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.

  • The results are being filtered by the character: I
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 Aiko Ikegami

Aiko Ikegami

Aiko was born in Tokyo, Japan. Since a young age she has loved drawing, painting, and creating stories. At age of 6 she has started learning oil painting. In 1993 Aiko came to the United States where she has studied psychology at Arizona State University. She continued her education at the University of Texas at Austin where she receiving a Ph.D in Neuropharmacology.…Read More

Aiko was born in Tokyo, Japan. Since a young age she has loved drawing, painting, and creating stories. At age of 6 she has started learning oil painting. In 1993 Aiko came to the United States where she has studied psychology at Arizona State University. She continued her education at the University of Texas at Austin where she receiving a Ph.D in Neuropharmacology. She worked as a neuropharmacologist and did research on brain chemistry. After working as a neuropharmacologist for years, she followed her heart and decided making picture books. Aiko lives in Ohio with her dog and cat. Aiko also loves gardening and playing cello.

Photo of Dayna Ingram

Dayna Ingram

Dayna Ingram grew up in Cincinnati and has since moved to Northern Kentucky where she lives with her wife, their son, and the maximum number of pets allowed by county law. She received her BA in Creative Writing from Antioch College and her MFA from San Francisco State University. Her first novella, EAT YOUR HEART OUT, won accolades from Publishers Weekly (starred review), Rue Morgue, Lambda Literary and others.…Read More

Dayna Ingram grew up in Cincinnati and has since moved to Northern Kentucky where she lives with her wife, their son, and the maximum number of pets allowed by county law. She received her BA in Creative Writing from Antioch College and her MFA from San Francisco State University. Her first novella, EAT YOUR HEART OUT, won accolades from Publishers Weekly (starred review), Rue Morgue, Lambda Literary and others. ALL GOOD CHILDREN is her first full length novel, which has also received starred reviews from industry powerhouses Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, who hailed the book as “a mashup of The Hunger Games, “The Lottery,” Girl, Interrupted, and Auschwitz, with malevolent buzzards thrown in.” It was also named one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2016 in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category. Dayna is currently seeking agency representation, and her book, All Good Children, is a finalist for the 2017 Lambda Literary Award in the SF/F/Horror category. Follow her @thedingram, dayna-ingram.tumblr.com, or email Dayna_Ingram@yahoo.com.

Photo of Ryan Ireland

Ryan Ireland

Ryan Ireland was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1984. He lives in the village of Alpha, Ohio with his wife and three children. He is the Publicity and Marketing Officer at Greene County Public Library, and a strong advocate for public libraries across the country—his writing on this has appeared in Public Library Quarterly and VOYA.…Read More

Ryan Ireland was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1984. He lives in the village of Alpha, Ohio with his wife and three children. He is the Publicity and Marketing Officer at Greene County Public Library, and a strong advocate for public libraries across the country—his writing on this has appeared in Public Library Quarterly and VOYA. His fiction has been published in Fogdog Review, Seems, and Writing on the Edge. In 2009 he was recognized by Glimmer Train as one of the 25 Best New Writers. Beyond the Horizon is his first novel. More about Ryan and his advocacy of libraries can be found at http://www.ryangireland.com

Photo of Manuel Iris

Manuel Iris

Manuel Iris (Mexico, 1983). Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Cincinnati, Ohio (2018-2020). He received the “Merida” National award of poetry (Mexico, 2009) for his book Notebook of dreams, and the Rodulfo Figueroa Regional award of poetry for his book The disguises of fire (Mexico, 2014). In 2016two different anthologies of his poetic work were published: The naked light, in Venezuela; and Before the mystery, in El Salvador.…Read More

