In 1929, The Ohioana Library Association was founded by Ohio First Lady Martha Kinney Cooper. The purpose of Ohioana is to “collect, preserve, and promote the works of Ohio authors, artists, and musicians,” and one of its annual events is The Ohioana Book Festival.

I am delighted that I (and my poetry chapbook Just the Girls: A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies; A Drift of Honeybees, published by The Poetry Box) was accepted into this 14 th Annual Book Festival. As with last year, the Festival will be held virtually—Friday, April 23 to Sunday, April 25, 2021.

Some of my favorite authors and artists will be part of this year’s Festival, including Tom Batiuk (fellow Kent State University graduate…creator of the Funky Winkerbean and Crankshaft comic strips…and creator of this year’s Festival poster)—Jennifer Ann Shore (another Kent State grad whose 2018 New Wave book is sitting in front of me right now!)—Kari Gunter-Seymour (Ohio’s 2020 Poet of the Year)—fiction writer and fan favorite David Giffels—and many more. Check out the link to see who will be participating: