating from Concord College (now Concord University) she made a career of words, working as an English teacher and a newspaper reporter before finding her niche as a textbook editor in Cincinnati, Ohio. She retired in 2009 after 30 years to write and take on selected editing projects.
At age 59, Jane followed Dracula’s footsteps through Transylvania with a guide, resulting in the memoir It Started with Dracula: The Count, My Mother, and Me. She then co-authored her brother’s memoir, Mr. Joe: Tales from a Haunted Life. Mr. Joe was a finalist for the 2014 Ohioana Book Award in Nonfiction.
At 69, Jane returned to the mountains as a backpacker on the Appalachian Trail. To date she has hiked 1,195 miles of the AT in 7 of its 14 states–Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Maine–alone, with friends, and with a glass good-luck charm named Ms. Rabbit. How the WILD EFFECT Turned Me into a Hiker at 69 is the story of Jane’s unlikely journey from the Ohio suburbs to the back country of the Appalachian Mountains.
All three books were published by Bettie Youngs Book Publishers and are available from Amazon and other outlets.
Christina Consolino
A graduate of the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) with a BA in French and PhD in physiology, Christina Consolino taught college-level anatomy and physiology for close to twenty years before concentrating her passion on writing and editing. She’s the author of Rewrite the Stars and The Weight We Carry, and she’s co-author of Historic Photos of University of Michigan. She lives in Kettering, Ohio, with her husband, four children, and a rotating cast of pets. Learn more at https://christinaconsolino.com/
Renee Casteel Cook
A Buckeye not by birth but by choice, 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. Eternally impressed at the drive and dedication of food-focused entrepreneurs and the continuing commitment of generational family-run businesses, Renee strives to successfully share their stories, capturing a curated selection of legacies both established and developing. Her hope is to inspire future creators of all types to take the leap toward what they love.
Amanda Nicole Corbin
Amanda Nicole Corbin is an Ohio-based poet who has had her work published in The Notre Dame Review, The London Magazine, Door is a Jar, and more. Her work was nominated for Best Microfiction 2024. Her debut full-length collection, addiction is a sweet dark room, (Another New Calligraphy, 2024) focuses largely on her journey and struggles with mental health and addiction. She is currently working on a full-length manuscript around the topics of bodily autonomy, loss, and early motherhood. Find her on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram at @ancpoet or at http://www.amandanicolecorbin.com
Cynthia Crane
Cynthia A. Crane, Ph.D. is the author of All About Winston Churchill (Cardinal Press) and the acclaimed historical nonfiction, Divided Lives: The Untold Stories of Jewish-Christian Women in Nazi Germany (St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan), and is Associate Professor of English at the University of Cincinnati, BAC. Her poetry, nonfiction, and book reviews have appeared in various publications, such as Mid-American Review, Popular Culture Review, History Magazine, and H-Net.…
Read MoreCynthia A. Crane, Ph.D. is the author of All About Winston Churchill (Cardinal Press) and the acclaimed historical nonfiction, Divided Lives: The Untold Stories of Jewish-Christian Women in Nazi Germany (St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan), and is Associate Professor of English at the University of Cincinnati, BAC. Her poetry, nonfiction, and book reviews have appeared in various publications, such as Mid-American Review, Popular Culture Review, History Magazine, and H-Net. Crane has appeared on national radio and television programs, including C-Span Book-TV, and is a sought after speaker, having given nearly one hundred public presentations. Among her awards, she has received a Fulbright Scholarship, a Holocaust Education Foundation Summer Institute Fellowship, and a P.E.O. National Scholar’s Award.
Pam Croft
Pam Croft is a retired manager of a military surplus store. After her 25 year career of being store manager she sorely missed it.
She decided to open up her own little store at a local flea market plaza and carry on her love for the military surplus.
When she is not working she loves to travel and enjoys spending time with her husband and cat, Thomas.
She resides in Sugar Grove and can be contacted at bookiesdogtags@gmail.com
Angela Crook
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Angela Crook lives in Shaker Heights with her son, and three crazy kitties. She served eleven years in the United States Air Force. She is a proud member of a writer’s group of two other up-and-comers (the Literary Llamas) who meet once a month to critique, encourage, and revel in the pursuit of literary greatness. She has three self-published novels: Fat Chance, Chasing Navah, and Maria’s Song. Her short story, Bitter, is featured in the anthology Cleveland Noir (August 2023). Her first traditionally published novel, Hurt Mountain, was released on March 1st, 2024. Angela can be found on Facebook at @AngelaCrookAuthor, on Instagram as @Angela__Crook, or Threads @Angela__Crook
Thomas Crowl
Thomas Crowl is an avocational historian who has published two previous books, Murder of a Journalist (published by Kent State University Press) and Opdycke’s Tigers in the Civil War. His articles have appeared in Timeline, Echoes, History Magazine, and the Central States Archaeological Journal.
Dan Cryer
Dan Cryer, a former book critic at Newsday and Pulitzer Prize finalist, is the author of “Being Alive and Having to Die: The Spiritual Odyssey of Forrest Church.” He has contributed to “The Salon.Com Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Authors” and “Good Roots: Writers Reflect on Growing Up in Ohio,” and to many publications, including The New Republic, Salon, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Plain Dealer, and The Boston Globe. A graduate of The College of Wooster, he earned a PhD in U.S. history at the University of Minnesota.