Inside The Writer's Head

For the latest episode of “Inside the Writer’s Head,” Writer-in-Residence Dani McClain interviews Gavin DeVore Leonard. He’s the Executive Director of https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fohvoice.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7CKelly.Sheehy%40cincinnatilibrary.org%7Cfe4b1abf6acc4cd4fbe608d8743ceb6d%7C77eb15114aea452097fa4d1d27ae29ac%7C0%7C0%7C637387152282564577%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=jdH3SRaeRykdW0M5%2B2QEjKmOo%2FKjvz5pIXCWVl8u9f0%3D&reserved=0 (Ohio Voice), Ohio's 501(c)(3) civic engagement table, a job title that he breaks down for us early in our conversation. They discuss the 2020 election, voting, and more.

In this episode of our “Inside the Writer’s Head” podcast, Dani McClain speaks with bookstore owner Gregory Kornbluh. They discuss his vision and goal for opening a book store, adapting to COVID-19, and more. A product of Sands Montessori and Walnut Hills High School, Kornbluh got his start in bookselling while doing graduate work in American Studies at UMass Boston. He went on to spend a decade in the Sales & Marketing Department of Harvard University Press, a leading publisher of nonfiction in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, where he worked closely with authors, booksellers, librarians, and media members to help new books and ideas find their audience. After thirteen years on the East Coast, he returned home in November 2018 and opened Downbound's doors late the following year.

In this episode of our “Inside the Writer’s Head” podcast, Dani McClain speaks with comedian Luna Malbroux. They discuss one of Malbroux's recent performances that speaks to sex, power, desire, and also about this moment of national uprisings and police violence against Black bodies, and so much more. Named one of KQED's Women to Watch, Luna Malbroux is a comic, writer, and creator of the award-winning play, "How to Be A White Man". Winner of the Comedy Hackday Grand Prize at SF Sketchfest, Luna has made international headlines as the creator of EquiTable, an app that satirically solves the wage gap by creating 'reparations, one meal at a time.' A regular contributor to national publications, Luna has been featured on Fusion TV, AJ+ and Refinery 29. Tastefully crude, Luna is also the host and creator of the live and recording ongoing comedy talk-show, Live Sex. Originally from Louisiana, Luna has dazzled audiences all across the United States with her Southern charm mixed with her bold humor a feature at

In this episode of our “Inside the Writer’s Head” podcast, Dani McClain speaks with local journalist Nick Swartsell. Nick Swartsell has been staff writer and news editor at CityBeat Cincinnati for six years. He is currently furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but continues to contribute to CityBeat on a regular, pro-bono basis until he can resume full time paid work. Originally from Hamilton, Ohio, Nick completed an undergraduate degree in English and Political Science at Miami's Hamilton, Middletown and Oxford campuses. Shortly after he graduated, he began freelancing for various publications, including a community press covering township government in nearby Fairfield Township. He completed two years of the Americorps Public Ally program in Cincinnati before pursuing a masters degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. While in Texas, he interned for The Texas Observer and The Texas Tribune, writing stories about everything from a heated political battle over an indigenous cultural

In this episode of our “Inside the Writer’s Head” podcast, Dani McClain speaks with acclaimed artist and advocate Tim’m T. West. They discuss self-care in quarantine, moving back to Cincinnati, West's poetic memoirs, and more. Tim’m T. West is an educator, poet, youth advocate, and hip-hop artist who has spent decades traveling the nation, speaking about issues at the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and social justice. A graduate of Duke University (BA), The New School for Social Research (MA) and Stanford University (MA), he is the author of several books and hip-hop projects and is widely anthologized. He has also appeared in multiple documentaries at the intersection of hip hop and black masculinity. Prior to joining Teach For America in 2014, Tim’m served as inaugural faculty at Oakland School for the Arts, impacted educational outcomes as an English teacher and basketball coach at Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy, and more recently as Director of Youth Services at Chi

In this episode of “Inside the Writer’s Head” Dani McClain chats with her friend and colleague, author Daisy Hernández. They discuss memoir writing and the nature of memory, language, the differences between creative writing and journalism, the Midwest, and more. Daisy Hernández is the author of the award-winning memoir A Cup of Water Under My Bed and co-editor of Colonize This: Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism. The former editor of Color Lines magazine, she has reported for The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Slate, and has written for NPR’s All Things Considered and Code Switch. Her essays and fiction have appeared in Aster(ix), Bellingham Review, Brevity, Dogwood, Fourth Genre, Gulf Coast, Jute, and Rumpus, among other journals. A contributing editor for the Buddhist magazine Tricycle, Hernández is an assistant professor in the creative writing program at Miami University in Ohio and is currently teaching at Vanderbilt as the visiting writer in nonfiction for the Spring 2020 semester.

