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 Wendy McVicker

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).…Read More

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.

Photo of Tim McWhorter

Tim McWhorter

Tim McWhorter was born under a waning crescent moon, and while he has no idea what the significance is, he thinks it sounds like a very horror writer thing to say. A graduate of Otterbein College, he is the author of the horror-thrillers, The Opening, Shadows Remain, Bone White, its sequel, Blackened, and a collection of short stories, Let There Be Dark.…Read More
Tim McWhorter was born under a waning crescent moon, and while he has no idea what the significance is, he thinks it sounds like a very horror writer thing to say. A graduate of Otterbein College, he is the author of the horror-thrillers, The Opening, Shadows Remain, Bone White, its sequel, Blackened, and a collection of short stories, Let There Be Dark. He lives just outside of Columbus, OH, with his wife, a dwindling number of children and a few obligatory ‘family’ pets that have somehow become solely his responsibility. He is currently hard at work on one of several ongoing projects and relies on interaction with readers for those much-needed breaks…

 

http://www.timmcwhorter.com (website)

 

@Tim_McWhorter (Twitter)

 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tim-Mcwhorter-author (FB page)

 

tm5to1@live.com (email)

Linda Mercadante

Linda Mercadante is the B. Robert Straker Professor of Historical Theology at The Methodist Theological School in Ohio and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church.Read More

Linda Mercadante is the B. Robert Straker Professor of Historical Theology at The Methodist Theological School in Ohio and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church.

Gary Meszaros

Gary Meszaros, a retired teacher, has been a nature photographer for more than 35 years. His work has appeared in several books and magazines, including Smithsonian, National Wildlife, National Parks Magazine, Natural History, and Timeline. Previous books include four titles on various facets of Ohio’s natural history.Read More

Gary Meszaros, a retired teacher, has been a nature photographer for more than 35 years. His work has appeared in several books and magazines, including Smithsonian, National Wildlife, National Parks Magazine, Natural History, and Timeline. Previous books include four titles on various facets of Ohio’s natural history.

Photo of Philip Metres

Philip Metres

Philip Metres is the author of ten books, including Shrapnel Maps (2020), The Sound of Listening: Poetry as Refuge and Resistance (2018), Pictures at an Exhibition (2016), Sand Opera (2015), I Burned at the Feast: Selected Poems of Arseny Tarkovsky (2015), and others. His work has garnered the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lannan Fellowship, two NEAs, six Ohio Arts Council Grants, the Hunt Prize, the Adrienne Rich Award, three Arab American Book Awards, the Watson Fellowship, the Lyric Poetry Prize, Creative Workforce Fellowship, and the Cleveland Arts Prize.…Read More

Philip Metres is the author of ten books, including Shrapnel Maps (2020), The Sound of Listening: Poetry as Refuge and Resistance (2018), Pictures at an Exhibition (2016), Sand Opera (2015), I Burned at the Feast: Selected Poems of Arseny Tarkovsky (2015), and others. His work has garnered the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lannan Fellowship, two NEAs, six Ohio Arts Council Grants, the Hunt Prize, the Adrienne Rich Award, three Arab American Book Awards, the Watson Fellowship, the Lyric Poetry Prize, Creative Workforce Fellowship, and the Cleveland Arts Prize. He is professor of English and director of the Peace, Justice, and Human Rights program at John Carroll University

Photo of Karen Meyer

Karen Meyer

Karen Meyer has authored seven historical novels for middle grade readers. She weaves real pioneers and events into an exciting story. Her passion for history began in her school days with field trips to Ohio’s historical sites. She became an Air Force wife and lived in places as far away as Labrador over the course of nine years.…Read More
Karen Meyer has authored seven historical novels for middle grade readers. She weaves real pioneers and events into an exciting story. Her passion for history began in her school days with field trips to Ohio’s historical sites. She became an Air Force wife and lived in places as far away as Labrador over the course of nine years. Seeing new lands gave her a window on regional and national differences, and confirmed an appreciation for her own Ohio roots. She and her husband settled and raised their family in central Ohio. Karen now visits classrooms and retirement centers in costume as Grandma Sarah, one of the characters in her first two novels. This living history presentation often includes mixing up a batch of lye soap, helping participants learn how the early settlers survived on the frontier.
Photo of David Meyers