Manuel Iris (Mexico, 1983). Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Cincinnati, Ohio (2018-2020). He received the “Merida” National award of poetry (Mexico, 2009) for his book Notebook of dreams, and the Rodulfo Figueroa Regional award of poetry for his book The disguises of fire (Mexico, 2014). In 2016two different anthologies of his poetic work were published: The naked light, in Venezuela; and Before the mystery, in El Salvador. His first bilingual anthology of poems, Traducir el silencio/Translating silence was published in New York in 2018. This book won two different awards in the International Latino Book Awards in Los Angeles, California, in that same year. In 2021, he became a member of the prestigious System of Art Creators of Mexico (Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte). His latest book “the parting present/Lo que se ira” received the Reader’s choice award from the Ohioana Library Association, and was also recognized at the 2022 International Latino Book Awards. Learn more at: https://manueliris.com/

Photo of Janet Irvin

Janet Irvin

J. E. (Janet) Irvin is a career educator and the award-winning author of A PRINCIPLE OF LIGHT, THE DARK END OF THE RAINBOW, THE RULES OF THE GAME, and THE STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE OF ROSE STONE . Her stories, poems, and essays have appeared in a variety of print and online journals, including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, The Oyez Review, FLIGHTS, and Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine.…Read More

J. E. (Janet) Irvin is a career educator and the award-winning author of A PRINCIPLE OF LIGHT, THE DARK END OF THE RAINBOW, THE RULES OF THE GAME, and THE STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE OF ROSE STONE . Her stories, poems, and essays have appeared in a variety of print and online journals, including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, The Oyez Review, FLIGHTS, and Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine. Irvin holds degrees from Ohio University, the University of Dayton, and the University of Cincinnati. An avid hiker and canoeist, Irvin resides with her husband in southwestern Ohio on the edge of a nature park.

Photo of Teshauna L. Isaac

Teshauna L. Isaac

Author Teshauna L. Isaac was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, to the parents of Eugene and Maxine Isaac. She is the second oldest of three children. Teshauna gave her life to Christ and was baptized at an early age at St Mark’s Baptist Church, under the leadership of the late Pastor I.J. Johnson.…Read More

Author Teshauna L. Isaac was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, to the parents of Eugene and Maxine Isaac. She is the second oldest of three children. Teshauna gave her life to Christ and was baptized at an early age at St Mark’s Baptist Church, under the leadership of the late Pastor I.J. Johnson. Elder Isaac accepted her calling and on September 28, 2014, she was licensed to preach the gospel. On July 30, 2017, she was ordained as an elder by the authority and order of the State of Ohio Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Int’l. Teshauna walks in her purpose and calling as an intercessory prayer leader and teacher.

Elder Isaac attended and graduated from Jesup W. Scott High School. She went on to attend The University of Toledo, earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She recently graduated from Spring Arbor University with a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health  and released her first published book BLACKOUT (May 2022). She currently works full-time at Goodwill Industries of NW Ohio as the Program Manager for the Stay the Course reentry program. More recently she has started a new career as a Multisystemic Therapist at the Zepf Center.

She is the proud mother of two sons, Darius and Greg, one daughter, Jazmin, and grandmother to London. Her interests include exercising, reading, traveling, shopping, listening to music, spending time with her family and friends, volunteering in the local community, and serving at her local church. Learn more: http://teshaunaisaac.com/

Photo of Maria Isabella

Maria Isabella

Maria Isabella, author of the hugely popular new cookbook, In the Kitchen with Cleveland’s Favorite Chefs, is an award-winning freelance writer with more than 30 years’ creative experience in advertising, marketing, and publishing. She possesses a degree in Communication from Cleveland State University and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the James Beard Foundation, and Les Dames d’Escoffier.…Read More

Maria Isabella, author of the hugely popular new cookbook, In the Kitchen with Cleveland’s Favorite Chefs, is an award-winning freelance writer with more than 30 years’ creative experience in advertising, marketing, and publishing. She possesses a degree in Communication from Cleveland State University and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the James Beard Foundation, and Les Dames d’Escoffier. Maria is also a cooking instructor and contributes as both a focus group member and recipe tester for Bon Appétit, Zagat, America’s Test Kitchen, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and General Mills. She is a frequent featured speaker and appears regularly on TV and radio talk shows. Maria is currently working on two new books, both about food, of course. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at a cooking school with her husband of 35 years, trying out new recipes, and baking with her grandchildren.