Page Count

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 f...

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 lit...

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 g...

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...

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 attitud...

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 lon...

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 inte...

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 bio...

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 jus...

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 inspirat...

It’s launch day for Cleveland Noir , an anthology offering a twisty, duplicitous, and sometimes murderous view of Cleveland. Anthology editors Michael Ruhlman and Miesha Wilson Headen discuss the noir genre, why Cleveland is an apt city for this work, the process of curating and editing the anthology, the diverse range of voices and geographic locations represented, tips for new writers, and more....

Journey into the sewer with Jay B. Kalagayan, the creator, writer, and publisher of MeSseD, a comic series inspired by the nickname for the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) that follows the adventures of sewer worker Lilliput. Kalagayan discusses the art of comic creation and collaboration, his influences, the value of diverse stories and representation, pursuing creativity...

Jennifer Fisher, a Nancy Drew expert, author, collector, and historian, sheds light on the life and work of Mildred Wirt Benson, the original ghostwriter of the Nancy Drew series. Fisher reveals how and why the original 34 Nancy Drew books, which were published beginning in the 1930s, were revised decades later—sometimes significantly. She compares the original and revised versions of THE HIDDEN S...

As past panelists for the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards, Traci Brimhall, Melissa Faliveno, and Tanya Rey share what it was like to read and judge applications. They discuss what made an application stand out, how writers can craft the narrative and philosophy statements to good effect, the importance of submitting polished work, the inherent subjectivity of the process, persistenc...

Chaz O’Neil, the Individual Artist Programs & Percent for Art Coordinator for the Ohio Arts Council, offers behind-the-scenes tips for Ohio writers applying for the $5,000 OAC Individual Excellent Awards . He discusses eligibility, types of writing accepted, submission guidelines, narrative and philosophy statements, the judging process, and how writers can prepare the strongest application possib...

This episode was recorded before a live audience at the 2023 Ohioana Book Festival at the Columbus Metropolitan Library on April 22, 2023. A panel of five authors discuss turning points in their writing careers—the good, the bad, the ugly, and the existentially fraught. This conversation covers everything from rejection to reader reactions, imposter syndrome, awards, inspiration, validation, and m...

Kristen Elias Rowley, the editor in chief of The Ohio State University Press and its literary imprint, Mad Creek Books, sheds light on the nonfiction publishing landscape. She discusses university and small press publishing, the types of books Mad Creek publishes, the importance of discovering new voices, diversity in publishing, how she works with authors, and trends she sees in memoir submission...

To celebrate the publication of Grounded, a new middle-grade novel surrounding four kids searching for a lost cat in an airport, Huda Al-Marashi discusses the art of writing and publishing collaboratively. She sheds light on the technicalities of the collaboration process, the value of writing friendships, the commitment required to finish a book, writing for adults vs. kids, her advice for writer...

Page Count’s second season kicks off on May 9! Listen to snippets from just a few of our upcoming episodes featuring the following authors and experts:   Huda Al-Marashi , co-author of the new middle-grade novel Grounded, discusses the art of writing collaboratively. Kristen Elias Rowley , editor-in-chief of the Ohio State University Press , critiques nonfiction pages from Ohio writers. Jennifer F...

You know what they say: an April hiatus brings May . . . episodes? In any case, Page Count is taking a break from full-length episodes in April. But don’t worry—we’ll be back for a second season, which features an exciting lineup of guests, beginning May 9, 2023. A trailer for this second season will drop April 25.   Finally, our host, Laura Maylene Walter, will moderate a panel at the Ohioana Boo...

This bonus episode celebrates the return of an in-person Ohioana Book Festival on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Main Library. The day will include panel discussions, readings, activities, an on-site book fair, and a live Page Count podcast recording, among other offerings.   Festival authors featured in this episode who are scheduled to participate in the live Pa...

To celebrate the publication of her new story collection, The Last Catastrophe, Allegra Hyde discusses climate fiction, the concept of “global weirding,” the inspiration behind her speculative premises, the value of literary magazine publication, her revision process, what it was like to appear on a late-night show to discuss her debut novel, literary agents for short fiction writers, her writing...

Mid-American Review (MAR) Editor-in-Chief Abigail Cloud and Poetry Editor Megan Borocki shed light on the literary magazine landscape, especially for poets. Cloud and Borocki discuss what kind of work MAR publishes, their editorial approach and process, trends they see in the submission queue, submission tips, preferred fonts (spoiler: poets love Garamond), their perspective on cover letters, the...

Prince Shakur discusses his debut memoir, When They Tell You to Be Good, a political and personal exploration of his coming of age as a writer and activist. Shakur shares how race and identity shaped his formative years, how journaling providing him with a creative outlet, his experience with activism and protest, his approach to writing about family, how he incorporated research into the memoir,...

In honor of Valentine’s Day, poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis discusses the challenges and joys of writing love poems while sharing the creative process behind “The Goddess of Interracial Dating,” which appears in her collection A MORE PERFECT UNION. She also discusses the value of writing groups and residencies, literary magazine submission strategies, the art of persona poems, making her own superher...