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.
Olivia Matthews
Olivia Matthews is the mystery pseudonym of national best-selling author Patricia Sargeant. Patricia writes romance as Patricia Sargeant and Regina Hart. As Olivia Matthews, she’s written the Sister Lou Mysteries, Peach Coast Library Mysteries, and the Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries. Patricia’s work has been reviewed in national publications such as Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Kirkus Reviews, Suspense Magazine, Mystery Scene Magazine, Library Journal, and RT Book Reviews. Patricia was drawn to write romance because she believes love is the strongest motivation. Her mysteries put ordinary people in extraordinary situations to have them find the Hero Inside. For more information about Patricia and her work, visit PatriciaSargeant.com.
David Matthews
A Discovery of World-Acclaimed Poetess Nikki Giovanni. In 1972 and since then has made a lasting impression in the world of poetry. As a native of Dayton, Ohio, often Matthews has been referred to, as the next Paul Laurence Dunbar. Matthews graduated from Urbana University Urbana, Ohio with a B.S. in Behavioral Science B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Theatre and Creative Writing in 1974. His books are in libraries across the country. If you take a Poetry 101 course from the University of Northern Colorado in Greenly, Colorado or Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee, you will have to study the works of David Matthews.
Over the years Matthews has performed in over 21 different States, at over 300 College and University campuses and in Europe. Matthews has been awarded, the
‘National Poem of the Year Award’ from the Los Angeles, American Poet Society twice. First in 1973 for the poem “America Ain’t You Got No Shame”. Then again in 1976 for the poem “They Say Bicentennial But We Are The Ones That Over Came, Can You Get To That?” He is the only poet to receive the award twice.
Matthews was also awarded the ‘Outstanding Young Man of The Year Award’ in Montgomery, Alabama in 1980. He received the ‘Literary Consciousness Award’ from Northern Kentucky University in 1981. The’ Key to the city of Dayton’ 1982 and the ‘WROU U92 Black Achievement Award’ in 2001. In addition, he received ‘Dayton’s Top 10 African American Award’ in 2006.
Not a stranger to the stage, Matthews has performed with a variety of artist, including Gil Scott-Heron, the group WAR and Grover Washington Jr. He performed for years with his, poetry production company called “An Evening On Broadway with Author, Poet/Musician david Matthews.” He is the author of three books of poetry and a CD: the feel of FEELING 1976, Time Brings About A Change 1980, MESSAGE 1984 and CD – A Poetic Awakening 2002. Barnes & Nobles in 2010 quoted the value of Matthews first published poetry book, the feel of FEELING 1976 an autographed copy at $202. The manuscript was published by Vantage Press in New York City. Matthews is amazingly talented he also plays 19 different African and Latin Percussion instruments. He continues to reach audiences throughout the country and makes an impact in the community through his art.
Jack Matthews
Jack Matthews, author of Etruscan’s The Gambler’s Nephew (2011), grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and served briefly in the U.S. Coast Guard during WWII. He graduated in 1949 from Ohio State University with degrees in English Literature & Classical Greek. He married Barbara Reese in 1947. To support his young and growing family, he worked at a variety of jobs, including 9 years as a post office clerk, during which time he began to publish short stories and eventually, in 1959, began to teach at Urbana (Ohio) College.
In 1964, they moved to Athens, where Matthews joined the English Department at Ohio University. They still live in the country near Athens. He and Barbara have 3 grown children, 7 grown grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren, with another on the way. During Spring 2010, he is teaching one course on his 2nd post-retirement contract, collecting old and rare books, and, of course, writing.
