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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Sandra Harrington Quick
I was privileged for 30 years to offer my teaching gifts and talents to the children of Columbus (OH) Public Schools and other Ohio schools as a teacher, High School Principal and Supervisor. I taught English, drama and speech, and directed several student productions. I incorporated my own theatre company, Our History Awakens® in 2010. Our mission is Commemorating the African-American experience in American History through living history and engaging educational activities “…lest we forget”. I am the author and publisher of two books in a series, Our History Awakens: Creating My Living History Avatar. And Our History Awakens: Creating Your Living History Avatar. Both are available on Amazon.com
I developed the curriculum for, instructed in and performed in the 2010 The Ohio State University African and African-American Studies summer residential program. Since 2009, I continue to be a featured performer for The State of OHIO’s Black History Month celebration in the Ohio Statehouse Museum. I have performed at The Fair at New Boston, an authentic 18th re-enactment fair in Springfield, OH for five years. I instructed as a Professional Teaching Artists through the Adaptation, Integration, and the Arts Program through The State Organization on Arts and Disability, VSA Ohio. I am a proud founding member of the production company, We’ve Known Rivers®: Timeless Stories in the Black Experience along with Dr. Annette Jefferson and Mr. Anthony Gibbs. As of 2019 We’ve Known Rivers® has performed for 10 years as the OHIO Statehouse’s Black History Month Program.
From the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, Cleveland OH I earned my Teaching Artist Professional Development Module 1 Badge for Program Development which qualifies me to address Domains of Positive Youth, Multiple Learning Styles, and Positive Reinforcement Techniques during my K-12 classroom performances.
Skye Quinlan
Skye Quinlan (they/them) is a queer, autistic author of YA fiction. They’re an avid reader, have an absurd amount of crystals and gemstones, and if they’re not tending to their garden, you can usually find them playing Animal Crossing. Skye lives in Ohio with their wife, two dogs, a snake, and two lizards. Learn more at: https://skyequinlanbooks.com
Eman Quotah
Eman Quotah grew up in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, and Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, The Toast, The Establishment, Book Riot, and other publications. She lives with her family near Washington, D.C. Bride of the Sea is her first novel.
Holly Brians Ragusa
Holly Brians Ragusa (she/her/hers) is an interdisciplinary writer, poet, speaker, community activist and author of MET THE END (Nov 2022) named CITYBEAT STAFF PICK BEST TRUE-CRIME MEMOIR THAT CUTS AWAY SENSATIONALISM 2023. Other books include DYING TO KNOW MYSELF IN TIME and INVERSE; INFORMED THOUGHTS BY AN UNFIT POET. Contributor to Psychology Today and Opinion contributor to The Cincinnati Enquirer, HBR serves a range of nonprofits, hosts writing workshops and lives in historic Over-the-Rhine, sharing space with her husband, mother, three cats, one dog, and (sometimes) two grown children.…
Read MoreHolly Brians Ragusa (she/her/hers) is an interdisciplinary writer, poet, speaker, community activist and author of MET THE END (Nov 2022) named CITYBEAT STAFF PICK BEST TRUE-CRIME MEMOIR THAT CUTS AWAY SENSATIONALISM 2023. Other books include DYING TO KNOW MYSELF IN TIME and INVERSE; INFORMED THOUGHTS BY AN UNFIT POET. Contributor to Psychology Today and Opinion contributor to The Cincinnati Enquirer, HBR serves a range of nonprofits, hosts writing workshops and lives in historic Over-the-Rhine, sharing space with her husband, mother, three cats, one dog, and (sometimes) two grown children. Learn more at Hollybriansragusa.com
Merrill Rainey
Growing up, Merrill Rainey spent most of his Saturday afternoons drawing, watching monster movies, and going on imaginary adventures. Today, he is a cowboy-boot-wearing, picture-book-creator and paper-toy-maker. Merrill’s work focuses on exploring creativity and imaginative play. His current titles include Giants Are Very Brave People (2023 Cybils Awards nominee) written by Florence Parry Heide, Roar! I’m a Dinosaur (winner of the Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Board Book of 2022), Oink! I’m a Pig, and the Color, Cut, Create series. His newest title My First Town: A Building Block Book, is a modern take on the classic children’s building block toys. Young builders are able to punch, build, and stack a 3D city of their own. My First Town empowers children to know that if they can fold a sheet of paper four times to create a block and add a little bit of creativity and ingenuity, then they can build anything! Merrill also works for many children’s magazines like Highlights, Ranger Rick, and Humpty Dumpty. You can see more of his work at littlerainey.com or follow him on Instagram @littlerainey
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
Cuban-born Raul Ramos y Sanchez grew up in Miami’s cultural kaleidoscope before becoming a long-time resident of the U.S. Midwest. After a successful career in advertising that included founding an ad agency with offices in Ohio and California, Ramos turned to more personally significant work. Works of fiction by Raul include the Class H Trilogy (America Libre, House Divided, and Pancho Land), the coming of age novel, The Skinny Years, and Mustang To Paducah. The author and his work have been featured on television, radio and print publications across the country along with a host of online media sources. Visit Raul on his website, http://www.raulramos.com/.
Matt Rapposelli
Matt Rapposelli has been a leader in southeast Ohio’s dining scene since 1982 and is known for developing destination dining experiences, including the award-winning Big Chimney Baking Co. and the Lake Hope Lodge. He is the executive chef of Kindred Spirits, the restaurant for the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls in Logan, Ohio.
J. L. Raynor
Jason is originally from Brooklyn, NY. He is an author, actor and speaker. He is also a proud graduate of Bowling Green State University. One of his favorite topics to teach is Trauma Informed Approaches. His goal is to eliminate victim blaming, and to teach others how to identify signs of trauma in others.
Mark Rea
For more than 30 years, Mark Rea has been a writer, journalist, editor and columnist at newspapers and magazines for such companies as Scripps-Howard and McGraw-Hill. Throughout the course of his career, Rea has won several writing awards, including several national first-place honors from McGraw-Hill in 2002 and 2003, and an honorable mention in 2004 from the Football Writers Association of America. In 2009, he authored the book The Die-Hard Fan’s Guide To Buckeye Football.
Rea is the managing editor emeritus of Columbus Sports Publications, a Columbus, Ohio-based firm that publishes sports-related fan newspapers including Buckeye Sports Bulletin and manages the Internet website BuckeyeSports.com. Rea and his wife, Lisa, reside in Washington Court House and have a daughter Jessica, who is currently a graduate student working on her Ph.D. in psychology at Ohio State.
Kerry Rea
Kerry Rea lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband and their small army of dogs. She grew up in Youngstown, Ohio and graduated from The University of Notre Dame. She believes that happily ever after is always possible. Learn more at her website: https://www.authorkerryrea.com/