Eric Anderson
Eric Anderson is the author of a novella, Isn't That Just Like You?, and a collection of poetry, The Parable of the Room Spinning.
Eric Anderson is the author of a novella, Isn't That Just Like You?, and a collection of poetry, The Parable of the Room Spinning.
Derf Backderf
Derf is one of the most widely-read indy comix creators. The writer-artist, who works out of an unheated, attic studio in his Cleveland home, grew up in a rural, small town in Ohio, an experience that was the inspiration for his graphic novels TRASHED, PUNK ROCK & TRAILER PARKS and the international bestseller, MY FRIEND DAHMER. Derf's images have also graced t-shirts, posters and cd & record covers. His manic illustrations have appeared in all manner of publications, ranging from Guitar Player magazine to the Wall St. Journal. His work has been displayed in museums and galleries worldwide. He has been nominated for two Eisner Awards (the Oscars of comix), as well as Harvey, Ignatz and Rueben Awards. He was the recipient of a pretigious Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for political cartoons in 2006 and an Angoulême Prize for My Friend Dahmer in 2014.
Derf is one of the most widely-read indy comix creators. The writer-artist, who works out of an unheated, attic studio in his Cleveland home, grew up in a rural, small town in Ohio, an experience that was the inspiration for his graphic novels TRASHED, PUNK ROCK & TRAILER PARKS and the international bestseller, MY FRIEND DAHMER. Derf's images have also graced t-shirts, posters and cd & record covers. His manic illustrations have appeared in all manner of publications, ranging from Guitar Player magazine to the Wall St. Journal. His work has been displayed in museums and galleries worldwide. He has been nominated for two Eisner Awards (the Oscars of comix), as well as Harvey, Ignatz and Rueben Awards. He was the recipient of a pretigious Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for political cartoons in 2006 and an Angoulême Prize for My Friend Dahmer in 2014.
Gail Bellamy
Gail Bellamy, PhD, is a Certified Culinary Professional, a widely published poet, book author and food writer. An award-winning food journalist, she is executive food editor of a national magazine for the restaurant industry. Her seven published books include Cleveland Food Memories (Gray & Co.); Victual Reality: Food Poems and Traveler’s Salad poetry collections (Pudding House); and The Vegetable Storybook (Keiki O Ka Aina Press) that won a “Best in the U.S.” Gourmand World Cookbook Award. Gail's poetry, fiction and articles have appeared in approximately 100 publications. She was the 2009-2011 Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate and received a 2010 Creative Workforce Fellowship in Poetry, funded by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
Gail Bellamy, PhD, is a Certified Culinary Professional, a widely published poet, book author and food writer. An award-winning food journalist, she is executive food editor of a national magazine for the restaurant industry. Her seven published books include Cleveland Food Memories (Gray & Co.); Victual Reality: Food Poems and Traveler’s Salad poetry collections (Pudding House); and The Vegetable Storybook (Keiki O Ka Aina Press) that won a “Best in the U.S.” Gourmand World Cookbook Award. Gail's poetry, fiction and articles have appeared in approximately 100 publications. She was the 2009-2011 Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate and received a 2010 Creative Workforce Fellowship in Poetry, funded by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
Amy Breau
Amy Breau is a writer and registered nurse whose work has appeared in Prairie Schooner, The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror, Cleveland Magazine and on the popular science public radio spot A Moment of Science. She studied poetry at Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a 2016 Creative Workforce Fellow with the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, funded by a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. She’s interested in integrating her own caregiving experience into the broader narrative of her life and supporting such efforts in others, and in arguing for greater integration of mothering and other caregiving narratives into literary and other public discourse.
Amy Breau is a writer and registered nurse whose work has appeared in Prairie Schooner, The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror, Cleveland Magazine and on the popular science public radio spot A Moment of Science. She studied poetry at Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a 2016 Creative Workforce Fellow with the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, funded by a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. She’s interested in integrating her own caregiving experience into the broader narrative of her life and supporting such efforts in others, and in arguing for greater integration of mothering and other caregiving narratives into literary and other public discourse.