John Matthias
John Matthias was born in 1941 in Columbus, Ohio. For many years he taught at the University of Notre Dame and continues to serve as poetry editor of Notre Dame Review. He has been a Visiting Fellow in poetry at Clare Hall, Cambridge, and lived for much of the 70s and 80s in East Anglia. His books of verse include Turns, Crossing, Northern Summer, A Gathering of Ways, Swimming at Midnight, Beltane at Aphelion, Pages, Working Progress, Working Title, New Selected Poems and Kedging. He has also published translations from the Swedish, editions of David Jones’ work, and a volume of literary criticism, Reading Old Friends. In 1998 Robert Archambeau edited Word Play Place, a selection of essays on Matthias’s work. Another book of essays on his poetry appeared in 2011 in the Salt Companion series, edited by Joe Francis Doerr. Since 2010, Shearsman has republished all of his poetry in the volumes Trigons (2010), Collected Shorter Poems Vol. 2 (2011), Collected Longer Poems (2012) and Collected Shorter Poems Vol. 1 (2013). In 2011 Shearsman also pubished his essay collection, Who was Cousin Alice?
Josef Matulich
Josef Matulich is a writer, artist, and retired mime. His written works include four horror/comedy novels, several short plays and flash fiction, and one poor screenplay perhaps trapped forever in Development Hell. He has built monsters for movies, slit throats on video, and provided magick amulets on the spot. His jobs have ranged from ditchdigging and setting explosives to operating a mass spectrometer in an EPA lab, not to mention several dozen children’s parties Josef lives with his lovely wife Kit in a deer-infested suburb of Columbus Ohio. Together, they also own a semi-haunted vintage and costume shop. Learn more at his website: https://josefmatulich.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JosefMatulciAuthor?ref=hl
Twitter: @JosefMatulich
Courtney Elizabeth Mauk
Courtney Elizabeth Mauk grew up in Copley, Ohio, and studied creative writing at Oberlin College. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University. Her work has appeared in The Literary Review, PANK, Wigleaf, and FiveChapters, among other publications. She is an assistant editor at Barrelhouse Magazine and teaches at The Juilliard School and The Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Manhattan with her husband.
Susannah Maynard
Susannah Maynard is a lifelong animal lover, animal rescue advocate, and pet photographer. Long before she picked up her first camera, she captured images of the world around her with a pad of paper and a box of crayons. From her early childhood, Susannah was surrounded by a house full of cats, beginning her lifelong love of animals. After trying a variety of careers, from fundraising to publishing, Susannah was at a career crossroads when, in 2011, she adopted her heart dog, Mr. Bojangles, and discovered there was such a profession as pet photographer. Deciding to turn her love of both photography and pets into a career, Pet Love Photography was born. Susannah has spent the last several years photographing hundreds of rescue and client pets. She primarily works on location to make sure that her pet subjects are as comfortable as possible in environments that are familiar to them.
Katie Mazeika
Katie Mazeika is an author and illustrator who can’t imagine a better job than making books. Katie specializes in telling stories based on real people and events and likes to highlight disabled voices in her work. Katie’s the author/illustrator of Annette Feels Free and Beulah Has a Hunch! Katie has illustrated several other books including three in the Chicken Soup for the Soul: Babies series. When she’s not drawing Katie likes to spend her time gardening or reading other people’s books. Katie currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio. You can visit her online at http://www.katiemazeika.com.
James McBride
James McBride is the author of the New York Times–bestselling Oprah’s Book Club selection Deacon King Kong, the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, the American classic The Color of Water, the novels Song Yet Sung and Miracle at St. Anna, the story collection Five-Carat Soul, and Kill ’Em and Leave, a biography of James Brown. One of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024 and the recipient of a National Humanities Medal, as well as being an accomplished musician, McBride is a distinguished writer in residence at New York University. Learn more: jamesmcbride.com
Kristina McBride
Kristina McBride has published four novels for young adults – THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES (2010), ONE MOMENT (2012), A MILLION TIMES GOODNIGHT (2016), and THE BAKERSVILLE DOZEN (2017). Kristina is a former high school English teacher and yearbook advisor, as well as an adjunct professor at Antioch University Midwest and Wright State University. She loves leading writers’ workshops for all ages, including teachers and librarians aiming to lead to student workshops. Kristina has a thing for music, trees, purses, and chocolate. You might be surprised to learn that Kristina was almost kidnapped when she was a child. She also bookstalks people on a regular basis. Kristina lives in Ohio with her husband and two children.