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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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Photo of Jonathan Knight

Jonathan Knight

Jonathan Knight has written nine books on Cleveland sports. Called "one of the most articulate and devoted sportswriters in Ohio" by the Akron Beacon Journal, Knight has been praised by the Plain Dealer, Cleveland Scene, Cleveland Magazine, and ESPN's Grantland.com. He's a graduate of Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research.…Read More

Jonathan Knight has written nine books on Cleveland sports. Called “one of the most articulate and devoted sportswriters in Ohio” by the Akron Beacon Journal, Knight has been praised by the Plain Dealer, Cleveland Scene, Cleveland Magazine, and ESPN’s Grantland.com. He’s a graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his two sons. You can learn more at http://www.jknightbooks.com and follow him on Twitter at @jknightwriter.

Photo of Brenda Knight

Brenda Knight

Ohio native Brenda Knight began her career at HarperCollins, working with luminaries Paolo Coelho, Marianne Williamson, and Huston Smith. Knight was awarded IndieFab’s Publisher of the Year in 2014 at the American Library Association. Knight is the author of Wild Women and BooksThe Grateful TableBe a Good in the World, Random Acts of Kindness, and Women of the Beat Generation, which won an American Book Award.…Read More

Ohio native Brenda Knight began her career at HarperCollins, working with luminaries Paolo Coelho, Marianne Williamson, and Huston Smith. Knight was awarded IndieFab’s Publisher of the Year in 2014 at the American Library Association. Knight is the author of Wild Women and BooksThe Grateful TableBe a Good in the World, Random Acts of Kindness, and Women of the Beat Generation, which won an American Book Award. Knight also cocreated You Should Be Writing: A Journal of Inspiration and Instruction to Keep Your Pen Moving with Nita Sweeney (Depression Hates a Moving Target.) Knight is a poet, writer, and editor. She is currently the Associate Publisher for Mango Publishing; she also served as President of the Women’s National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter, and is an instructor at the annual San Francisco Writers Conference, Central Coast Writers Conference, and wherever she can be with fellow writers. She resides in San Francisco, CA.

Photo of Faith (FM) Knight

Faith (FM) Knight

FAITH (FM) KNIGHT writes middle grade, young adult and new adult fiction. She is a former TV news reporter and digital producer. She is also the cousin of legendary children's book icon Virginia Hamilton. Her debut YA historical novel, As Gray As Black & White, received critical acclaim from Publisher's Weekly's indie arm BookLife.…

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FAITH (FM) KNIGHT writes middle grade, young adult and new adult fiction. She is a former TV news reporter and digital producer. She is also the cousin of legendary children’s book icon Virginia Hamilton. Her debut YA historical novel, As Gray As Black & White, received critical acclaim from Publisher’s Weekly’s indie arm BookLife.

She enjoys cooking, sewing and Bible education. She is from Yellow Springs, Ohio and now lives in North Carolina with her husband. You can find her books at https://therealknightauthor.com.

Photo of Jen Knox

Jen Knox

Jen Knox is the author of We Arrive Uninvited (Steel Toe Books, 2023), which won the Steel Toe Books Award in prose, and After the Gazebo (Rain Mountain Press, 2015). Her short fiction and creative nonfiction can be found in journals such as Saturday Evening Post and McSweeney's Internet Quarterly. She founded and runs Unleash Creatives, a holistic arts organization based in Ohio.…Read More

Jen Knox is the author of We Arrive Uninvited (Steel Toe Books, 2023), which won the Steel Toe Books Award in prose, and After the Gazebo (Rain Mountain Press, 2015). Her short fiction and creative nonfiction can be found in journals such as Saturday Evening Post and McSweeney’s Internet Quarterly. She founded and runs Unleash Creatives, a holistic arts organization based in Ohio. Learn more at: jenknox.com

Photo of Christine Kohler

Christine Kohler

An Ohio native, Christine (Rhodeback) Kohler is the author of 17 nonfiction and fiction books for children and teens. A graduate of the University of Hawaii, she lived in Japan and Guam, the setting for her debut novel NO SURRENDER SOLDIER (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster). She is also published in educational books, articles, poetry and photography.

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An Ohio native, Christine (Rhodeback) Kohler is the author of 17 nonfiction and fiction books for children and teens. A graduate of the University of Hawaii, she lived in Japan and Guam, the setting for her debut novel NO SURRENDER SOLDIER (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster). She is also published in educational books, articles, poetry and photography.

Kohler now lives in Texas with her husband, whom she met at Kent State University. Contact her at ckohler@christinekohlerbooks.com ; website  http://www.christinekohlerbooks.com/ ; facebook https://www.facebook.com/ChristineKohlerbooks/ ; twitter https://twitter.com/christinekohle1

Photo of Wendy Koile

Wendy Koile

Wendy Koile has spent most of her life exploring the nooks and crannies of Ohio. When not traveling or writing, Wendy works full-time as the Director of Teaching and Learning at a community college in Ohio. She holds a masters degree in teaching and one in English. She currently has four books published with The History Press and is working on ideas for the next one.Read More

Wendy Koile has spent most of her life exploring the nooks and crannies of Ohio. When not traveling or writing, Wendy works full-time as the Director of Teaching and Learning at a community college in Ohio. She holds a masters degree in teaching and one in English. She currently has four books published with The History Press and is working on ideas for the next one.

