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

BOO! Did we scare you? Just a little? It’s that time of year, when pumpkins get carved into jack-o-lanterns and everyone dresses up in great costumes to pretend to be someone (or something) else for a day. There’s plenty of scary stuff right here in Ohio, and fun stuff too — and serious stuff. A recent article in the Columbus ... Read More

  What a great night! Food, friends, music, awards — and BOOKS! Once again, we gathered in the Atrium of the Ohio Statehouse to honor the recipients of one of the oldest state literary awards in the nation. We were only missing author and speaker J.D. Vance, who had a previous engagement, but he created a wonderful video for us. ... Read More

Hello World! ... Read More

  “I am really grateful because I know the people who have won [the Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant] in the past go on to do bigger and better things.” Negesti Kaudo, 2015 Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant winner congratulated by Steven Moore of the Columbus Foundation.     Every day Ohioana Library works to connect readers and Ohio writers. Serving over ... 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

It’s a day of nostalgia for us at Ohioana because ten years ago today, September 15, 2007, the very first Ohioana Book Festival was presented, “A ‘Good Roots’ Celebration,” based on the book edited by Lisa A. Watts and published by Ohio University Press & Swallow Press. Ten contributors to the book, including Lisa, came to Columbus for that inaugural ... 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