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
– Talzoya
Talzoya is a nuclear physicist by education and the author of numerous scientific publications. “Of Lovers, Lonely Hearts, and the Psychotic Spell Called Falling in Love” is the result of both an introspective effort and the learning derived from published works by other experts in relation to the topic of falling in love, ranging from fiction and nonfiction books to peer-reviewed scientific publications. Talzoya takes pride in distilling knowledge from fields as distinct as sexology, biology, biochemistry, evolutionary psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience into a readable format accessible to all, so that we may all benefit from the findings of science.
Barney Taxel
Barney Taxel has lived, photographed, taught, and lectured in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1967, when he moved there from New York City, where he was born and raised. In addition to his award winning career as a commercial photographer, Taxel has several photography books to his credit, including The Lake View Cemetery: Photographs From Cleveland’s Historic Landmark, Cleveland’s West Side Market: 100 Years and Still Cooking, and Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. For more on Taxel, check out his website at barneytaxel.com.
Laura Taxel
Laura Taxel is an award-winning journalist and author. At twenty-one, she earned a favorable review in the New York Times. Her most recent book, Cleveland’s West Side Market: 100 Years & Still Cooking, coauthored with Marilou Suszko, was published by the University of Akron Press in 2012. After more than forty years, she is still thrilled to have a career telling stories.
Dylan Taylor-Lehman
D.M. Testa
A deeply held fascination for events from the past along with a childhood spent
sliding across the marble floors of a bank John Dillinger robbed in Bluffton, Ohio
provides much of my inspiration for Defending the Dillinger Gang: Jessie Levy
and Bess Robbins in the Courtroom.
I have a talent for turning up the facts missed by others and am currently using
my investigative skills for the Missing Princes Project sponsored by the Richard
III Society. Over the past years, I’ve provided research for author David C
Greer: God is Merciful-The Colorful Career of John E Egan, Orange Frazer, 2017.
Death Cell Rescue, 2018. Let My People Thrive – Memories of Dayton’s Moses,
- My research has become the basis for Old Case Files, historical
reenactments of murder trials performed by Dayton History to sell-out audiences in
Dayton, Ohio in 2017, 2018, and 2019 performances.
My other activities include docent work at the Susan B Anthony House & Museum
and presentations to local historical societies. I also teach classes on
researching nonfiction and historical fiction for fledgling authors
Cindy Thomson
Known for the inspirational Celtic theme employed in most of her books, Cindy Thomson is the author of six novels and three non-fiction books, including her newest Celtic Son. A genealogy enthusiast, she writes from her home in Ohio where she lives with her husband Tom near their three grown sons and their families. Visit her online at http://www.cindyswriting.com
John Thorndike
John Thorndike grew up in New England, graduated from Harvard, took an MA from Columbia, then lit out for Latin America. He spent two years in the Peace Corps in El Salvador and two, with his wife and child, on a backcountry farm in Chile. Eventually he settled with his son in Athens, Ohio, where for ten years his day job was farming. Then it was construction. His first two books were novels, followed by a memoir, Another Way Home, about his wife’s schizophrenia and his life as a single parent (“The directness, the honesty, the terrible plain chant of the narrative stunned me.”—Doris Grumbach.) A second memoir, The Last of His Mind, describes his father’s year-long descent into Alzheimer’s, and was a Washington Post Best Book of 2009. The novel A Hundred Fires in Cuba follows an affair between a young American photographer and one of the heroes of the Cuban Revolution, Camilo Cienfuegos. The World Against Her Skin, Thorndike’s latest book, is a half-fictional evocation of his mother’s life.
Melanie Tienter
Melanie Tienter
is a commercial photographer based in southeast Ohio.
She enjoys oil painting, hanging with her family and her cats, and eating delicious
food.
MaryBeth Tipton
MaryBeth Tipton, owner of Yoga Living LLC, is a yoga teacher, empowerment coach, and inspirational author, holding esteemed yoga certifications (E-RYT 500 and YACEP). With a profound dedication to personal growth and healing, MaryBeth integrates the transformative practices of yoga and self-inquiry into her teachings, writing, and public speaking. Her book, Journey to Joy: From Surviving to Thriving – An Inspirational Memoir of Overcoming Loss and a Survivor’s Guide to Healing and Happiness, is a deeply personal exploration of resilience and empowerment. MaryBeth’s life has been a journey through pain, abuse, and gut-wrenching loss, ranging from the devastating loss of her stepson and other family members, to the abandonment of her children’s father. These experiences, however, have been her greatest teachers, shaping her into a compassionate guide for those seeking healing and joy. MaryBeth’s narrative style is a blend of moving personal stories, insightful lessons, and practical strategies aimed at empowering readers to navigate life’s adversities with grace. Her work stands as a beacon of hope for those looking to overcome grief, rediscover joy, and embrace a fulfilling life. Her book not only offers a roadmap to personal healing but also inspires a journey of self-discovery and acceptance, teaching that our darkest moments can lead to our greatest growth. Residing between her homes in Ohio and Florida, MaryBeth enjoys creating quality experiences with family and friends, traveling, and has a passion for being on, in, and near the water. Her commitment to personal growth and resilience is evident in her multifaceted career and life, making her a powerful voice, an inspiration to many and magnet for joy and enthusiasm.
Lynn Tramonte
Lynn Tramonte move words like fingers move crochet thread. Loop, hook, pull. Tension and slack, creating something new, useful-and beautiful-from simple string. After twenty years working for national immigration advocacy organizations, Tramonte launched a communications consulting practice, Anacaona. Anacaona helps clients tell stories that compel people to see and feel our shared humanity, and act to make social change. Anacaona specializes in advocacy communications strategy and planning; editing and writing; coaching and training in writing, media relations, and narrative. Tramonte also directs the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, and serves on the boards of Justice Action Center and Babel Box Theatre-claiming her progressive values, midwestern roots, and the power of art as pleasure, connector, and teacher. Tramonte’s work has appeared in publications as diverse as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Associated Press, Univision, The Guardian, The Columbus Dispatch, and Ideastream Public Media. She is a 2018 Marshall Memorial Fellow with the German Marshall Fund.