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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Sarah Anne Carter
Sarah Anne Carter is a lover of books. She is an avid reader and is a book review blogger. Writing stories since she was little, she is constantly thinking of ideas that could be used as a plot for a novel. She is a journalist by trade and has written numerous newspaper articles. She has also worked in the public relations and marketing fields. She grew up as an Air Force brat and has lived in many states and countries. Currently residing in Ohio, she spends her time enjoying her family, reading and writing. She is a lover of travel and cats.
Jody Casella
Jody Casella is a former high school English teacher. Her first novel, Thin Space, a paranormal YA mystery published by Beyond Words/Simon & Schuster, received a starred review from Kirkus. She lives with her husband and two teenagers in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to writing books, she visits schools, libraries, and book clubs to talk about the creative/revision process. Visit her website at http://www.jodycasella.com.
Marianne Chan
Marianne Chan grew up in Stuttgart, Germany, and Lansing, Michigan. After she earned her B.A. in English from Michigan State University, she went on to study poetry at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she earned her MFA. Marianne is the author of All Heathens, which was the winner of the 2021 GLCA New Writers Award in Poetry and the 2021 Ohioana Book Award in Poetry. Her poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, New England Review, Kenyon Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, and elsewhere. Between 2017-2019, she served as poetry editor for Split Lip Magazine.She lives in Cincinnati with her partner, Clancy, and her cat, Bella. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in English & Creative Writing at the University of Cincinnati and serves as the Assistant Poetry Editor at Acre Books.
Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar
Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar is an Indian American writer. Born to a middle-class family in India, she later migrated to the USA with her husband and son. She currently lives in the suburbs of Ohio. She is a technologist by profession and a writer by passion. Her stories and poems have appeared in numerous publications, print and online. Her work has been selected for Best Small Fictions 2022. She won first place in ELJ Micro Creative Non-Fiction Prize, placed in the Strands International Flash Fiction Festival. and is the runner-up for the Chestnut Review Chapbook Contest. Her stories have been shortlisted in the Bath Flash Fiction Awards and SmokeLong Micro Competition. She is currently a Prose Editor at Janus Literary and a Submissions Editor at SmokeLong Quarterly. Her debut flash fiction collection “Morsels of Purple” was released in 2021. More at https://saraspunyfingers.com. Reach her @PunyFingers
Patrick Chiles
Patrick Chiles began his writing career with the self-published novels Perigee and Farside, which were acquired by Baen Books in 2016. His subsequent novels with Baen, Frozen Orbit, Frontier, Escape Orbit, and Interstellar Medic: The Long Run have established him as a rising talent in adventurous, near-future science fiction. His short stories have been featured in World Breakers, Worlds Long Lost, and The Ross 248 Project. After a career in airline and business flight operations, Patrick now works for an aviation safety consulting firm when he is not writing. He currently resides with his wife in central Ohio.
Afia Chrappah
Afia Chrappah was born in Accra, Ghana and immigrated to Columbus, Ohio at the age of five. Her experiences in the American education system span from being a student at various public schools and universities to making the transition into educator and School Social Worker. Through her work, she has been able to transform the lives of youth through social justice focused advocacy, literature, and activism. Afia is currently working to give voice to the experiences of African immigrant children and other marginalized groups through the lens of Social Work and Social Entrepreneurship. Her first book “The Journey of Ama Ketewa ” is Afia’s personal perspective on the hope and challenge that can be experienced when starting life anew. Learn more at: https://www.ketewastorytelling.com
Nancy Christie
Nancy Christie is the award-winning author of three novels, Reinventing Rita, Finding Fran and Moving Maggie (all from BookBaby)—the first three in her Midlife Moxie Novel Series; four short story collections: The Language of Love and Other Stories, Mistletoe Magic and Other Holiday Tales, Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and Peripheral Visions and Other Stories (all from Unsolicited Press); two books for writers: Rut-Busting Book for Authors and Rut-Busting Book for Writers (both from BookBaby) and the essay collection, The Gifts of Change (Atria/Beyond Words). Her short stories and essays have appeared in numerous print and online publications, with several earning contest placement.
The host of the Living the Writing Life podcast and the founder of the annual “Midlife Moxie” Day and “Celebrate Short Fiction” Day, Nancy teaches writing workshops at conferences, libraries, and schools. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), the Florida Writers Association (FWA) and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA). Nancy is available to chat with book clubs or writing groups (virtually and in real life) about the writing process, the themes of her books and her writing life. Contact her via email for more information.
Terreece M. Clarke
Bestselling author and journalist Terreece M. Clarke writes epic love stories about smart, courageous Black women loved without reservation or hesitation. She is active in her artistic community, including as Lincoln Theatre Artist Fellow (2018 Cohort) and a member of the 100 Authors Project. A longtime journalist, she has written for various websites, magazines, newspapers, and as a YA and children’s book reviewer for Common Sense Media. Her work has garnered the attention of the New York Times, Disney, and Jezebel, and her company’s digital marketing clients have landed media appearances for national outlets including Fox Business News, BET, CNN, Ebony Magazine, The Root, and MSNBC. As a successful writer, journalist, entrepreneur, mother of three, and wife to one, she is often asked to lead discussions on women and parenting issues and diversity in media, pop culture, and tech. Terreece’s first book – Olivia’s Potty Adventures, a potty training storybook featuring an African American character – spent 16 weeks as a top new release. Heartbeat: A Courageous Love Novel, her debut romantic suspense novel became a top international romance novel in two categories and kicked off the bestselling Courageous Love Novel series. You can find Terreece writing through life on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook – come join the conversation! https://terreececlarke.com
Colleen Clayton
Colleen Clayton is the critically acclaimed author of the YA novel What Happens Next, which was a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award. She grew up outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and worked as a social worker in residential treatment centers for troubled teens and as Program Supervisor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mahoning Valley. She holds an MFA in fiction writing from the Northeast Ohio Consortium (NEOMFA) and teaches fiction writing and composition at Youngstown State University. She was recently contracted by YSU’s Special Education Department to teach an online summer writing course for 4th and 5th graders. As part of the project, she wrote eight online picture books for the students and then helped them craft their own stories using the free, educational platform Storybird. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoQSxqNyJHkZdqzDo5QOXfg
Colleen can speak on a number of subjects, including date rape, bullying, eating disorders, feminist issues in young adult literature, and ADHD, and can lead an hour-long creative writing workshop for grades 3 through 12 as well as for adults. She has facilitated in-service workshops for librarians and teachers as well.
In-Service Testimonial from Jennifer Holt, Librarian at Willoughby South High School:
“Colleen’s story starting exercise was fun and inspiring! It fostered creative interplay between my original ideas and the surprising places my colleagues took them.”
For more on Colleen, go to her website at colleenclayton.com.