Page Count’s third season kicks off on May 21! Listen to snippets from just a few of our upcoming episodes featuring the following authors and experts:   Amy Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Writer’ Digest, dips into the magazine’s archives to consider what has changed in the literary world—and what hasn’t—in the last 100 years.Jacqueline Woodson and Hanif Abdurraqib discuss their latest books, what it means to "make it" as a writer, and more during a conversation recorded at the 2024 Ohioana Book Festival.Dr. Jennifer Swartz-Levine of Lake Erie College discusses the prolific midcentury author Dawn Powell, whose work was nearly lost to history before experiencing a resurgence.Steven Andersson shares insights into humorist James Thurber’s life and work in a special episode featuring a tour of the Thurber House, which was led by Andersson and Leah Wharton, operations director.Guy Lamolinara, the head of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, discusses his Cleveland roots, the Center for the Book, the National Book Festival, and the enduring nature of books and reading.   Subscribe to Page Count wherever you get your podcasts to listen to these episodes and many more during our third season. The season debuts May 21 with Woodson and Abdurraqib’s episode; thereafter, a new episode drops every two weeks.   Photo Credits Amy Jones: Jason Hale PhotographyJacqueline Woodson: Tiffany A. BloomfieldHanif Abdurraqib: Megan Leigh BarnardJames Thurber: Denyse B. Smith

Laura and Don celebrate Page Count’s second anniversary by sharing some of their favorite episodes along with a few fun facts. For example, did you know that this is the sixtieth Page Count episode? Or that cotton is the traditional gift for second anniversaries? Or that Laura is only in this for the fame and glory? Finally, Don and Laura offer a quick preview of what's in the works for Page Count’s third season, which debuts May 21.   Laura Maylene Walter is Ohio Center for the Book Fellow at Cleveland Public Library, the host of Page Count, and the author of BODY OF STARS (Dutton). Don Boozer is the Literature Department Manager at Cleveland Public Library and the Ohio Center for the Book Coordinator.   In this episode: Touring the Toni Morrison Reading RoomEscaping the Drawer with Sammy and AnnishaThe Great Environmental Awakening with Douglas BrinkleyThe Secret Life of Zane GreyRevising Nancy Drew with Jennifer FisherFirst Pages with Kirsten ReachPoetry Critiques with Mid-American ReviewNonfiction Critiques with Kristen Elias RowleyQuery Critiques with Devon HallidayQuery Critiques with Erin Hosier     To view all episodes, visit https://ohiocenterforthebook.org/podcast. And stay tuned for the Season 3 Trailer, set to air May 7, 2024!   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

David Weaver, executive director of the Ohioana Library Association, makes his second appearance on the podcast to discuss the upcoming Ohioana Book Festival. In addition to sharing festival highlights, including a special live Page Count conversation featuring Hanif Abdurraqib and Jacqueline Woodson, Weaver discusses his work with Ohioana, his upcoming retirement, and Ohio’s contributions to the literary world.   The 18th annual Ohioana Book Festival will be held at Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Main Library on Saturday, April 20, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Additional programs and activities will take place in the community throughout April. Page Count’s special live episode with Hanif Abdurraqib and Jacqueline Woodson will be held at 12pm on Saturday, April 20 in the auditorium.   Ohioana Book Festival2024 Festival Authors2024 Festival ScheduleOhioana Library Association   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library and hosted by Laura Maylene Walter. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

In celebration of the paperback release of her latest novel, Alchemy of a Blackbird, Claire McMillan discusses the art and life of Remedios Varo, historical fiction, surrealism, and Pamela Colman Smith, the artist behind the world’s most famous tarot deck. She also dives into the alchemy of writing, from finding the perfect title to writing “drawer novels” and beyond. Finally, McMillan answers questions from Page Count listeners surrounding the challenges of the sophomore novel and talking (or not) about current works in progress.   Claire McMillan is the author of Alchemy of a Blackbird, The Necklace, and Gilded Age, which was inspired by Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth. She was the 2017–2018 Cuyahoga County Writer-in-Residence and currently serves as a member of the board of trustees of The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home in Lenox, Massachusetts. She practiced law until 2003 and then received her MFA in creative writing from Bennington College. She grew up in Pasadena, California, and now lives on her husband’s family farm outside of Cleveland, Ohio, with their two children.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library and hosted by Laura Maylene Walter. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

