Meet the Author
Books will be available for sale and signing at all events.
The War Came to Me by Eva Broessler Weissman and Gregory Moore
Sunday, February 21 at 2 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium
A testament to the many persons throughout Europe who risked their lives to save Jews from extermination, this book tells the story of the compassionate Dutch citizens who helped two young Austrian women avoid deportation to the Nazi death camps. Sisters Eva and Ruth would endure years of separation from their parents and each other before finally being reunited. The daring efforts of these Dutch families serve as a reminder that the best of humanity can be discovered even in the darkest of times.
McGowan’s Call and McGowan’s Retreat by Rob Smith
The Long River Home by Larry Smith
Wednesday, March 31 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium
Novelists and small press publishers, Rob Smith and Larry Smith (from Drinian Press
and Bottom Dog Press, respectively) will read from their novels and share their thoughts on the writing process. They will also be ready to discuss the craft and business of publishing. Rob Smith’s McGowan books, filled with contemporary tales of a pastor and his parishioners, are often compared to Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio. In The Long River Home, Larry Smith chronicles the lives of four generations of Ohio Appalachians and searches for a deeper understanding of the nation at large.
The Baby Thief by Barbara Bisantz Raymond
Tuesday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium
For three decades, Georgia Tann was lauded for her work with children—even as she sold her charges to the wealthiest clients. She invented modern American adoption, commercialized it and corrupted it with secrecy by falsifying birth certificates—a practice that continues to this day. Listen to first-hand accounts from her victims and consider Tann’s influence today. The Baby Thief was named a Best Book of 2007 by Publisher’s Weekly and a 2009 Summer Pick by The Plain Dealer.
Write for Your Lives: Inspire Your Creative Writing with Buddhist Wisdom by Joseph Sesito
Wednesday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium 
Understand the types of thinking that restrict creativity and learn techniques to break through defeat. Master the manuscript by mastering yourself. Get an agent and get published. Then sell the book and help people by helping yourself. Joseph Sesito
will answer your questions.
1000 Comic Books You Must Read by Tony Isabella
Wednesday, May 5 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium
You can call them graphic novels if you want to, but it’s time to face the facts. Comic books are at the cutting edge of art and culture and you’re way behind. Don’t fret. Tony Isabella wants to help. With twenty years as a commentator, nearly forty years as a creator and over fifty years of reading comics under his belt, he’s the mild-mannered man for the job. In his latest book, illustrated with some of the best comic art of the last seventy years, Tony goes beyond superheroes into adventure, romance, humor, horror and more. From Uncle Scrooge to Betty and Veronica, with Batman, Spider-Man and Fin Fang Foom along for the ride, you won’t want to miss the four-color slideshow presentation that goes with this talk! Books will be
available for sale and signing.
CHILDREN"S AND YOUTH SERVICES SPECIAL GUEST
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Monday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium
The New York Times bestselling fantasy author of The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir and The Dragon Heir begins a new series that stretches back a thousand years to a wizard who nearly destroyed the world. When a young thief comes into possession of the late Demon King’s amulet, nearly everything he’s ever cared about is put into jeopardy. Meanwhile, on the other side of Fellsmarch, an ambitious young princess dreams of abandoning court life to live like a warrior queen of old. The author invites young adult and young-at-heart writers to learn about shepherding a novel from idea to finished product. She'll explain why writing a book is different from writing a term paper and give practical advice on everything from revising to marketing.
The Harding Affair: Love and Espionage During the Great War by James David Robenalt
Wednesday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium
Just because she was a paid German spy doesn’t mean it wasn’t love. A treasure trove of
letters sent by Warren G. Harding to his longtime mistress may reveal an exciting new
chapter of history. Did their love change the course of world affairs? After reviewing
materials suppressed for eighty years, the author makes a compelling case. From Harding’s reporter days in smalltown Ohio to The War to End All Wars, The Harding Affair casts fresh light on everyone from Kaiser Wilhelm to Eugene V. Debs along with Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and every other major figure of the early twentieth century.
A Passion for the Land: John F. Seiberling and the Environmental Movement by Dan Nelson
Wednesday, June 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium
Arguably Ohio’s most influential politician of the last half-century, John F. Seiberling is best known around these parts for the creation of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. What too many Ohioans fail to appreciate is that this single effort comprised only one small aspect of an entire career spent transforming America’s system of public land management and ushering in a transition from commodity timber and mineral production to parks, education, biodiversity and simple wilderness.
For more information:
Drinian Press
Bottom Dog Press
The Baby Thief
Joseph Sestito Web site
Tony Isabella's Online Tips
Cindy Chima's Web site
The Harding Affair Web site
Dan Nelson at Kent State University Press
Meet the Author programs are free and open to the public.
Please refer to the Events Calendar for a complete listing of Library programs.
