Born: 1947 Ohio connection: Birth Steubenville Poet and writer Richard Hague was born in Steubenville, Ohio, in Appalachian Ohio’s Mahoning Valley. He earned his B.S. in 1969 and his M.A.in 1971 both at Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. Hague is the author of more than 10 poetry collections and numerous chapbooks; his collected volume, During the Recent Extinctions: …
Read More Hague, RichardBorn: 1935 Ohio connection: Resident Cincinnati Nancy Lenz Harvey, daughter of George W. and Grace (Adams) Lenz, was born in 1935 in Newport News, Virginia. She received a B.A. degree from Longwood College in 1957; an M.A. from the University of Richmond in 1965; and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in 1969. She …
Read More Harvey, Nancy LenzBorn: 1954 Ohio connection: Birth Columbus Wil Haygood was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1954. His parents divorced soon after his birth and he was raised by his mother, Elvira Burke Haygood, a cook, and his grandparents, whom he credits for teaching him right from wrong. Haygood graduated from Franklin Heights High School and then attended Miami …
Read More Haygood, WilBorn: 1949 Ohio connection: Birth Mentor Sara E. (Traynor) Holbrook has lived in Ohio for more than 20 years having earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Mount Union College (Alliance, OH). She began writing poetry for her two daughters (now adults with children of their own) when they were children. Holbrook has …
Read More Holbrook, SaraBorn: October 13, 1929 Died: March 31, 2022 Ohio connection: Birth Cleveland Born in 1929, Richard Joseph Howard held a distinguished place in contemporary American literature for his work as a poet, critic, and translator. He was adopted as a baby, and it is not known who his biological parents were. It is said he …
Read More Richard HowardBorn: February 1, 1901Died: May 22, 1967 Ohio connection: Birth Cleveland James Langston Hughes was born in 1901 in Joplin, Missouri, the son of James Nathaniel and Carrie Mercer (Langston) Hughes. While he was an infant, his parents separated and he moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where his grandmother raised him. When his grandmother died, he moved …
Read More Langston HughesBorn: November 29, 1883Died: February 20, 1966 Ohio connection: Birth Steubenville Dard Hunter, son of William Henry and Harriet (Rosemond-Browne) Hunter, was born in 1883 in Steubenville, Ohio. His great-grandfather had set up a printing office in rural Ohio in 1812, and his grandfather and father owned and edited newspapers. While a boy, Hunter learned to …
Read More Dard HunterBorn: 1950 Ohio connection: Birth Athens John Kachuba received a B.A. in English from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and M.A. degrees in creative writing from Antioch University (1996) and Ohio University (2003). He has had many articles published in national newspapers, magazines, and journals, including Tin House, Hawaii Pacific Review, Connecticut Review, Dogwood, Antioch Review, and Poets and Writers. He …
Read More John KachubaBorn: 1949 Ohio connection: Resident Granville Katharine Kenah is the author of more than 30 books for children. She writes picture-book texts and science-related book series for beginning readers. Reared on an oceanographic observatory in New York state, among scientists and cats, Kehan developed a strong interest in the physical sciences, in particular, Earth’s plant …
Read More Katharine KenahBorn: 1931 Ohio connection: Resident Cleveland Adrienne Kennedy was born Adrienne Lita Hawkins, daughter of Cornell Wallace and Etta (Haugabrook) Hawkins, in 1931 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She received a B.A. from Ohio State University in 1953, and did graduate work in creative writing at Columbia University, 1954-56. She married …
Read More Adrienne Kennedy