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.
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
Andrew Welsh-Huggins
Andrew Welsh-Huggins, of Columbus, is the Shamus, Derringer, and ITW-award-nominated author of The Mailman, featuring Mercury Carter, a former federal agent turned freelance courier. Welsh-Huggins is also the author of the standalone thriller, The End of the Road, the Andy Hayes Private Eye series, and editor of Columbus Noir. Andrew’s short stories have appeared in multiple magazines and anthologies, including The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021 and 2024. Learn more at: https://www.andrewwelshhuggins.com/
Ray Wenck
Ray Wenck taught elementary school for 35 years. He was also the chef/owner of DeSimone’s Italian restaurant for more than 25 years. After retiring he became a lead cook for Hollywood Casinos and the kitchen manager for the Toledo Mud Hens AAA baseball team. Now he spends most of his time writing, doing book tours, and meeting old and new fans and friends around the country. Ray is the author of more than eighty novels including the number one best seller, Toledo Fall from Raventhorne Books and the post-apocalyptic thriller, Random Survival series. He also writes the mystery/suspense Danny Roth series and the Bridgett Conroy series. A list of his other novels can be viewed at raywenck.com. His hobbies include reading, hiking, cooking, baseball and playing the harmonica with any band brave enough to allow him to sit in.
Jessica Weyer-Bentley
Jessica Weyer Bentley is an author/poet. Her first collection of poetry, Crimson Sunshine, was published in May 2020 by AlyBlue Media. Her second collection, Down Below Where the Canary Sings, was published in May of 2023 by Sage Owl Publishing in Massachusetts. She has contributed work to several publications for the Award-Winning Book Series, Grief Diaries. Jessica’s work has been published in countless anthologies both in print and online. She is the Ohio Poetry Association Student Contest Chair. Jessica grew up in the hills of Eastern Kentucky and currently resides in Northwest Ohio with her husband, Larry, and her two children, Laura and Joseph.
Katie & Carrie Weyler
Sisters, Katie and Carrie Weyler, are lifelong residents of Ohio. Growing up, they lived on a small farm in the country with a horse, a goat, several adopted dogs and cats, and a couple of pigs that they showed in 4-H. This inspired their love for animals, nature, and exploring the great outdoors. Through their Charlie Tractor picture books, they hope to encourage all children to explore nature and spend time outside with the people they love. Visit them online at: https://charlietractor.com/