Craft: Exploring Creativity

Journalist and improv comic Bridjet Mendy will perform at the Columbus Comedy Festival, September 4th – 7th. Bridget discusses her comedy style, heavily influenced by her experiences as a 30-something first-generation American with family roots in the Soviet Union. Initially … Continue reading →

New York Times bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray has written or cowritten more than 30 novels, including Stand Your Ground and The Personal Librarian. In our discussion, Murray discusses her latest book, Harlem Rhapsody, a historical fiction novel about Jesse … Continue reading →

No insects were injured in comedian Steve Hofstetter’s new comedy special, “Kill the Butterflies.” Instead, Hofstetter combines stand-up comedy with documentary interviews exploring comedians’ experiences with anxiety and mental health. He discusses his own mental health journey, along with more … Continue reading →

How do you ensure authenticity as a writer? Some authors do a lot of library research. Others write what they already know about life. Gregg Hurwitz “introduces [his] face to the training mat repeatedly and …gets choked out.” It’s all … Continue reading →

The award-winning fiction, poetry, and criticism of writer Amal El-Mohtar have appeared in publications ranging from Tor.com, Fireside Fiction, Lightspeed, Uncanny, and Strange Horizons, and in her own collection, The Honey Month. With Max Gladstone, she co-authored the multiple award-winning … Continue reading →

New York Times bestselling author Katherine Applegate has written or cowritten an impressive number of books from the 54-volume Animorph series to her latest, Odder. We discuss the inspiration behind Odder, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s surrogate mother program for orphaned … Continue reading →

Singer-songwriter Iris Dement has released seven albums since 1990, including her latest, Workin’ on a World. Her songs sometimes juxtapose heavy lyrics with upbeat music, letting the listener feel energized while contemplating the difficulties of life. While she doesn’t see … Continue reading →

Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and freelance journalist Nora Neus will visit the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s South High Branch on April 11 as part of the Authors at the Library series. Her most recent book is “Renegade Girls,” a young adult graphic … Continue reading →

American writer, illustrator and filmmaker Vashti Harrison is the New York Times bestselling creator of Big, winner of the 2024 Caldecott Medal, both the Coretta Scott King Book Award Author and Book Award Illustrator Honor, and a National Book Award … Continue reading →

Mary Robinette Kowal, author of The Martian Contingency, will appear with John Scalzi, author of When the Moon Hits Your Eye, to celebrate the release of their books on Sunday, March 23 at 2:00pm at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Mary … Continue reading →

The past few years have seen rising problems in the United States and increasingly divided citizenry. Conflict seems to be getting worse. So what can we do? Harvard negotiation expert Robert Bordone argues that conflict can be reframed as a … Continue reading →

Scottish-born Canadian singer-songwriter David Francey has released 13 albums, including his latest, “The Breath Between.” He’ll perform selections from across his catalog on February 14 at Six String Concerts. He talks about “The Breath Between,” created during the COVID-19 pandemic; … Continue reading →

Identical twins Adam and David Moss perform as the Brother Brothers, and they’ll be in Columbus on January 10, 2024, with Six String Concerts. Their latest release is The January Album, so named because they recorded it in January 2021. … Continue reading →

Science writer Erika Engelhaupt, author of one of my favorite recent books, Gory Details: Adventures From the Dark Side of Science, joins me to discuss her new book Go to Hell: A Traveler’s Guide to Earth’s Most Otherworldly Destinations. It’s … Continue reading →

Columbus poet Darren C. Demaree makes his returns to Craft to discuss his latest poetry collection, his 23rd: So Much More. He explores death, fatherhood, nature, and empathy, along with other topics. Demaree discusses his approach to poetry, emphasizing the … Continue reading →

What does is take to be a successful comedian, like David Nihill? Practice. And a desire to tell people interesting facts, like Columbus used to have the oldest captive gorilla and currently has the longest span, single tower S-shaped suspension … Continue reading →

Most scary Halloween stories work because evil creatures or people threaten the protagonist is threatened by. “Torture the women!” Hitchcock famously said. But this year’s halloween story considers the question of “Who’s the monster?” something worth considering at any time … Continue reading →

The days are getting shorter, a chill is in the air, and pumpkins are attacked mercilessly by knife-wielding maniacs: it must be Halloween season. It’s also one of the favorite times of year of Maxwell I. Gold, a Columbus native, … Continue reading →

Blogger and food writer Sarah Lohman won not one but two 2024Ohio Book Awards: the Ohio Book Award in Nonfiction and the Reader’s Choice Award for her book Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Food. The Ohioana Library will present the Ohio … Continue reading →

Singer-songwriter Ruth Moody will be in Columbus on September 27 with Six String Concerts. We discussed her new solo album “Wanderer,” her first in a decade, which reflects on motherhood, grief, and love. The album, recorded in Nashville, is deeply … Continue reading →

Poet George Bilgere, aka, Our Man in Berlin, drops by to discuss his latest, Cheap Motels of My Youth, which began at a café in Berlin and won the Rattle Magazine chapbook contest. We talk about his writing process, family, … Continue reading →

​Violinist Savannah Buist, cellist Katie Larson, and percussionist Michael Dause make up The Accidentals, who will perform in Columbus on March 12 with Six String Concerts. I spoke with Sav and Katie about their time as musicians, how the pandemic … Continue reading →

If you’re looking for a break from the various crises filling our lives right now, you might find some solace in reading up on a volatile moment in the United States’ past. This week we talk to Columbus author Karin … Continue reading →

My father was a school administrator for many years and I heard his enthusiasm for schools throughout my childhood. So I was intrigued by the title of Doris Caceres-Schumick’s book Public School Teaching Sucks, Period.: A Memoir of a Special Education/ESL … Continue reading →