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.
Lindsay Ward
Lindsay Ward has a BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University. Her most recent books include the Amazon Bestselling Dexter T. Rexter series: Don’t Forget Dexter!, It’s Show and Tell, Dexter!, and Vacation for Dexter! with Two Lions. She is also the author and illustrator of This Book Is Gray (Two Lions, 2019), Let’s Go! (HarperCollins, 2019), Brobarians (Two Lions, 2017), The Importance of Being 3 (Dial, 2016), Rosco vs. the Baby (S&S, 2016), Henry Finds His Word (Dial, 2015), a Choose to Read Ohio Book, When Blue Met Egg (Dial, 2012), and Please Bring Balloons (Dial, 2013), which was produced into a play by the New York City Children’s Theater in 2017. Her work has been reviewed in Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, and the New York Times. Lindsay is the founder of Critter Lit, a free picture book manuscript and illustration critique service for up-and-coming authors and illustrators. Lindsay lives in Peninsula, Ohio with her husband, author Frank Tupta, two sons, and dog. Visit her online at lindsaymward.com or follow her on twitter @lindsaymward.
Jasmine Warga
Jasmine Warga is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Other Words for Home, a Newbery Honor Book and a Walter Honor Book for Younger Readers, and The Shape of Thunder. Her teen books, Here We Are Now and My Heart and Other Black Holes, have been translated into over twenty-five languages. She lives in the Chicago area with her family. You can visit Jasmine online at http://www.jasminewarga.com.
Elissa Washuta
Elissa Washuta is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and a nonfiction writer. She is the author of White Magic, My Body Is a Book of Rules, and Starvation Mode. With Theresa Warburton, she is co-editor of the anthology Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers. She’s a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient, a Creative Capital awardee, and an assistant professor of creative writing at the Ohio State University.
Candice Watkins
Candice Watkins was born in Columbus, Ohio. She is a glass and neon artist; a writer; a photographer; has interviewed dozens of musicians, artists and others; and is deeply involved in community arts and music in Columbus. Candy has traveled extensively and her work has appeared in exhibits throughout the country. She has co-authored several books about music in Ohio.…
Read MoreCandice Watkins was born in Columbus, Ohio. She is a glass and neon artist; a writer; a photographer; has interviewed dozens of musicians, artists and others; and is deeply involved in community arts and music in Columbus. Candy has traveled extensively and her work has appeared in exhibits throughout the country. She has co-authored several books about music in Ohio. Watkins’ most recent book, Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State has been nominated for the 2012 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.
Adam F. Watkins
Adam F. Watkins is a husband, father, and author/illustrator. He spent four years at the Columbus College of Art and Design learning illustration techniques from several of the nation’s best illustration instructors, including C. F. Payne. He has published 5 books with Penguin/Random House and his 6th book is set to release this June. Adam lives in the rolling country of southern Ohio and enjoys his time working, playing with his two kids, Lucy and Fletcher, and exploring in the woods.
Sara Bennett Wealer
Sara grew up in Manhattan, Kansas (the “Little Apple”), where she sang in all the choirs and wrote for the high school newspaper. She majored in voice performance at the University of Kansas before transferring to journalism school and becoming a reporter covering everything from house fires to Hollywood premieres. She now works in marketing. Sara lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two daughters, and a growing menagerie of pets. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the ballet, or obsessively watching ballet on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Learn more at: https://www.sarabennettwealer.com/
Betty Weibel
Betty Weibel is the author of The Ohio Literary Trail – A Guide which will be released in May by The History Press/Arcadia. She has been a successful journalist, public relations professional and agency owner. During her career, she has promoted her home state of Ohio, earning national acclaim from the Public Relations Society of America for work on the Ohio Bicentennial celebration and Ohio Travel and Tourism. She volunteers her time as a board member for both the Ohioana Library Association and Ohio History Connection, which inspired her to develop a digital Ohio Literary Trail. Her love of travel writing lead to her new book.
A lifelong equestrian who resides in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Weibel researched and published her first nonfiction book, The Cleveland Grand Prix: An American Show Jumping First, in 2014 with The History Press/Arcadia Publishing. In 2019, she published the inspirational nonfiction book Little Victories: A True Story of the Healing Power of Horses, a story based in the therapeutic horsemanship world. For more information, visit bettyweibel.com.
Laura Grace Weldon
Laura Grace Weldon served as Ohio’s 2019 Poet of the Year and is the author of four books, most recently the Halcyon Poetry Prize winner, Portals. Her poetry and creative nonfiction appear in Diode, Verse Daily, Cultural Weekly, and others. She works as a book editor, teaches writing workshops, and maxes out her library card each week.
Marie Weller
Marie Weller and Paula Vertikoff are a dynamic duo committed to promoting social-emotional wellness for
children and the adults who support them. With a combined experience of fifty years in the field of education,
they have witnessed firsthand what research has confirmed – social emotional wellness plays an integral role in
academic achievement and overall success in life.
Their beloved “Cranium Critters” picture book series introduces two endearing characters who explore the
fascinating world of the brain and its crucial role in managing emotions, fostering focus, and accomplishing
goals. Scout, the brain’s safety pup, imparts valuable lessons to children on calming their minds and effectively
managing their emotions through mindfulness and other evidence-based techniques. Einstein, the brain’s head
thinker and problem solver, equips children with skills to overcome distractions and stay focused on what truly
matters.
Driven by their passion for empowering young minds, Marie and Paula founded Cranium Kids Media, to share
video lessons, stories, blog articles, and activities to help young people learn little life lessons and develop big
life skills needed to lead happier, healthier lives.
For more information and to explore their enriching content, please visit their website at
https://craniumkidsmedia.com/, and subscribe to their YouTube channel, which features additional video
lessons: https://www.youtube.com/@CraniumKidsMedia/videos.
They also offer valuable resources for educators on their Teachers Pay Teachers page:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Cranium-Kids-Media.
Connect with them on Facebook or Instagram for updates and insights: @craniumkidsmedia and
@cranium.critters.
Marie resides in Columbus, Ohio, with her loving husband and takes pride in being a mother to three grown
children. Paula calls Hilliard, Ohio, her home, where she lives with her husband, two sons, and a feisty beagle
named Mila, who served as the inspiration for Scout, the brain’s safety pup.
Sarah M. Wells
Sarah M. Wells is the author of Pruning Burning Bushes, and a chapbook of poems, Acquiesce, winner of the 2008 Starting Gate Award. Poems by Wells have appeared or are forthcoming in Alimentum, Ascent, Christianity & Literature, JAMA, Literary Mama, Measure, New Ohio Review, Nimrod, Poetry East, Puerto del Sol, Rock & Sling, and elsewhere. Her essays have been published by Ascent and River Teeth. Sarah’s poetry has been honored with two Pushcart Prize nominations. Her essay, “Those Summers, These Days” was named a notable essay in the Best American Essays 2012. She has received scholarships to attend the Key West Literary Seminar and West Chester Poetry Conferences. Sarah serves as the Administrative Director for the low-residency MFA program at Ashland University and Managing Editor for the Ashland Poetry Press and River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative. She resides in Ashland, Ohio with her husband, Brandon, and their three young children, Lydia, Elvis, and Henry. http://www.sarahmwells.com