Trudy Krisher

Trudy Krisher is the author of many award-winning books for young adults and children as well as a scholarly biography. She has a reputation as a talented writer who does not hesitate to explore sensitive issues. In novels like SPITE Fences, Kinship, Fallout, and Uncommon Faith, social issues are always embedded in a lively historical context with a dramatic story line.…Read More

Trudy Krisher is the author of many award-winning books for young adults and children as well as a scholarly biography. She has a reputation as a talented writer who does not hesitate to explore sensitive issues. In novels like SPITE Fences, Kinship, Fallout, and Uncommon Faith, social issues are always embedded in a lively historical context with a dramatic story line.

Trudy Krisher has won many awards for her writing. They include Best Book for Young Adults selections of the American Library Association; International Reading Association Award; The Jefferson Cup Honor Book of the Virginia Library Association; Parents’ Choice Honor Book; Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award; Amelia Bloomer Project Recommendation; Bank Street Children’s Book of the Year; and Capitol Choice Book.

A professor (retired) from Sinclair Community College, Trudy Krisher is comfortable speaking about books and writing to groups young and old. For more, go to trudykrisherauthor.com

Photo of Robert Kroeger

Robert Kroeger

Dr. Robert Kroeger, a native of Youngstown, graduated from Ohio State University’s College of Dentistry, served four years of active duty in the US Navy, ending with the rank of lieutenant commander. He and his late wife Brenda moved to Cincinnati where they raised five children and Dr. Kroeger practiced general dentistry from 1977 to 2010, when he retired.…Read More

Dr. Robert Kroeger, a native of Youngstown, graduated from Ohio State University’s College of Dentistry, served four years of active duty in the US Navy, ending with the rank of lieutenant commander. He and his late wife Brenda moved to Cincinnati where they raised five children and Dr. Kroeger practiced general dentistry from 1977 to 2010, when he retired. He and his wife Laura also live in Cincinnati, where they enjoy spending time with nine grandchildren. [INSERT IMAGE A-63 CAPTION: Robert Kroeger. Photograph, David Bimschleger] Dr. Kroeger is a second-generation artist, though, unlike his father Francis, who held an art degree from Notre Dame, his professional art career blossomed later in life. Though he did not immediately follow in his father’s footsteps, Robert’s career as a dentist allowed him to study color values and facial esthetic principles in smile design. He is the author of Historic Barns of Ohio, a book that features a barn, its painting, and its essay in each of Ohio’s 88 counties. Dr. Kroeger has also written two books on dentistry and seven books on golf in Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland, including To The 14th Tee, The Links of Wales, The Golf Courses of Old Tom Morris, Golf on the Links of Ireland, Golf on the Links of England, Complete Guide to the Golf Courses of Scotland, and The Secrets of Islay. This is his second book on old barns but hopefully not his last. Learn more at: https://www.barnart.weebly.com/

Photo of John W. Kropf

John W. Kropf

John Kropf is the author of Unknown Sands: Journeys Around the World’s Most Isolated Country that Publisher’s Weekly praised as a fascinating narrative bound to hook adventurers. His writing has appeared in appeared The Baltimore Sun, Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Washington Post, and elsewhere. Kropf was born in Sandusky and raised in Erie County, Ohio. He is an attorney in the Washington, DC.…Read More

John Kropf is the author of Unknown Sands: Journeys Around the World’s Most Isolated Country that Publisher’s Weekly praised as a fascinating narrative bound to hook adventurers. His writing has appeared in appeared The Baltimore Sun, Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Washington Post, and elsewhere. Kropf was born in Sandusky and raised in Erie County, Ohio. He is an attorney in the Washington, DC. area. http://compulsivelyaimless.blogspot.com/

Photo of Nan Kuhlman

Nan Kuhlman

Nan Kuhlman is an author, freelance writer, and part-time university professor who lives in Los Angeles but still thinks of rural northwest Ohio as home. Her nonfiction book Nontraditional: Life Lessons from a Community College tells of her time spent as an adjunct writing professor at a small community college there and intertwines the stories of her nontraditional students with her own nontraditional start in higher education.…Read More

Nan Kuhlman is an author, freelance writer, and part-time university professor who lives in Los Angeles but still thinks of rural northwest Ohio as home. Her nonfiction book Nontraditional: Life Lessons from a Community College tells of her time spent as an adjunct writing professor at a small community college there and intertwines the stories of her nontraditional students with her own nontraditional start in higher education. The lesson of Nontraditional is about life’s circuitous nature and how the indirect way may be the best route to get where you need to go.

Nan currently works as a technical writer in Los Angeles, but because her freelancing career has spanned more than two decades, she can’t break her streak and continues to freelance in her free time. You can read her eclectic collection of writing at http://www.nankuhlman.com.