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): 2023
Jessica Fries-Gaither
Jessica is an experienced science educator and an award-winning author of books for students and teachers. Her 20+ year teaching career spans elementary school through middle school science and math, three states, and Catholic, public, and independent schools. Additionally, she spent five years in the College of Education and Human Ecology, School of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University where she directed NSF-funded projects and provided professional development for elementary and middle school teachers. She is currently the Science Department Chair and Lower School Science Specialist at the Columbus School for Girls in Columbus, OH. Jessica is a reviewer for NSTA’s elementary journal, Science and Children, and has served on several NSTA advisory boards. She presents at local, regional, and national conferences and teaches preservice elementary science and social studies methods in Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education program.Jessica has published several books with the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Press and is represented by Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Jessica and her husband live in Columbus, OH with their four dogs. She enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time outside. Learn more here: https://www.jessicafriesgaither.com/
Adam J. Gellings
Adam J. Gellings is a poet & instructor from the Northland neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. He received his MFA from Ashland University & his PhD from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he was the recipient of a fellowship from the Marion Clayton Link Endowment. His poems have appeared in numerous journals & magazines including the Best New Poets Anthology 2017 & 2021, New South, Salamander, The Southampton Review, Willow Springs & elsewhere. His debut poetry collection Little Palace was released in fall 2022 by Stephen F. Austin State University Press. He currently teaches at Columbus College of Art & Design. Learn more: https://www.adamjgellings.com/
Chelsea Gottfried
Chelsea Gottfried works as a naturalist and nature-based preschool teacher for the Crawford Park District in north central Ohio. She is an avid gardener and a passionate entomologist. https://www.ohioswallow.com/book/Gardening+for+Moths
John J. Grabowski
John J. Grabowski works as the Krieger-Mueller Associate Professor of Applied History at Case Western Reserve University and as the Krieger-Mueller Chief Historian at the Western Reserve Historical Society. He is the editor of the online edition of The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History and The Dictionary of Cleveland Biography. https://history.case.edu/faculty/john-grabowski/
Jacob Grant
Jacob Grant is originally from Ohio, but now lives in Chicago with his patient wife and two less-than-patient children. He’s the author and illustrator of No Fair!, No Pants!, and Bear’s Scare, among other books. Most days he can be found in his home studio drawing, painting and writing until something feels story-ish. Learn more at his website: http://jacobgrantbooks.com/
Kari Gunter-Seymour
As Poet Laureate of Ohio, Kari Gunter-Seymour focuses on lifting up underrepresented voices throughout Appalachia, including incarcerated teens and adults and women in recovery. Her poetry collections include Dirt Songs (EastOver Press 2024); Alone in the House of My Heart (Ohio University Swallow Press, 2022), finalist for the NIEA award; and A Place So Deep Inside America It Can’t Be Seen (Sheila Na Gig Editions, 2020), winner of the 2020 Ohio Poet of the Year Award. A ninth generation Appalachian, she is the editor of I Thought I Heard A Cardinal Sing: Ohio’s Appalachian Voices, which received the 2023 “Book of the Year Award” from the American Book Fest and funded by the Academy of American Poets and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; and the Women of Appalachia Project’s anthology series, Women Speak.
Gunter-Seymour is a retired instructor in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University; the host of Spoken & Heard, a seasonal performance series featuring poets, writers, and musicians from across the country; a Pillars of Prosperity Fellow for the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio and an artist in residence for the Writing the Land project. Her work has been featured on Verse Daily, World Literature Today, The New York Times, and Poem-a-Day. Find her online at http://www.karigunterseymourpoet.com, or on Instagram and Threads @karigunterseymour.
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Margaret Peterson Haddix is the New York Times-bestselling author of 50 books for kids and teens, including the Shadow Children series, the Missing series, and the Greystone Secrets series. Her newest book, The Ghostly Photos, is the second in a new series, Mysteries of Trash and Treasure. Her books have been published in more than 20 countries and honored with the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award and numerous state reader’s choice awards, including the Buckeye Book Award. Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio, and graduated from Miami University with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing, and history. Before her first book was published in 1995, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois. She and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio. They are the parents of two grown children.
Eileen Hammond
Eileen Curley Hammond is an author who left a successful marketing career in the insurance industry. When she retired early, she pursued her first love, writing. And when deciding what to write about, there was only one choice for her, murder mysteries, because she was and is a big fan of Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew) and Agatha Christie (Miss. Marple/Hercule Poirot). Eileen lives in Ohio with her husband and two adorable cats. She also has a pond with assorted koi and minnows that is heavily protected from predatory herons in the area. Eileen and her husband love traveling, especially to national parks, and spending time with family and friends. Learn more at: https://www.eileencurleyhammond.com/
Larisa Harper
Larisa Harper has been a higher education professional for more than 25 years with experience and leadership in academic affairs, student services, assessment, accreditation, strategic planning, workforce development, research, policy, and grant writing. Dr. Harper is the Chief Academic Officer for Zane State College in Zanesville.
Dr. Harper enjoys researching historical aspects of her community and participates in executive boards focused on education and history, mental health and recovery services, and cancer awareness. She lives in Zanesville, Ohio with her husband, Aaron. She has one son, A.J. Harper of Fort Wayne, Indiana; two daughters, Cassie Harper, Columbus, Ohio; and Jordee Harper, Zanesville. Learn more at her website: https://larisaharper.wordpress.com/
S.R.D. Harris
Author S.R.D. Harris has always been a reading fanatic! Ever since she was featured in two children’s books as a young child and volunteered at her local library, she has dreamed of becoming a published author. Through hard work and determination, she achieved that dream when she wrote and published her first book, Future Miss President. Harris currently has 8 children’s books published and 2 more in production. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University and a Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Her mission is to write and publish high-quality, uplifting, and empowering diverse children’s books that will inspire a love of reading in all children! She has been featured on PBS/WOSU’s Broad & High TV show and in many publications to date. Harris and her husband have 3 daughters, and a rescued puppy named Gracie. Their youngest daughter, Camryn, is her co-author and collaborates on all of her books. Her 4th book, Gracie’s Grace, is in partnership with CHA Animal Shelter, to benefit their mission to help homeless dogs and cats find loving homes. When they are not reading, writing, cooking, or traveling, they enjoy volunteering and giving back. They have currently donated hundreds of their books to students all over Ohio, and Harris enthusiastically volunteers with Reading 365/The American Literacy Corporation. She believes all children can love reading if they connect with the right books for them. You can follow her on her website srdharrisbooks.com and major social media channels @srdharrisbooks. Her books are sold internationally and available in local libraries and bookstores.