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.
Paul L. Gaston
In the research, photography, and writing behind Ohio’s Craft Beers, Paul L. Gaston brought his experience as a photojournalist to bear on a lifelong admiration for craft beer and those who brew it. In his “day job,” he teaches English literature and higher education administration at Kent State University. A frequent speaker in national venues, he is the author of five recent books that, alas, are not about beer. His Higher Education Accreditation: How It’s Changing, Why It Must (2014) has proved particularly influential. A resident of Hudson, Ohio, he also serves as Priest Associate at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron.
He is one of four authors of the Degree Qualifications Profile, an important standard for more than 600 colleges and universities. His recent articles consider subjects as varied as early rock ‘n’ roll, the Italian novel, computer dominated futures trading, European higher education reform, George Herbert and the British hymn tradition, and the future of the book.
He earned the M.A. and the Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, where he was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow.
Paul L. Gaus
P.L. Gaus was born in Athens, Ohio and has lived in Ohio for most of his life. In 1999 he published Blood of the Prodigal: An Ohio Amish Mystery (Ohio Univ. Press, 1999), the first of a series of mysteries set among the Amish in Holmes County, Ohio. The Names of Our Tears, Gaus’ first book for Plume, was published in 2013. Gaus’ extensive knowledge of the culture and lifestyle of the Ohio Amish comes from over thirty-five years of travel throughout Holmes County and the surrounding area, which is home to the world’s largest Amish and Mennonite population. He lectures widely about Amish culture at libraries, bookstores, and literary societies. His novels have been reviewed in prominent journals and newspapers including Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Ohioana Quarterly, and the New York Times Book Review. Visit Paul at http://www.plgaus.com/.
Donna B. Gawell
Donna Gawell is a genealogist, historian, and author of several published books and journal articles. She is a presenter on genealogy, travel, and family history writing for community organizations and church groups. Donna holds volunteer leadership roles with Samaritan’s Purse as a Relay Center Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child and is a Church Coordinator for International Friendships, Inc., a Christian outreach to international students at Ohio State University.
Donna earned a master’s degree in Speech Pathology and worked in the field of education for over thirty years. She lives in Westerville, Ohio with her husband Mark when not traveling to research her ancestral homelands in Europe and New England. Her website “DonnaGawell.com” allows her to reach out to readers with similar passions and interests.
Ross Gay
Ross Gay is the New York Times bestselling author of the essay collections The Book of Delights and Inciting Joy and four books of poetry. His Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and in 2022 was named an NEA Big Read title; and Be Holding won the 2021 PEN America Jean Stein Book Award. Gay is a founding board member of the Bloomington Community Orchard, a non-profit, free-fruit-for-all food justice and joy project and has received fellowships from Cave Canem, the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, and the Guggenheim Foundation. He teaches at Indiana University. https://www.rossgay.net/
Dan Gearino
Dan Gearino is a lifelong comics reader with tastes that swing from the classic Legion of Super-Heroes to the work of Michel Rabagliati. As a business reporter for the Columbus Dispatch, he has won national recognition for his work. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and two daughters. Find him at http://www.dangearino.com.
Claire Gebben
Claire Gebben was born and raised on the southeast side of Cleveland, Ohio. Her historical novel “The Last of the Blacksmiths” (Coffeetown Press, 2014), based on the true story of a German immigrant blacksmith to Ohio, has been named a Notable Book at Cleveland State University’s Michael Schwartz Library, and Book of the Month with the German American Heritage Foundation. Her memoir, “How We Survive Here: Families Across Time” (Coffeetown Press, 2018) recounts the author’s quest to trace and write the truth about her ancestors. The memoir received a Finalist Award in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. In the name of historical research, Ms. Gebben has harvested grapes in the German Rhinelands and wielded a blacksmith hammer on fiery hot steel. She lives and writes in the Pacific Northwest. More info at: http://clairegebben.com.
Becky Gehrisch
Becky Gehrisch grew up drawing dogs and farm scenes after visiting her grandparents’ homes in the country. It’s no wonder that she went on to create Escape To Play after earning an art degree from The Ohio State University. Becky moved to a rural town in Ohio where she is constantly inspired by the beautiful countryside and wildlife just outside her window. You can find her getting into her own kind of shenanigans with her husband and kids as they explore the USA in their RV.
Jennifer Geiger
Jennifer Geiger, the daughter of an oil company dispatcher, was born in Kansas, and because of her father’s job, transferred to Ohio during her elementary years. Growing up, Jennifer entertained her friends and family with stories she invented using characters they supplied. It wasn’t until after she married and had children of her own, that her desire to create stories resurfaced through those she created for her own. She is the mother of three grown daughters, who have given her seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She has been married over 30 years to her husband, Jim. Her passion for writing nearly died out until her younger brother encouraged her to finish the stories she had started. Encouraged at his words, Jennifer sat down at her computer and completed her first book, Witness; a story with an interesting twist revolving around the apostle John as he witnessed life with Jesus. Jennifer followed Witness with an eight-session video and workbook series created so the reader could step into the shoes of the apostle John thereby experiencing life with Jesus through the eyes of the disciple He loved. Continuing the story, Jennifer produced her latest novel, Patmos. Her new adventure picks up where Witness left off—filling the gaps of John’s life during his banishment where he receives a special revelation from God.
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/