We’re pleased to share this Writers Unplugged event featuring Cleveland author Susan Petrone. Jen Jumba of Cleveland Public Library conducted this interview in person on February 7, 2024, to discuss Petrone’s latest novel, the power of music, the unreliability of memory, the thrill of finding yourself in a book, and, of course, the falafel and milkshakes at Tommy’s.   Writers Unplugged is a Cleveland Public Library series uniting authors, performers, journalists, activists, and educators to delve into the issues impacting our communities. Susan Petrone is the author of The Musical Mozinskis (2024), The Heebie-Jeebie Girl (2020), The Super Ladies (2018), Throw Like a Woman (2015), and A Body at Rest (2009). She was a recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for FY 2020.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library and hosted by Laura Maylene Walter. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Brian Broome, author of the debut memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods, discusses growing up in rural Ohio, how he was discovered by a literary agent at a storytelling event, how he navigates writing about family, how he approaches structure and revision, and the story in his memoir that made Laura cringe the hardest (that’s a compliment). Broome also answers questions from Page Count listeners surrounding challenges faced by working-class writers and the recent Goodreads review bombing controversy.   Brian Broome is the author of Punch Me Up to the Gods (Mariner Books, 2021), which won the 2021 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, Publisher Triangle’s Randy Shilts Award for Nonfiction, and the 2022 Lambda Literary Award in Gay Memoir/Biography. He is K. Leroy Irvis Fellow and instructor in the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh. Broome has been a finalist in The Moth storytelling competition and won the grand prize in Carnegie Mellon University’s Martin Luther King Writing Awards. He also won a VANN Award from the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation for journalism in 2019. Broome lives in Pittsburgh.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library and hosted by Laura Maylene Walter. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

In honor of Toni Morrison Day on February 18, Page Count took a field trip to Lorain Public Library to tour the Toni Morrison Reading Room. Cheri Campbell, Local History and Archives Librarian, guides listeners through the room while providing history, lore, and anecdotes about Morrison’s life and storied literary career. From Morrison’s time growing up in Lorain (including how she got hired, fired, and hired once more at Lorain Public Library), to winning the Nobel Prize in Literature and beyond, this episode is a must for Morrison fans.   To see some of the images mentioned in this episode—including Toni Morrison’s high school yearbook photo, pictures from her appearance at the reading room dedication, and more—read our accompanying blog post, “Inside the Toni Morrison Reading Room.”   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

We’re honored to share this episode of Wild Precious Life, a Cleveland-based podcast hosted by Annmarie Kelly, to remember the life and work of Echo Brown. Brown was the celebrated author of BLACK GIRL UNLIMITED, THE CHOSEN ONE, and the one-woman play, BLACK VIRGINS ARE NOT FOR HIPSTERS. She died in 2023, at the age of thirty-nine, after a long illness. In this episode, which originally aired in 2022, she and Annmarie Kelly discuss health, writing, creativity, and the art of discovering—and creating—magic in life as well as on the page.   Listen and subscribe to Wild Precious Life and follow Annmarie Kelly.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Author and Writer’s Digest editor-at-large Jessica Strawser answers publishing questions from Page Count listeners, defines “book club fiction,” shares insights gleaned from her career as a six-time novelist, and discusses her latest novel, THE LAST CARETAKER.   Strawser is the author of the book club favorites ALMOST MISSED YOU, NOT THAT I COULD TELL, FORGET YOU KNOW ME, A MILLION REASONS WHY, and THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW. Her sixth novel, the instant USA Today bestseller THE LAST CARETAKER, surrounds a resident caretaker on a nature reserve who discovers her new home hides a safe house aiding domestic violence victims. In addition to her career as a novelist, Strawser is the editor-at-large and columnist at Writer’s Digest, where she served as editorial director for nearly a decade.    Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

In a live episode recorded at the Lit Youngstown Fall Literary Festival, Ross Gay and Alison Stine discuss joy, trash, the art of writing quickly and without pressure, novel drafting, revision, writerly obsessions, creating art in a burning world, and, of course, why we must bring each other French fries.    Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. He is also the author of three collections of essays: The Book of Delights,  Inciting Joy, and, most recently, The Book of (More) Delights. Photo credit: Natasha Komoda.   Alison Stine is the author of the novel Trashlands, which was longlisted for the 2022 Reading the West Book Award, a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award, and longlisted for the 2022 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. Her first novel, Road Out of Winter, won the 2021 Philip K. Dick Award. Her next novel, Dust, is forthcoming in 2024. She is also the author of three poetry collections and a novella.   This conversation was recorded before a live audience at Youngstown State University on October 21, 2023 at the Lit Youngstown Fall Literary Festival.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

