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): 2025
Kalynn Applewhite
Kalynn Applewhite is a writer at heart with a lifetime love of fantasy. She is a work-at-home mom and lead creator for Applewhite Games. Through her books she pursues her passion for exploring feminist themes through fiction. Kalynn loves playing games, taking hikes, and eating super dark chocolate. She lives in Ohio with her husband and their menagerie of children, cats, chickens, and houseplants.
Jashar Awan
Growing up outside of Washington, DC, Jashar Awan loved drawing and reading. In fact, he still does. Jashar debuted as an author-illustrator in 2020 and has published picture books with Norton, Simon & Schuster, and Tundra Books. His works have been recognized with an ALA Notable and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections and have been included on Choose to Read Ohio’s Booklist and Bank Street College’s Best Books of the Year. They have also received numerous starred reviews from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, and School Library Journal. A longtime New Yorker, Jashar moved to Ohio in 2017 with his wife and son, who love drawing and reading, too. Learn more at http://jasharawan.com/
Karina Bartow
Karina Bartow hails from Northern Ohio. Though born with Cerebral Palsy, she’s never allowed her disability to define her. Rather, she’s used her experiences to breathe life into characters who have physical limitations, but like her, are determined not to let them stand in the way of the life they want. She may only be able to type with one hand, but she writes with her whole heart!
To learn more, visit http://www.KarinaBartow.com.
Tom Batiuk
In Tom’s own words: “Okay, here we go, gang, biography lite. I was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1947. After graduating from Kent State University in 1969 with a BFA and a certificate in education, I taught art in Elyria, Ohio at Eastern Heights Jr. High. In 1970, while I was teaching, I began drawing a panel for the teen page of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. Those strips led to the creation of Funky Winkerbean in 1972. Funky is syndicated by King Features Syndicate to more than 400 newspapers nationwide. I skipped over a lot of hard work in the middle there, but that’s basically the gist of it for those of you doing term papers. In 1979. I launched John Darling into syndication working with Tom Armstrong, Gerry Shamray, and Bob Vojtko, in that order. Great artists all. John Darling was a talk show host who first saw the light of day in Funky, and who was quite literally killed off when his strip ended. Another character from Funky, Ed Crankshaft, soloed in his own strip in 1987, on which I work with the inimitable and talented Dan Davis.”
Lindsay Bonilla
Lindsay Bonilla is a professional storyteller and children’s book author from North Canton, Ohio. She lives with her husband, two wild and creative kids, and her dog, Blitzen. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in theatre and religion at Northwestern University, she fell in love with folktales and world travel. Lindsay has performed interactive theatre, shared stories and taught workshops all over the world. These experiences have made her passionate about building understanding and relationships across cultures while inspiring the imagination. Today, Lindsay performs audience-participatory multicultural folktales through her company, World of Difference, Ltd. and offers engaging author visits at schools, libraries, festivals, and beyond. Her books include Parents’ Choice Award winner Polar Bear Island, I Love You With All of My Hearts, The Note Who Faced the Music, The Storyteller (selected for the 2025 Choose to Read Ohio booklist) and You’ve Got This. Forthcoming titles include The Hole (Penguin, 2025) and Family Is Always (Penguin, 2026). Learn more at http://www.lindsaybonilla.com
Kristy Boyce
Kristy Boyce is the nationally bestselling author of Dating and Dragons, Dungeons and Drama, Hot British Boyfriend, and Hot Dutch Daydream. She played her first role-playing game in high school and has been friends with that group ever since. In fact, she even married the DM. Nowadays, she teaches psychology as a senior lecturer at The Ohio State University. When she’s not spending time with her husband and son, she’s usually writing, reading, or watching happy reality TV. Kristy lives in Pickerington, Ohio.
Patricia Wynn Brown
Patricia Wynn Brown is the author of Royal Roots: Reimagining a Life Through Humor, a Castle and the U.S. Navy (Biblio Publishing). Her humor memoir column appeared in newspapers for eight years, and for 15 years, she performed her comedy memoir show across the country. She’s an award-winning writer, national speaker, performer, dancer and former longtime emcee of the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, where she continues to help plan the event.
Marcy Campbell
Marcy Campbell is an author of picture books and middle-grade novels, which have earned praise from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, School Library Review, The Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, and many others. She is the recipient of multiple book awards, including the Ohioana Award for Juvenile Literature. Her picture books have been selected for the Junior Library Guild and named a Best Children’s Book of the Year by Bank Street College and National Public Radio. Her debut middle-grade novel, Rule of Threes, was selected by the State Library of Ohio for the Choose to Read Ohio list for 2023-2024. Marcy’s books have been translated into eight languages. She lives in Ohio with her family and multiple furry and feathered companions. Visit her at marcycampbell.com.
Mary Kay Carson
Mary Kay Carson is the author of more than fifty nonfiction books for young people about wildlife, space, weather, nature, and history. After studying biology in college, and a stint in the Peace Corps, she began her writing career working on the classroom magazine SuperScience at Scholastic in NYC. Her books have received more than a dozen starred reviews, as well as multiple awards, including the 2019 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books and the 2023 Giverny Award for Best Children’s Science Picture Book. She also gives presentations at schools and libraries. http://www.marykaycarson.com.
Gabrielle S. Clarke
Gabrielle S. Clarke is a high school senior, vice president of her school’s Thespian Society and a College Board National African American Recognition Awardee. She has been published in the anthology Black Girl, White School: Thriving, Surviving and No, You Can’t Touch My Hair and the Thurber House literary journal Flip the Page. Her debut full-length YA novel, Vanessa Is Not a Victim, blends razor-sharp wit and rebellious spirit to deliver a wickedly fun ride through high school halls fraught with danger and dark comedy. In this thrilling tale, the line between hunter and hunted blurs, keeping readers laughing one moment and gripping their seats the next. When Gabrielle isn’t writing, she enjoys painting, drawing, hanging out with friends, and applying for colleges where she hopes to major in film directing.