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): Adult
Delores L. McCollum
NATIVE OF
Ann Arbor, Michigan
RESIDENT OF
Cleveland, Ohio
EDUCATION
John F. Kennedy High School – Cleveland, Ohio
Spelman College – Atlanta, Georgia – BA/History
3rd of Five Generations of Spelman Graduates
Cleveland State University – Cleveland, Ohio – MA/History
CAREER
Social Studies Teacher – Grades 7-12 – Public Schools of Cleveland – 27½ Years
Mentor – High School Teachers New to the Profession – Public Schools of Cleveland – 4 Years
Adjunct Instructor – Ursuline College – Pepper Pike, Ohio – 2 Semesters
Masters Apprentice Program – Teacher Candidates
Field Supervisor – Cleveland State University – Cleveland, Ohio – 2 Semesters – Pre-Service Teachers
Consultant/Presenter – Successful Classroom Management LLC
AUTHOR/CO-AUTHOR
IF . . . Bible Stories Were Reported in Today’s Headlines
Your First 30 Minutes – The ABC’s of Successful Classroom Management (Red Ribbon Edition)
Do You Know? A Survey of the Black Experience in America
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Member – Teacher Education Curriculum Re-design/CREATE Team of Cleveland State University 2011-2012
Member – The City Club of Cleveland
Creator – Release Your Power: VOTE!® – A Voter Awareness & Education Project
Founder – Successful Classroom Management Initiative®
Creator – Happy Birthday Dr. King!” © Birthday Card Contest
Founder – The Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Breakfast Celebration – Cleveland, Ohio
Volunteer – Election Protection Initiative – Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Volunteer – Food Bank Ministry – Bethany Baptist Church – Cleveland, Ohio
Volunteer (former) – Food Bank Ministry – Forest Hill Presbyterian Church – Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Volunteer – Stop the Hate® Essay Reader – Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage – Beachwood, Ohio
Proponent Testimony – The Education Committee of the Ohio House of Representatives
At the Invitation of The (late) Honorable Claudette J. Woodard – Bill to create “Teacher Appreciation Day”
HONORS, AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Woman of Excellence Award from the Great Lakes Region of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Community Leadership Honoree – Beth-el AME Zion Church – Cleveland, Ohio
“In the Footsteps of Dr. King” Honoree – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Scholarship Committee –
Cleveland, Ohio
Delores L. McCollum Scholarship – Established by the MLK Holiday Scholarship Committee – Cleveland, Ohio
Citation Award Honoree – Alpha Xi Chapter of the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc.
Educational Excellence Award – Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission
Community Service Award – Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. – Gamma Chapter
Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers®
Fulbright Scholar – The State of Israel
Armonk Scholar – Federal Republic of Germany
Letter of Commendation – The (late) Honorable Louis Stokes – Member of the United States Congress
Outstanding Young Woman of America®
Jim McCormac
Jim McCormac worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for thirty-one years, first as a botanist and then on special projects involving animals, primarily birds, for the Division of Wildlife. He is the author or coauthor of several books, the “Nature” columnist for the Columbus Dispatch, and an avid, frequently published photographer. https://www.ohioswallow.com/book/Gardening+for+Moths
Tiffany McDaniel
TIFFANY McDANIEL is the international bestselling author of Betty, The Summer that Melted Everything, and On the Savage Side. Her newest book, A Sky Full of Dragons, is the first book in her new Middle Grade fantasy series, The Wand Keepers, releasing August 27, 2024. Drawing from her Cherokee heritage, she is a poet, a novelist, and a visual artist. She is the winner of over a dozen literary prizes, including the Guardian’s Not the Booker, the Ohioana Reader’s Choice Award, Friends of American Writers Chicago, the Society of Midland Authors, and the FNAC. She lives with cats and a dog surrounded by the trees and wildlife that she loves. When not writing, she may be found in the garden or walking in the woods. Tiffany was awarded the prestigious title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in July 2021. Learn more at: https://www.tiffanymcdaniel.com/ and follow Tiffany on Instagram @authortiffanymcdaniel
Laura McDermott
Laura published her first book, Lessons from a Birdbrain: Summer, Ohio in November 2020. She is an avid birdwatcher, videographer, kitten foster mom and student of mindfulness in her free time. Her other career is in Information Technology Program Management, and she is also passionate about building technology solutions to solve business problems. Let’s just say, these two careers help balance the right and left sides of Laura’s brain.
