Born: September 20, 1833Died: February 15, 1888 Ohio connection: Resident Toledo David Ross Locke (pseudonym Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby) was born in 1833 in Vestal, New York. His family later moved to the village of Marathon, where he left school after completing grades 1-5. In 1845, at the age of twelve, David was hired by the Cortland Democrat …
Read More David Ross LockeBorn: October 14, 1893Died: September 11, 1974 Ohio connection: Birth Springfield Lois Lenski was one of the most prominent and highly respected authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults. Born in Springfield, Ohio, in 1893, Lenski was the daughter of Marietta (Young) Lenski, a former teacher, and Richard Charles Henry, a Lutheran minister. Her family moved …
Read More Lois LenskiBorn: 1960 Ohio connection: Birth Cincinnati Will Hillenbrand was born in Cincinnati to Earl (a barber) and Alice (Zins) Hillenbrand and has lived almost all his life in Cincinnati where he grew up surrounded by stories. The youngest of four boys with diverse personalities and talents, Hillenbrand found himself interested in drawing. His older brother sketched …
Read More Hillenbrand, WillBorn: 1930 Ohio connection: Birth Dayton Barbara Hazen was born Barbara Shook, daughter of Charles Harman and Elizabeth (Foster) Shook, in 1930, in Dayton, Ohio. She received a B.A. from Smith College in 1951 and an M.A. from Columbia University in 1952. She married Freeman Brackett Hazen in 1956, and they had one child, Freeman Brackett, Jr., …
Read More Hazen, Barbara ShookBorn: July 8, 1940 Died: April 30, 2020 Ohio connection: Birth Kilbourne Janet Hickman was born Janet Gephart, daughter of Bernard Franklin and Pauline (Williams) Gephart, in Kilbourne, Ohio, in 1940. She received a B.S. in 1960, an M.A. in 1964, and a Ph.D. in 1979, all from Ohio State University. She married John Hickman in 1961, …
Read More Janet HickmanBorn: September 11, 1862Died: June 5, 1910 Ohio connection: Resident Columbus O. Henry was born William Sidney Porter, son of Algernon Sidney and Mary Jane Virginia (Swaim) Porter, in 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. He changed the spelling of his middle name to Sydney in 1898. When Porter was three years old, his mother died and he …
Read More O. HenryBorn: June 27, 1850Died: September 26, 1904 Ohio connection: Resident Cincinnati Lafcadio Hearn, son of Charles Bush and Rosa Tessima Hearn, was born in 1850 in Leukas, Greece. He had a very unsettled childhood with his parents divorcing when he was six and his mother dying in a mental institution some time later. He was then raised …
Read More Lafcadio HearnOn Saturday, December 2, 2017, the Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library presented the program, “My Mom Lois Lane,” an interview with Laura Siegel Larson, to honor the Man of Steel’s legacy and Cleveland roots. Superman fans and admirers of From Cleveland to Krypton, An Exhibit, gathered in the Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium …
Read More “My Mom Lois Lane,” an Interview with Laura Siegel Larson: Big Hit with Attendees!Literary Cleveland‘s Read Ohio book talk and discussion series concludes the 2017 season with acclaimed young adult authors Mindy McGinnis and Cinda Williams Chima. The two will read from newly published work, discuss their approach to young adult writing, and engage with questions from the audience. This event will take place on Thursday, December 7 …
Read More YA Writers Showcase: Mindy McGinnis & Cinda Williams Chima, December 7, 2017Superman: From Cleveland to Krypton, the exhibit at Cleveland Public Library has been so popular that the run has been extended until March 31, 2018. Continuing the wonderful programming that celebrates Superman and his Cleveland legacy, the Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library presents two special programs on Saturday, December 2, 2017, The …
Read More A Celebration of Superman’s Cleveland Roots, December 2, 2017 at Cleveland Public Library