For the second year in a row, the Ohioana Book Festival will be virtual. Hosted by the Ohioana Library Association, the festival aims to bring together authors, readers and illustrators to celebrate literature, authors and illustrators from Ohio and teach about Ohio literary culture.
Since its inception in 2007 with only ten authors, the Ohioana Book Festival has given readers the opportunity to connect with their favorite native Ohioan authors. This year, the festival welcomes 140 authors and illustrators.
Authors include The Ohio State University alum R.L. Stine (Goosebumps), OSU professor Elissa Washuta (White Magic), Grove City local Craig Chavis Jr. (Burdens of a Dream) and more.
The 2021 festival will be held virtually from Thursday April 22 to Sunday April 25 with both pre-recorded and live videos in addition to live online discussions.
During the discussion panels, participants can hear their favorite authors discuss their books and writing processes, and participants can even ask the authors questions in live sessions.
Listen to award-winning authors such as Jasmine Warga, Jacqueline Woodson and Kari Gunter-Seymour in their discussion of topics such as reading in Ohio, the Floyd’s Pick award and diverse voices in poetry.
Other panel topics include historical mystery, true crime, short stories and speculative fiction. No matter what your interest, there’s sure to be a session for every reader.
On April 22, the Ohioana Book Festival will add to its schedule individual author content such as readings, book trailers, story times and more.
In support of the work of the Ohioana Library Association, Ohio Humanities recently awarded a $20,000 grant to the 2021 Ohioana Book Festival.
Local Literary Legends
R. L. Stine grew up in Columbus and then studied at OSU, where he spent most of his time working as editor for the university’s humor magazine, The Sundial. He is most widely known for his children’s horror series Goosebumps. He has sold over 400 million books and his work has been translated into 35 languages, making him one of the most best-selling authors ever.
Jacqueline Woodson was born in Columbus before her family moved down south. She writes books for children and teens, often with a focus on issues such as race and sexuality Her most notable works include Miracle Boys and her Newbery Honor-winning titles Black Girl Dreaming, After Tupac and D Foster, Feathers and Show Way. From 2015-207, she served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate, and she was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress. In 2020, she was named a MacArthur Fellow.
Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a small farm near Washington Court House, Ohio and studied English and journalism at Miami University. She has written more than 40 books for teens and kids, most popularly the Shadow Children series which kicks off with Among the Hidden. Haddix also wrote the tenth volume of the popular 39 Clues adventure series. She has been honored with New York Times best-seller status, the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award, American Library Association Best Book and more. Haddix now resides in Columbus.
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