(Sorche Nic Leodhas) Born: May 20, 1898Died: November 14, 1969 Ohio connection: Birth Youngstown Born Leclaire Gowans on May 20, 1898, in Youngstown, Ohio, to Louis P. and Anna Gowans. Leclaire Alger wrote most of her books under the Gaelic pen-name Sorche Nic Leodhas (pronounced “Sore-ka Nik Le-oh-das”), which means “Claire, daughter of Louis.” Writing under the Gaelic …
Read More Leclaire AlgerBorn: 1939 Ohio connection: Birth Canton Museum administrator, writer, arts scholar, and educator, Manuel Joseph Albacete was born on July 23, 1939, in Canton, Ohio. After graduating from McKinley High School in 1957, Albacete served two years in the United States Navy aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Essex. The tour of duty allowed Albacete to explore …
Read More M. J. AlbaceteBorn: 1954 Ohio connection: Birth Painesville Elizabeth A. Alder was born in 1954 in Painesville, Ohio. An award-winning author of historical fiction for children and young adults, Alder’s path toward becoming a writer has its roots in dinner table conversations with her father, a gifted storyteller who helped found the Lake County Public Defender’s Office. It …
Read More Elizabeth AlderBorn: 1951 Ohio connection: Birth Cincinnati Karen Ackerman was born on October 9, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio, she graduated from Woodward High School in 1969. Although she was never inspired to be an author while growing up, Ackerman knew she had stories to tell, or to write. Her books focus on families and the benefits …
Read More Karen AckermanBorn: February 15, 1926 Ohio connection: Birth Cleveland Hazard Adams was born on February 15, 1926 in Cleveland. Adams and his family moved to Seattle, Washington when he was eight years old. Adams received an A.B. from Princeton University in 1948 and received an M.A. and a PhD. from the University of Washington in 1949 and …
Read More Hazard AdamsBorn: July 22, 1900 Died: April 25, 1994 Ohio connection: Birth Cincinnati John R. Adams was born July 22, 1900, in Cincinnati, son of Thomas (an engraver) and Margaret (Morse) Adams. Adams graduated from high school at age 15. He earned a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Michigan in 1920 and 1922 respectively. While attending …
Read More John R. AdamsBorn: May 27, 1941 Died: April 14, 2017 Ohio connection: Birth Painesville Journalist and writer of novels and short stories, Robert Halsall Abel was born in Painesville; the son of Robert H. (a textile worker) and Lora Constance Logan (a school bus driver). Robert Abel attended the College of Wooster from 1959-1964; he left college …
Read More Robert Halsall AbelBorn: 1951 Ohio connection: Resident Yellow Springs Author, poet, musician, and educator Jaime Adoff was born in New York City, NY. Adoff, son of acclaimed authors Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff, was raised in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Jaime Adoff received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1990 from Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio, where his focus was …
Read More Jaime AdoffBorn: 1935 Ohio connection: Resident Yellow Springs Poet, anthologist, and biographer, Arnold Adoff was born July 16, 1935, in New York City. He is the son of immigrants from a town near the Polish-Russian border whose family had been decimated by the Holocaust. Growing up in The Bronx, New York, Adoff began writing poetry at age 16 …
Read More Arnold AdoffBorn: 1944 Ohio connection: Birth Gallipolis Born in Gallipolis and raised across the river in Wheeling, West Virginia, author, designer and illustrator Jan Adkins describes himself as “an explainer, a storyteller with words and images, an advocate for young minds, a resource for images, and a dinosaur holdout for simplicity and grace in illustration, design …
Read More Jan Adkins