Joanna Connors
Joanna Connors is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Glamour, and Redbook, amongst others. Her journalism awards include the 2008 Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism from Northwestern University, and Columbia University’s Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma for her series of pieces in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer about her rape and eventual decision to track down the man who did it.
Joanna Connors is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Glamour, and Redbook, amongst others. Her journalism awards include the 2008 Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism from Northwestern University, and Columbia University’s Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma for her series of pieces in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer about her rape and eventual decision to track down the man who did it.
Amanda Flower
Amanda Flower, a national bestselling and Agatha Award winning mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. She also writes mysteries as USA Today bestselling author Isabella Alan. In addition to being an author, Amanda is librarian in Northeast Ohio.
Amanda Flower, a national bestselling and Agatha Award winning mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. She also writes mysteries as USA Today bestselling author Isabella Alan. In addition to being an author, Amanda is librarian in Northeast Ohio.
John G.
John G. is one of Cleveland’s best known comic artists. He started one of the largest regional comic conventions (Genghis Con) and also pumps out The Lake Erie Monster. He helms Scene’s annual comics issue and does work for clients such as Melt.
John G. is one of Cleveland’s best known comic artists. He started one of the largest regional comic conventions (Genghis Con) and also pumps out The Lake Erie Monster. He helms Scene’s annual comics issue and does work for clients such as Melt.
Sharon Holbrook
Sharon Holbrook, a former attorney, is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Brain, Child Magazine, Cleveland Magazine, Belt, and other local and national publications. She lives with her family in Shaker Heights. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and at sharonholbrook.com.
Sharon Holbrook, a former attorney, is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Brain, Child Magazine, Cleveland Magazine, Belt, and other local and national publications. She lives with her family in Shaker Heights. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and at sharonholbrook.com.
Ali McClain
Ali McClain has been writing and performing poetry for over 10 years. She has a B.A. in English and a M.A. in English, language and literature. Her educational and youth work includes teaching composition and African American literature at Chancellor University, volunteering at detention centers in both Toledo and Cleveland, teaching spoken word poetry at Playhouse Square, serving as a guest artist and judge for Cleveland Heights Library’s poetry slam, and working with various organizations (The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum) on how to use poetry and the arts in the classroom and after school programs. She is currently studying poetry as a graduate student at the NEOMFA and directs a successful after school and summer program for girls (Sisterhood) at West Side Community House. Ali is also the co-founder of acerbic, which is an arts collective whose vision is to create an environment and culture that develops and enriches the lives of artists and youth through arts education, mentorship, and cultural/social exchange and awareness.
Ali McClain has been writing and performing poetry for over 10 years. She has a B.A. in English and a M.A. in English, language and literature. Her educational and youth work includes teaching composition and African American literature at Chancellor University, volunteering at detention centers in both Toledo and Cleveland, teaching spoken word poetry at Playhouse Square, serving as a guest artist and judge for Cleveland Heights Library’s poetry slam, and working with various organizations (The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum) on how to use poetry and the arts in the classroom and after school programs. She is currently studying poetry as a graduate student at the NEOMFA and directs a successful after school and summer program for girls (Sisterhood) at West Side Community House. Ali is also the co-founder of acerbic, which is an arts collective whose vision is to create an environment and culture that develops and enriches the lives of artists and youth through arts education, mentorship, and cultural/social exchange and awareness.
Ray McNiece
Ray McNiece is the author of eight books of poems and dramatic monologues. The Orlando Sentinel reporting on Ray’s solo show at the Fringe Festival called him “a modern day descendant of Woody Guthrie. He has a way with words and a wry sense of humor.” He toured Russia with Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Italy twice with legendary Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. He has performed at Cleveland Playhouse, Dobama, Ensemble and the Cleveland Public Theatre where he premiered his newest solo theater work, "The Lives of A Poet," in 2015.