Mindy McGinnis
Mindy McGinnis is an Edgar Award-winning novelist who writes across multiple genres, including post-apocalyptic, historical, thriller, contemporary, mystery, and fantasy. While her settings may change, you can always count on Mindy’s books to deliver grit, truth, and an unflinching look at humanity and the world around us. Learn more at: https://www.mindymcginnis.com/.
Tanny McGregor
Internationally-known teacher and conference speaker Tanny McGregor brings over 30 years of professional experience to her popular sessions. Her workshops are known for their creative and engaging style. Originally an elementary school teacher, Tanny has served as a literacy coach, gifted intervention specialist, and preK-12 staff developer. She is the author of three books, Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading (Heinemann, 2007), Genre Connections: Lessons to Launch Literary and Nonfiction Texts (Heinemann, 2013), and her newest release, Ink & Ideas: Sketchnotes for Engagement, Comprehension, and Thinking (Heinemann, 2019). Tanny was also a contributor to the seminal work, Comprehension Going Forward: Where We Are/What’s Next (Heinemann, 2011). In addition to writing and consulting, Tanny serves as a teacher on special assignment for West Clermont Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio. She and her husband Miles have four daughters and four grandsons. Follow her on Twitter @TannyMcG!
Stacy McKitrick
Stacy McKitrick fell in love with paranormal romance, decided to write her own, and found her passion in life. She used to work in accounting, now she spends her time with vampires and ghosts. Born in California, she currently resides in Ohio with her husband. They have two grown children. You can find more about her at http://www.stacymckitrick.com or her blog, http://www.stacysrantings.blogspot.com
Claire McMillan
Claire McMillan is a novelist, most recently of Alchemy of a Blackbird, published by Atria/Simon & Schuster in July of 2023. She is also the author of The Necklace, which was published by Touchstone/Simon & Schuster in 2017, as well as Gilded Age, published by Simon& Schuster in 2012. A native of Pasadena, California, she practiced law in San Francisco for six years before moving to Cleveland in 2003. As well as a JD, she holds an MFA in creative writing from Bennington College. She was named the Cuyahoga County Public Library Writer in Residence for the 2017-2018 year. During that time, she taught four classes on craft that were open to the public at the Skirball Writing Center. Additionally, she held monthly office hours for aspiring writers that were open to the public. She was also a Writer in Residence onsite at the Mount, Edith Wharton’s home in Lenox, Massachusetts. Her enthusiasm for her time there led to her being asked to serve as a Trustee on the Board of the Mount, where she still serves today. McMillan currently lives on her husband’s family farm outside of Cleveland, Ohio with their two children.
Wendy McVicker
Wendy McVicker, 2020-2022 poet laureate of Athens, Ohio, is a longtime Ohio Arts Council teaching artist. Her previous books include the dancer’s notes (Finishing Line Press, 2015), the self-published collaboration with visual artist John McVicker Sliced Dark (2018), Zero, a Door (The Orchard Street Press, 2021), and Stronger When We Touch, a collaboration with poet Cathy Cultice Lentes (The Orchard Street Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies over the years, including Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, Sheila-Na-Gig Online, Gyroscope Review, and Northern Appalachia Review. She loves collaborating with artists in many mediums and performs with instrumentalist Emily Prince under the name “another language altogether” whenever she gets the chance. Her children having grown and flown, she lives surrounded by the green hills of southeastern Ohio with her husband and a Hemingway cat named Dora.
Wendy McVicker
Wendy McVicker, 2020-2022 poet laureate of Athens, Ohio, is a longtime Ohio Arts Council teaching artist. Her previous books include the dancer’s notes (Finishing Line Press, 2015), the self-published collaboration with visual artist John McVicker Sliced Dark (2018), Zero, a Door (The Orchard Street Press, 2021), and Stronger When We Touch, a collaboration with poet Cathy Cultice Lentes (The Orchard Street Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies over the years, including Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, Sheila-Na-Gig online, Gyroscope Review, and Northern Appalachia Review. She loves collaborating with artists in many mediums and performs with instrumentalist Emily Prince under the name “another language altogether” whenever she gets the chance. Her children having grown and flown, she lives surrounded by the green hills of southeastern Ohio with her husband and a Hemingway cat named Dora.