We’re excited to share this excellent interview about the art of running a reading series from Index for Continuance, which is produced by the CSU Poetry Center and hosted by Hilary Plum and Zach Peckham. In this conversation, Hilary Plum speaks with novelist Sarah Rose Etter about reading series and their place in the literary landscape. From practical tips surrounding running a series—gleaned from Etter’s time hosting TireFire in Philadelphia—to advice for writers stepping up to the microphone to give readings of their own, this episode offers a crash course in literary community, performance, and citizenship.   Index for Continuance is a podcast focusing on small press publishing, politics, and practice by engaging editors, writers, publishers, critics, booksellers, and organizers involved in independent, small press, DIY, and community literary work in conversation. Index for Continuance aims to build an archive of grassroots knowledge that can serve the future of publishing. Learn more about the CSU Poetry Center, which produces Index for Continuance.   Sarah Rose Etter the author of the novels Ripe (Scribner, 2023), a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and a Time Must-Read Book of 2023, and The Book of X (Two Dollar Radio, 2019), winner of the 2019 Shirley Jackson Award. Her short fiction collection, Tongue Party, was selected by Deb Olin Unferth as the winner of the 2011 Caketrain Award.   On a related  note, listen to Unicorn-Level Books with Two Dollar Radio, Page Count’s interview with Two Dollar Radio editors Eric Obenauf and Eliza Wood-Obenauf.   Page Count returns with a new episode on January 2: the recording of an in-person conversation with Ross Gay and Alison Stine at the Youngstown Fall Literary Festival.

Searching for the perfect books to fill out your holiday shopping list? We’ve got you covered with recommendations from the owners of two independent bookstores in Ohio. Suzanne DeGaetano of Mac’s Backs in Cleveland and Greg Kornbluh of Downbound Books in Cincinnati suggest books to gift readers of all ages and genres, from picture books to graphic novels, poetry, works of nonfiction, cerebral literary novels, and beyond.   We encourage listeners to visit (or order online from) Mac’s Backs, Downbound Books, and other independent bookstores this holiday season.   Recommendations from Mac’s Backs: The Voice in the Hollow by Will HillenbrandAin’t It Fun: Peter Laughner & Proto-Punk in the Secret City by Aaron LangePoem for Cleveland Anthology, edited by Ray McNieceFoster by Claire KeeganStarter Villain by John ScalziHow Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett & illustrated by Jon KlassenWhen Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar MohamedRefugee by Alan GratzWhat You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko AoyamaBonus: Settling Ohio: First Peoples and Beyond, edited by Timothy G. Anderson & Brian Schoen   Recommendations from Downbound Books: Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up by Jenn BishopThe Future of Rock and Roll: 97X WOXY and the Fight for True Independence by Robin JamesThe Shade Tree by Suzy LeeDragons Hoops by Gene Luen YangHow to Build a Boat by Elaine FeeneyThe Lost Subways of North America by Jake BermanThe Language of Trees: A Rewilding of Literature and Landscape by Katie HoltenLandings: A Crooked Creek Farm Year by Arwen DonahueThe Guest Lecture by Martin RikerOpen Throat by Henry Hoke     Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

This episode celebrates youth writing, art, editing, and publication. Laura is joined by Alex Ashbrook, a teaching artist with the nonprofit Lake Erie Ink, along with Anna Lucia and Alba Cristina Del Rio Ochoa, two members of the Teen Book Project editorial board. Anna and Alba Cristina discuss their vision for the Teen Book Project, how youth across Northeast Ohio can submit to the anthology or get involved, skills they’re gaining from their work with the editorial board, and what they each love most about writing and art.   Lake Erie Ink will accept submissions from youth in Northeast Ohio for the Some Thing To Say anthology until December 31, 2023. Learn more about the Teen Book Project and how to submit at the Lake Erie Ink website, and follow The Teen Book Project on Instagram.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

In this special live episode, Laura Maylene Walter interviews Elissa Washuta, author of the essay collection WHITE MAGIC. Their wide-ranging conversation covers the craft of essay writing, research and memory mining for nonfiction writers, revision, rejection, unique writing residencies, cultural appropriation, witchcraft, and more. Washuta also offers on-the-spot literary tarot readings to Laura and five audience members.   Elissa Washuta is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the author of White Magic, Starvation Mode, and My Body Is a Book of Rules. With Theresa Warburton, she co-edited the anthology Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers. Elissa is an associate professor at The Ohio State University, where she teaches in the MFA Program in Creative Writing.   This episode was recorded before a live audience on September 23, 2023, at Cleveland Public Library as part of Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator writing conference.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Author Katharine Beutner takes a trip down memory lane with Laura to discuss their shared experience as editors of their high school literary magazine (!) before turning to a discussion of craft and crime. Beutner discusses the inspiration for her new novel, KILLINGLY; the art of historical fiction; writing novels vs. poetry; research; revision; women’s colleges in the late 1800s; evolving attitudes surrounding queerness at the turn of the twentieth century; the ethics of fictionalizing an actual missing-person case; cat fanciers of yore; and more.   Killingly, a New England Gothic novel surrounding the aftermath of a student’s disappearance from Mt. Holyoke College in 1897, was published by Soho Press in June 2023. Beutner is also the author of Alcestis, a queer retelling of the Greek myth, originally published in 2010 and re-released by Soho Press in September 2023. This interview was conducted in May 2023.   To see images of Whispering Minds, the high school literary magazine discussed in this episode, follow Ohio Center for the Book’s new Instagram account! Finally, for the chance to have your writing or publishing inquiry answered by Laura and a guest on a future episode, submit your questions via this online form.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