Ray McNiece is the author of eight books of poems and dramatic monologues. The Orlando Sentinel reporting on Ray’s solo show at the Fringe Festival called him “a modern day descendant of Woody Guthrie. He has a way with words and a wry sense of humor.” He toured Russia with Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Italy twice with legendary Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. He has performed at Cleveland Playhouse, Dobama, Ensemble and the Cleveland Public Theatre where he premiered his newest solo theater work, "The Lives of A Poet," in 2015.
Lance Parkin
Lance Parkin is a British author living in Cleveland. Best known for his Doctor Who books, including The Eyeless, Ahistory and Whoniverse, he has written or co-written around thirty books, including biographies of Alan Moore and Gene Roddenberry.
Lance Parkin is a British author living in Cleveland. Best known for his Doctor Who books, including The Eyeless, Ahistory and Whoniverse, he has written or co-written around thirty books, including biographies of Alan Moore and Gene Roddenberry.
Brad Ricca
Brad Ricca is the author of Super Boys (St. Martin's, 2013) and the upcoming Mrs. Sherlock Holmes (St. Martin's, 2017). He won the Ohioana Book Award for Nonfiction and a Cleveland Arts Prize for Emerging Artist in Literature. He is a SAGES Fellow at Case Western Reserve University.
Brad Ricca is the author of Super Boys (St. Martin's, 2013) and the upcoming Mrs. Sherlock Holmes (St. Martin's, 2017). He won the Ohioana Book Award for Nonfiction and a Cleveland Arts Prize for Emerging Artist in Literature. He is a SAGES Fellow at Case Western Reserve University.
James David Robenalt
James David Robenalt is a Cleveland-based lawyer for the firm Thompson Hine LLP. He is the author of three books: Linking Rings, William W. Durbin, the Magic and Mystery of America (2004); The Harding Affair: Love and Espionage During the Great War (2009); and January 1973, Watergate, Roe v. Wade, Vietnam, and the Month that Changed America Forever (2015).
James David Robenalt is a Cleveland-based lawyer for the firm Thompson Hine LLP. He is the author of three books: Linking Rings, William W. Durbin, the Magic and Mystery of America (2004); The Harding Affair: Love and Espionage During the Great War (2009); and January 1973, Watergate, Roe v. Wade, Vietnam, and the Month that Changed America Forever (2015).
Ken Schneck
Ken Schneck is producer/host of "This Show is So Gay," an award-winning, nationally syndicated, 7+ year-old radio show/podcast, and a regular contributor to the "College", "Queer Voices" and "Impact" sections of the Huffington Post. He is an associate professor and director of the leadership in higher education (LHE) program at Baldwin Wallace University, where he teaches courses on student development theory; race, class and gender in higher education; college leadership; and the intersection of public policy and higher education.
Ken Schneck is producer/host of "This Show is So Gay," an award-winning, nationally syndicated, 7+ year-old radio show/podcast, and a regular contributor to the "College", "Queer Voices" and "Impact" sections of the Huffington Post. He is an associate professor and director of the leadership in higher education (LHE) program at Baldwin Wallace University, where he teaches courses on student development theory; race, class and gender in higher education; college leadership; and the intersection of public policy and higher education.
Afi-Odelia Scruggs
Afi-Odelia Scruggs is a multi-platform journalist who is passionate about storytelling. Her columns are articles have appeared locally and nationally, including Cleveland magazine, The Washington Post Outlook sections the New York Post, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and the Plain Dealer.
Afi-Odelia Scruggs is a multi-platform journalist who is passionate about storytelling. Her columns are articles have appeared locally and nationally, including Cleveland magazine, The Washington Post Outlook sections the New York Post, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and the Plain Dealer.
Jane Ann Turzillo
Jane Ann Turzillo, an Agatha Award nominee and National Federation of Press Women award winner, writes about true crimes in Ohio history. As an original owner of a large Ohio weekly newspaper, she covered police and fire news and wrote a historical column. She taught writing and literature at the college level and helped keep things rolling in the public information office of the Akron Art Museum. Many of her short stories and articles have been published in newspapers and magazines across the United States and Canada. When she isn’t writing books or giving presentations on historical crimes, she is either bicycling or photographing in the Cuyahoga National Park. She holds degrees in Criminal Justice Technology and Mass-Media Communication from The University of Akron. Her memberships include Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime and NFPW.
