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
Jean Colebank
Jean is in her 31st year of teaching and loves to make the seemingly difficult concepts in math much easier to understand. Her children’s book, Sit Down Little Prince! A math story about Carl Friedrich Gauss gives readers a little story, a little history and one really, big math trick! She earned a master’s degree in Math Education from Bank Street Graduate School in New York City and a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from The University of Akron in Ohio. Jean is a mother, grandmother, avid golfer as well as a writer, editor, and consultant for McGraw-Hill, Scholastic, and other educational publishers.
Dawn Combs
Dawn Combs is an ethnobotanist with over 20 years experience in botanical based wellness. Dawn is a nationally respected educator and speaker, an online and in print contributor to several national magazines, co-owner of Mockingbird Meadows and Director of its educational programs. She lives on a farm in Central Ohio with her husband, Carson, and two children, Aidan and Jacy. Dawn is the author of Conceiving Healthy Babies: An Herbal Guide to Support Preconception, Pregnancy and Lactation, and Heal Local, 20 Essential Herbs for Do-it-Yourself Home Healthcare.
Jane Congdon
Jane Congdon grew up in the mountains of West Virginia. After graduating from Concord College (now Concord University) she made a career of words, working as an English teacher and a newspaper reporter before finding her niche as a textbook editor in Cincinnati, Ohio. She retired in 2009 after 30 years to write and take on selected editing projects.
At age 59, Jane followed Dracula’s footsteps through Transylvania with a guide, resulting in the memoir It Started with Dracula: The Count, My Mother, and Me. She then co-authored her brother’s memoir, Mr. Joe: Tales from a Haunted Life. Mr. Joe was a finalist for the 2014 Ohioana Book Award in Nonfiction.
At 69, Jane returned to the mountains as a backpacker on the Appalachian Trail. To date she has hiked 1,195 miles of the AT in 7 of its 14 states–Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Maine–alone, with friends, and with a glass good-luck charm named Ms. Rabbit. How the WILD EFFECT Turned Me into a Hiker at 69 is the story of Jane’s unlikely journey from the Ohio suburbs to the back country of the Appalachian Mountains.
All three books were published by Bettie Youngs Book Publishers and are available from Amazon and other outlets.
Renee Casteel Cook
A Buckeye not by birth but by choice, Renee Casteel Cook is a Columbus-based author of culinary history and travel titles, including The Columbus Food Truck Cookbook and Ohio Ice Cream: A Scoop of History. Her passion for writing and chocolate are equally matched, making this book a labor of nothing but love. Eternally impressed at the drive and dedication of food-focused entrepreneurs and the continuing commitment of generational family-run businesses, Renee strives to successfully share their stories, capturing a curated selection of legacies both established and developing. Her hope is to inspire future creators of all types to take the leap toward what they love.
Kevin Cordi
For over twenty years, Dr. Kevin Cordi has told stories in over forty states, England, Singapore, Scotland, and Japan. His story work has been commissioned by the National Youth Storytelling Hall of Fame, Newsweek, and The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. As a story teacher he is considered one of the “nation’s primary advocates for youth storytelling!”
Kevin listens everywhere he goes.…
Read MoreFor over twenty years, Dr. Kevin Cordi has told stories in over forty states, England, Singapore, Scotland, and Japan. His story work has been commissioned by the National Youth Storytelling Hall of Fame, Newsweek, and The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. As a story teacher he is considered one of the “nation’s primary advocates for youth storytelling!”
Kevin listens everywhere he goes. He keeps an ear to the ground so that he can hear the stories of America and beyond—he tells the stories he hears. He shares the stories of people such as Mooney Warther, considered the greatest wood carver in the country and the legendary Chocolate Bar Bomber and his air drops during the Berlin Air Lift. He listens and he tells the stories he hears. He uses his experience and critical listening skills as the landscape for teaching and developing stories. He believes good storytelling begins with effective listening. He has worked as an actor, teacher, door-to-door salesman (at age 14), disc jockey and gas station attendant. He believes this only enriches him as a storyteller and story teacher.
Nathan Crook
Nathan C. Crook, Ph.D., is a cultural anthropologist and Assistant Professor of English and Agricultural Communication at The Ohio State University’s agricultural campus located on the northern end of Ohio’s Amish Country in Wooster. A native to the western United States, Crook is an intrepid traveler and researcher who has been engaged in researching and writing about culinary history and traditions in the Midwest and Ohio for the past decade. He and his family reside in Bowling Green and are active members of their community. He can frequently be found collaborating with the Wood County Historical Museum, attending local art events, and supporting his daughters as they participate in the Bowling Green Bobcat Band and swim team.
Thomas Crowl
Thomas Crowl is an avocational historian who has published two previous books, Murder of a Journalist (published by Kent State University Press) and Opdycke’s Tigers in the Civil War. His articles have appeared in Timeline, Echoes, History Magazine, and the Central States Archaeological Journal.
Dan Cryer
Dan Cryer, a former book critic at Newsday and Pulitzer Prize finalist, is the author of “Being Alive and Having to Die: The Spiritual Odyssey of Forrest Church.” He has contributed to “The Salon.Com Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Authors” and “Good Roots: Writers Reflect on Growing Up in Ohio,” and to many publications, including The New Republic, Salon, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Plain Dealer, and The Boston Globe. A graduate of The College of Wooster, he earned a PhD in U.S. history at the University of Minnesota.
Namara L. Dafney
Namara L. Dafney is a professional Executive Business Coach who works with non-profits and the private sector to promote organizational transformation. She is the author of Habits From The Inside Out: A Holistic Perspective.
In her book, Namara uses insights from St. Augustine, Aristotle, and other sage scholars, along with the Bible’s timeless wisdom, and coaching to create a uniquely novel and relevant voice on habits. The book speaks about how to create good habits and change or let go of unhealthy ones.
With a Masters of Arts in Professional Practice in Coaching from Middlesex University in London, England, Namara authored her thesis on: The Impact of Coaching on Habit Development for Sustained Change. She has also written business blogs and delivers impactful presentations about habits for business, community, and educational settings. Namara is also a contributing writer to Leadership Narratives: Reflective Journeys of Sales Professionals (Routledge, publication date January 2024).
Namara L. Dafney is a lifelong learner and on any given day, she can be found reading an enjoyable book, autobiography is one of her favorites. Along with reading, she loves spending time with family and friends, scrapbooking, and challenging herself with new skills such as juggling.