News

We’re not surprised that Ohio writers are named over and over again as award winners, but it is nice to see those recognitions flow in! Amazon released its list of the best books of 2017, and of course the list includes many Ohioans! Fiction: #1, Best Book of the Year:  Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng (Shaker Heights) Children’s Books #3: ... Read More

    Today is Day One of National Novel Writing Month, the writing sensation that’s been sweeping the nation every November since 1999. So let’s all party like it’s 1999, fuel up on the java, and get some writing done! In 2016, 384,126 participants, including 71,229 students and educators in the Young Writers Program, started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work ... Read More

One of the things I treasure about fall in Ohio is the number of events celebrating books and authors that happen around the state. Book fairs and festivals, poetry readings, writing workshops – there is something going on every week, and sometimes almost every day! Tomorrow (Saturday, October 28) is one of the biggest and best of all: the 2017 ... Read More

Hello World! ... Read More

Books are banned for all kinds of reasons. They might contain graphic depictions of sexuality or violence, or they might be considered unsuitable for younger readers. The language might be offensive to some or the ideas might not fit with the community in which the book is being read (or not read). It’s not always about one group of people ... Read More

There are two great opportunities for area writers coming up this month, and there’s still time to register! The Thurber House, where laughter, learning, and literature meet, begins its adult two-session writing workshops on September 11 with Revise Like a Rock Star. Deadline for registrations is soon: September 4.  SICCO (Sisters in Crime Columbus Ohio), the local chapter of Sisters ... Read More

For several years now, the Ohioana Quarterly has benefited from the help of a special group of reviewers: students at the Columbus School for Girls. The girls at CSG have provided their unique insights and kid-focused opinions to give us some much-appreciated reviews of all kinds of books. We also appreciate the work of their teachers, Charlotte Stiverson and Tracy Kessler, who help pair the ... Read More

This is not a drill: Ohioana’s operating support has been eliminated from the state budget, or at least the version passed May 2 in the Ohio House of Representatives. I’m sure you’re as surprised and shocked as we are. Ohioana promotes and celebrates our great state and is one of the nation’s leading literary centers. It directly serves 150,000 Ohioans every year and ... Read More

It’s so exciting to have a new bookstore in town! Gramercy Books in Columbus suburb city Bexley opened its doors just about six weeks ago. What? Aren’t independent bookstores dead? Didn’t they get buried in the rise of the big box stores like Barnes & Noble and Borders? Yes and no. Borders, of course, is gone. And you can buy ... Read More

The bad news: Valentine’s Day was yesterday. The good news: Valentine’s candy is on sale and the cost of long-stemmed red roses is back down to pre-holiday levels. The better news: In Ohio, love is always in the air. February is still winter and the nights are still cold, speaking of the air. But you can warm up since Ohio ... Read More