Jane Ann Turzillo, an Agatha Award nominee and National Federation of Press Women award winner, writes about true crimes in Ohio history. As an original owner of a large Ohio weekly newspaper, she covered police and fire news and wrote a historical column. She taught writing and literature at the college level and helped keep things rolling in the public information office of the Akron Art Museum. Many of her short stories and articles have been published in newspapers and magazines across the United States and Canada. When she isn’t writing books or giving presentations on historical crimes, she is either bicycling or photographing in the Cuyahoga National Park. She holds degrees in Criminal Justice Technology and Mass-Media Communication from The University of Akron. Her memberships include Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime and NFPW.
Laura Walter
Laura Maylene Walter is the author of the short story collection Living Arrangements (BkMk Press), which won the G.S. Sharat Chandra Prize and a national gold IPPY. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in the Kenyon Review, The Sun, Poets & Writers, Michigan Quarterly Review, Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology, and dozens of literary journals. She was a 2013 Tin House Writers’ Workshop fiction scholar, the recipient of the 2011 Ohioana Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant, and the former fiction editor of Mid-American Review. She serves as a contributing editor for Cherry Tree and Neutrons/Protons and blogs for the Kenyon Review.
Laura Maylene Walter is the author of the short story collection Living Arrangements (BkMk Press), which won the G.S. Sharat Chandra Prize and a national gold IPPY. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in the Kenyon Review, The Sun, Poets & Writers, Michigan Quarterly Review, Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology, and dozens of literary journals. She was a 2013 Tin House Writers’ Workshop fiction scholar, the recipient of the 2011 Ohioana Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant, and the former fiction editor of Mid-American Review. She serves as a contributing editor for Cherry Tree and Neutrons/Protons and blogs for the Kenyon Review.
Mary E. Weems
Dr. Mary E. Weems is an accomplished author, poet, playwright, and social/cultural foundations scholar. Her work is inspired by the human condition and by what is happening to Black people in America around issues of race, gender and class. To date, Weems has authored or edited thirteen books and her plays and/or excerpts have been published or produced for nearly two decades. Weems' cultural diversity work is grounded in her imagination-intellect theory which states empathy is an integral part of deconstructing prejudicial biases, being socially conscious, and of discovering the inextricable connection between all human beings. Career highlights include receiving a Wick Chapbook award, being nominated for a Pushcart prize and two Ohioana Book award nominations (2008, 2012).
Dr. Mary E. Weems is an accomplished author, poet, playwright, and social/cultural foundations scholar. Her work is inspired by the human condition and by what is happening to Black people in America around issues of race, gender and class. To date, Weems has authored or edited thirteen books and her plays and/or excerpts have been published or produced for nearly two decades. Weems' cultural diversity work is grounded in her imagination-intellect theory which states empathy is an integral part of deconstructing prejudicial biases, being socially conscious, and of discovering the inextricable connection between all human beings. Career highlights include receiving a Wick Chapbook award, being nominated for a Pushcart prize and two Ohioana Book award nominations (2008, 2012).
Josh Womack
Josh Womack is a comedian in Cleveland who fell into comedy after a supervisor told him he wasn't poised for the professional world. He now works as a copywriter at Progressive Insurance and is the Co-Founder of Laugh Staff, a company that uses stand-up comedians to help write wedding toasts.
Josh Womack is a comedian in Cleveland who fell into comedy after a supervisor told him he wasn't poised for the professional world. He now works as a copywriter at Progressive Insurance and is the Co-Founder of Laugh Staff, a company that uses stand-up comedians to help write wedding toasts.
Valentino Zullo
Valentino Zullo is a PhD student in the Department of English at Kent State University and the 2016 Ohio Center for the Book Scholar-in-Residence at Cleveland Public Library.
Valentino Zullo is a PhD student in the Department of English at Kent State University and the 2016 Ohio Center for the Book Scholar-in-Residence at Cleveland Public Library.