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.
- You are searching within category(ies): Nonfiction
Timothy R. W. Jordan
Robin Judd
The child and grandchild of Holocaust survivors, Robin Judd is associate professor of history at The Ohio State University, where she directs the Hoffman Leaders and Leadership in History Fellowship program. At OSU, Robin teaches courses in the History of the Holocaust, Jewish History, and history of leadership. She serves as the President of the Association for Jewish Studies, the largest international learned society and professional organization representing Jewish studies, and is also the Vice Chair of the Leo Baeck Institute’s Advisory Board. In recognition of her work in Holocaust studies, Governor Mike DeWine appointed Robin to Ohio’s Holocaust and Genocide Memorial and Education Commission in 2021. https://history.osu.edu/people/judd.18
Kenn Kaufman
Kenn Kaufman burst onto the birding scene as a teenager in the 1970s, hitch-hiking all over North America in pursuit of birds, an adventure later chronicled in his cult-classic book Kingbird Highway. After several years as a professional tour leader, taking groups to all seven continents, he transitioned to a career as a writer, editor, and illustrator. Most of his energy currently goes into book projects and painting bird portraits. He has written a dozen books, including seven titles in his own series, Kaufman Field Guides. His other books include Lives of North American Birds and Flights Against the Sunset. The latest is A Season on the Wind: Inside the world of spring migration, published in 2019. Kenn is a field editor for Audubon, a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society, and the only person to have received the American Birding Association’s lifetime achievement award twice.
Shawnie Kelley
Shawnie Kelley has lived in Columbus since 1997 and calls Upper Arlington home since 2002. She studied Art History at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, The Ohio State University, and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Shawnie is the author of the all three editions of the Insiders’ Guide® to Columbus, several books about Cape Cod, and has contributed food and travel-related articles to both national and international magazines, including Edible Columbus and Sophisticated Living. She owns Wanderlust Tours, a cultural and culinary travel company, and teaches cooking classes for The Mix at Columbus State. Some of her best times are just exploring the world, sniffing out regional food, writing about spas, afternoon tea and golf, and adventuring with her fun little family: Dan, Madalyn, and Gabe. She hopes the Insiders’ Guide will expose Columbus as the international capital city it is becoming!
Brendan Kiely
Brendan Kiely is The New York Times bestselling author of All American Boys (with Jason Reynolds), Tradition, The Last True Love Story, and The Gospel of Winter. His most recent book is The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege. His work has been published in over a dozen languages, and has received the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award, the Walter Dean Meyers Award, and ALA’s Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults. A former high school teacher, he is now on the faculty of the Solstice MFA Program. He watches too much basketball and reads too many books at the same time, but most importantly, he lives for and loves his wife and son.
Romana Kieti
Romana is a passionate author, speaker, and advocate dedicated to empowering women who have experienced or are currently navigating abusive relationships.
She is a survivor of domestic abuse, with a deep passion for helping others overcome adversity. She uses her personal journey to inspire hope and healing through writing and speaking. Her book (memoir), Scars of Matrimony: Tina’s Story of Hope & Despair, tells of her determination to survive against all odds; storytelling is a powerful tool to encourage and give hope to others to know they are not alone. Telling your story can offer a compassionate and empowering perspective on the effects of domestic abuse, providing a roadmap to finding strength, recovery, and freedom. Initially, she did not want to release this book but felt a calling from God to share her experience to inspire others.
Romana’s advocacy is fueled by her determination to help others in similar situations. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing red flags in relationships, seeking help from safe places, and understanding that abusers rarely change. Her message to other survivors is clear: leave while you still have your life, seek support, and never feel ashamed to confide in someone about the abuse.
Since the release of her book, she has been advocating for change and is dedicated to empowering and inspiring women who have experienced domestic abuse. With firsthand experience and deep understanding, she offers hope, strength, and practical guidance to help women reclaim their lives, rebuild their confidence, and step into their true potential. Romana’s mission is to provide the tools to heal, thrive, and rise above the challenges that domestic abuse creates. She is committed to creating a safe space for women to connect, learn, and find the courage to move forward with their lives. Her other books include:
Scars of Matrimony: Broken Yet Unbreakable: 31 Daily Devotions for Women on the Path to Healing from Abuse
Safari Wisdom: Essential Safari Tips for and Unforgettable Adventure to Kenya, Africa
The Brave and Courageous Dreamers: A collection of Adventure Folk Tales from Kenya, Africa
Romana holds a degree in human resource management and a master’s degree in business administration. When not working, Romana enjoys spending time with her family, travelling, road trips, swimming, reading, cooking, dancing and outdoor activities. She is also the Founder of Hope Anew Rescue Center. Learn more at: https://hoperescuecenter.org/
David Kimmel
David Kimmel is a descendant of one of the suspects in the Secaur murder. He is an award-winning professor of English at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, where he investigates the boundary between historical writing and historical fiction. Outrage in Ohio is his debut work.
Daniel Kirk
Daniel Kirk is the author and illustrator of fifty books for children, including his best-selling series of Library Mouse books, his non-fiction picture book Rhino in the House, The Big Slide, and his latest picture book series, Newton and Curie, Science Squirrels. Library Mouse is a Booklist Editor’s Choice book, an Education.com Essential gift, a Parenting Magazine Best Mom-Tested Book of the Year, a Kansas Reading Association Award Nominee, a Booksense pick, inner of the NAPPA Gold Award, the 2011 Young Hoosiers award. and a Choose to Read Ohio choice for 2013-2014. Booklist gave Library Mouse a starred review and said: “Put a mouse in a library and you have a sure seller; make the mouse a writer and you have a sure-fire hit…It’s a show stopper. Ready-made to introduce a class to writing activity…this book is fun, fun, fun.”
Newton and Curie, Science Squirrels tells the tale of a young squirrel and his sister, who learn to make simple machines and build a playground that’s just their size. They discover that science is for everyone—even squirrels! Kirkus says: “A positive and fun-filled challenge to recognize and apply the underlying principles of science in everyday life.” Booklist says: “Budding scientists will be delighted by the squirrel’s-eye view of the physical world.” Publisher’s Weekly says: “The story frames plainspoken, relatable explanations of core physics concepts and the scientific method.”
Joy M. Kiser
Joy M. Kiser was born in Akron and grew up in Norton, Ohio. She began her professional career as the librarian for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in 1995. In 2001, she moved to the Washington, DC, area to become the librarian for National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She is currently employed as a writer/editor for the U.S.…
Read MoreJoy M. Kiser was born in Akron and grew up in Norton, Ohio. She began her professional career as the librarian for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in 1995. In 2001, she moved to the Washington, DC, area to become the librarian for National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She is currently employed as a writer/editor for the U.S. Department of Justice. (Photo credit to Gary Higgins of the Patriot Ledger.)
Brian A. Klems
Brian A. Klems is a writer, husband, perennial fantasy sports underachiever and father of three lovely little girls (who, thankfully, look like their mother). He’s also the online editor of Writer’s Digest magazine and proud graduate of the journalism school at Ohio University. His parenting humor book Oh Boy, You’re Having a Girl: A Dad’s Survival Guide to Raising Daughters was called a “laugh-out-loud book” by the Chicago Tribune. It was also endorsed by humor writing legend Dave Barry. You can read more from him on his popular parenting blog (TheLifeOfDad.com) and connect with him on Twitter (@BrianKlems).