David Meyers

A graduate of Miami University and The Ohio State University, David Meyers can't seem to keep from writing stuff. His lifelong interest in history has led him to turn out a number of non-fiction books on a variety of topics, especially those neglected by others. He frequently collaborates with his daughter, Elise Meyers Walker. He has also authored several novels and a handful of works for the stage, including two full length musicals.…Read More

A graduate of Miami University and The Ohio State University, David Meyers can’t seem to keep from writing stuff. His lifelong interest in history has led him to turn out a number of non-fiction books on a variety of topics, especially those neglected by others. He frequently collaborates with his daughter, Elise Meyers Walker. He has also authored several novels and a handful of works for the stage, including two full length musicals. In 2019, he was inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame for his contributions to Ohio history. Learn more at: https://www.explodingstove.com/

Photo of Elise Meyers Walker

Elise Meyers Walker

​Elise Meyers Walker earned degrees from Hofstra University and Ohio University. A former board member of the Columbus Historical Society and the Ted Lewis Museum in Circleville, she describes herself as an analyst, researcher, performer, author, organizer, project manager, event planner, teacher, saleswoman, Lego artist, mother, and adventuress. Her particular interest is true crime. She frequently collaborates with her father, David Meyers.Read More
​Elise Meyers Walker earned degrees from Hofstra University and Ohio University. A former board member of the Columbus Historical Society and the Ted Lewis Museum in Circleville, she describes herself as an analyst, researcher, performer, author, organizer, project manager, event planner, teacher, saleswoman, Lego artist, mother, and adventuress. Her particular interest is true crime. She frequently collaborates with her father, David Meyers.
Photo of Mark Miesse

Mark Miesse

Mark Miesse is an up and coming author with a current focus on children’s poetry. His poetry is focused around younger children up to the tween years. The majority of his poetry is inspired by the likes of his own children and some of the goofy parenting sayings that he has most likely annoyed his children with through out the years.…Read More

Mark Miesse is an up and coming author with a current focus on children’s poetry. His poetry is focused around younger children up to the tween years. The majority of his poetry is inspired by the likes of his own children and some of the goofy parenting sayings that he has most likely annoyed his children with through out the years. Mark currently lives in Medway, Ohio. He was born a buckeye and has been his only place called home.

Photo of Patricia Miller

Patricia Miller

Patricia Miller is best known for relatable characters, clever twists and turns and feel-good endings, spanning the mystery, sci- fi and romance genres. Look for her titles: Mysterious Tales of the Unexplained Vols 1-4, Love on the Lakefront and The Joshua sci-fi trilogy. Her books have received awards from Next Generation Indie Awards, American Book Fest Awards, and a Second Place Purple Dragonfly Award in the mystery category for Mysterious Tales of the Unexplained, Vol 3.…Read More

Patricia Miller is best known for relatable characters, clever twists and turns and feel-good endings, spanning the mystery, sci- fi and romance genres. Look for her titles: Mysterious Tales of the Unexplained Vols 1-4, Love on the Lakefront and The Joshua sci-fi trilogy. Her books have received awards from Next Generation Indie Awards, American Book Fest Awards, and a Second Place Purple Dragonfly Award in the mystery category for Mysterious Tales of the Unexplained, Vol 3. She is the award-winning author of eight published books thus far: four mystery collection volumes (entertaining readers from ages 12 to well in their 80’s) all with that cozy mystery feel, a completed YA Sci Fi Sweet Romance trilogy (suitable for ages 15 and up) and she has a featured story in a romance anthology, Love on the Lakefront, with all tales set in the Great Lakes Region. Her mystery collections feature illustrations from high school and middle school art students from all over the state of Ohio which are chosen following a call for submissions. Scenes come alive with this unique collaboration between young Ohio artists and mysterious and perplexing whodunits. Patricia grew up in a small town in Ohio and has worked as a mental health clinical counselor for the past thirty-five plus years. She sits on the planning committee for the Dover Canal Town Book Festival and has given several presentations including an interactive presentation for West Virginia State Writing Winners in grades 7-9, focusing on character development. When not writing she enjoys hiking/biking weekend trips or indulging in British murder mystery marathons. Follow her at: https://www.facebook.com/patriciamillerauthor/

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