Ohioana Hamilton County Writers Celebration
Categories: In the News , Local Interest , Staff Picks
The Ohioana Library's Hamilton County Writers Celebration will be in the Tower Room on the third floor of the main library on Sunday, November 12, at 1:30. The event is open to the public, and you might want to arrive early to get a good seat. We've invited more than 130 writers who were either born in Hamilton County, or who have lived here for many years, or who write about Cincinnati--either real Cincinnati or a fictionalized version (with vampires, and excuse me if I'm wrong about vampires being fictional)--and who published books, music compositions, or new magazines or newspapers within the last year.
Not all 130 writers will come, of course, but already a selection of around 40 interesting and diverse writers have agreed to come. Mercantile Library Board Member Buck Niehoff will give a keynote talk; the writers will receive certificates, and we have created a slide show honoring their books and describing their work and lives. And yes--refreshments at the end and plenty of time to meet the writers and look at their books.
Many years ago, I was a market book editor for Writer's Digest, and every year I was required to write "trends" columns for the book discussing, well, publishing trends in various genres. Thus, you may be wondering, Are there trends that have informed Cincinnati writers' books this year?
Well, three separate books about the 1919 fixed World Series. Four very different collections of poetry. Art instruction. Fiction. Memoirs. Local History. Children's Literature. And this is just the tip of the literary iceberg.
Want to receive a personal invitation to next year's event? If you're a novelist, a good way might be to start work on your novel today. You'll probably need to quit your job, becase the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) started on November 1st, and it might be difficult to catch up if you have other responsibilities.
By the way, if you can't make it to the library on Sunday, you can head to the Mercantile on November 18 for a book fair that will include many of the writers who will be here at the Public Library on Sunday.