We’re releasing this episode a day early in honor of Athena Dixon appearing at Literary Cleveland’s debut Plum City Reading event! This reading takes place at Loganberry Books at 7pm on October 9, with an afterparty to follow across the street at Literary Cleveland’s offices. Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel will also read.   Athena Dixon takes listeners on a deep dive into the phenomenon of loneliness through her new essay collection, The Loneliness Files. Dixon discusses the inspiration behind these essays, isolation during COVID lockdowns, how online interactions can combat as well as amplify loneliness, true crime, fan fiction, vulnerability in writing nonfiction, the connection between loneliness and writing, the journey to publication as an unagented author, and, naturally, sensory deprivation tanks.   The Loneliness Files was released by Tin House Books on October 3, 2023. Athena Dixon is a poet, essayist, and editor. Her work is included in the anthology The BreakBeat Poets Vol.2: Black Girl Magic, and her craft work appears in Getting to the Truth: The Craft and Practice of Creative Nonfiction. She is also the author of  The Incredible Shrinking Woman (Split/Lip Press 2020) and No God In This Room (Argus House Press 2018), winner of the Intersectional Midwest Chapbook Contest. Learn more about Dixon at her website.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

In honor of the upcoming 2023 Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards ceremony, we’re proud to share this Asterisk interview with historian, author, and Ohio native Tiya Miles, who won a 2022 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award prize in nonfiction for All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake. The Asterisk is a production of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards. Karen Long conducted this interview with Miles earlier this year.   The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, which have been administered by the Cleveland Foundation since 1963, recognize books that have made important contributions to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures. To learn about the 2023 winners, please visit anisfield-wolf.org. The 2023 award ceremony will be held Thursday, September 28; a livestream of the event will be available.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook. Page Count will return on October 10, 2023 with a new episode.

In honor of Superman’s 85th birthday this year, Dr. Valentino Zullo explores the Cleveland-created superhero’s origin story. Dr. Zullo and Laura discuss some of the first-ever Superman comics; Superman’s early focus on fighting social inequities vs. super villains; how creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster came to dream up the famous superhero; Brad Ricca’s entertaining and exhaustive literary biography Super Boys; legal battles surrounding the rights to Superman; and today’s expanded Superman universe, including a look at Supergirl: Being Super by Mariko Tamaki and Joelle Jones.   Dr. Zullo is the Anisfield-Wolf Post-Doctoral Fellow in English and Public Humanities at Ursuline College and a co-director of Superman’s Cleveland, a city-wide celebration of the world’s first comic book superhero. Visit supermanscleveland.com to learn about free events and programs in September, October, and November 2023.   Headshot artist credit: Sina Grace   To learn more about Literary Cleveland's Inkubator writing conference, visit https://inkubator.litcleveland.org. And be sure to register for the live Page Count recording, an interview (and literary tarot readings!) with Elissa Washuta that takes place on Saturday, September 23 at 1:30pm.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

Madeline ffitch, author of the novel Stay and Fight, discusses living and writing in Appalachian Ohio; the realities of homesteading; writing in multiple points of view; the art of writing a child’s voice for an adult audience; fiction and autobiography; writing for urban vs. rural audiences; climate activism; Appalachian anti-fascism; the politics-art connection; and why sometimes, a snake is just a snake.   Stay and Fight was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, the L.A. Times Book Prize for Fiction, the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, and the Washington State Book Awards. It was Ohio Center for the Book’s 2023 adult selection for Great Reads from Great Places at the National Book Festival. Madeline ffitch writes and organizes in Appalachian Ohio.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

Michelle Houts, the author of the picture book When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike, and Erica Magnus, the book’s illustrator, discuss the life and adventures of Emma “Grandma” Gatewood, the first woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Houts and Magnus share Gatewood’s incredible story while discussing the power of perseverance, the art of picture books, tips for aspiring authors, finding inspiration in nature, and more. When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike was the Ohio Center for the Book’s Great Reads from Great Places youth selection at the 2023 National Book Festival.   In this episode: When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike by Michelle Houts, illustrated by Erica Magnus Emma GatewoodGrandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben MontgomeryOhio University PressHocking Hills State Park, Ohio Penobscot Bay, MaineWellfleet, Massachusetts     Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.