In this episode, McClain and Jan-Michele Lemon-Kearney, who gave McClain her first journalism job in 1997, discuss journalism, the history of the Black press, publishing, objectivity, the upcoming 2020 election, and more. Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney is the president of Sesh Communications, publisher of award-winning The Cincinnati Herald, The Northern Kentucky Herald, The Dayton Defender, seshPRIME magazine, and more. She is also the co-host of WLWT Channel 5’s “Let’s Talk, Cincy” weekly public affairs program and a realtor and attorney in private practice. Before joining Sesh, Ms. Lemon Kearney practiced law with the firm of Taft Stettinius & Hollister before branching out into a solo law career. She was born in Cincinnati and attended Rockdale elementary school and Walnut Hills High School. She graduated cume laude from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. While there, she attended an exchange program at an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama.

Welcome to season 5 of Inside the Writer’s Head with our 2020 Writer-in-Residence, Dani McClain! In her inaugural episode, McClain sits down with local author Kathy Y. Wilson, who was the Library’s first Writer-in-Residence in 2014 and a friend and mentor of McClain. Together they discuss everything from writing, health, the marginalization of the voices of Black women and girls, art, and more. Wilson is an acclaimed writer, performer, educator, and art collector, largely known for her provocative column “Your Negro Tour Guide”. Her column was published for eight years from 2000-2005 and again from 2013-2016 in Cincinnati’s alt-weekly City Beat. “Your Negro Tour Guide” was later adapted as a book and a one-woman play. In addition to her multiple creative iterations of “Your Negro Tour Guide”, Wilson has received national exposure through her NPR commentaries on All Things Considered and has been a contributing writer for the monthly Cincinnati Magazine, developing longer-form content about challenging Cinci

In this episode of Inside the Writer's Head, Jessica Strawser introduces us to her successor here at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 2020 Writer-in-Residence Dani McClain. Known for her in-depth reporting on race and reproductive health, Dani McClain is a contributing writer at The Nation and a fellow with Type Media Center (formerly the Nation Institute). Her writing has appeared in Time, Slate, Talking Points Memo, Colorlines, EBONY.com, The Rumpus, and other prestigious outlets. Her work has received a James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, as well as recognition by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, and elsewhere. A former staff reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, McClain has worked as a strategist with organizations including Color of Change and Drug Policy Alliance. Her book, We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood, was published April 2019 by Bold Type Books. In this episod

Comedian Gabe Kea's unbridled enthusiasm for entertaining audiences is what truly sets him apart. With a personality as big as his 6'5" frame, Gabe melds well-crafted, storytelling-based jokes with his comedic physicality to create an unforgettable show. Gabe started performing in St. Louis after spending most of his youth living in both the United States and Canada. He eventually relocated to southwestern Ohio, where he won the "Funniest Person in Cincinnati" contest. He has made several appearances on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom Show, has opened for Joel McHale at Gilda's Laugh Fest, and is a regular here in town at Go Bananas Comedy, The Funny Bone, and elsewhere. He has also been featured in various comedy Festivals; Limestone in Bloomington IN, Laughing Skull in Atlanta GA, the Flyover in St. Louis MO, and of course Cincy Brew Ha-Ha. In this episode of Inside the Writer's Head, Gabe joins Writer-in-Residence Jessica Strawser to delve into what writers and comedians can learn from one another, h

A few weeks ago, our Writer-in-Residence Jessica Strawser had the honor of joining the world’s #1 bestselling author James Patterson onstage, in front of a packed audience of readers of all ages, at the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts. No ticket? No problem! We’re pleased to bring you the live theater recording of their conversation as this month’s very special episode of Inside the Writer’s Head! Listen as they discuss Patterson’s three newest releases—the adult thriller Killer Instinct (coauthored with Howard Roughan), the middle-grade adventure novel Max Einstein: Rebels With a Cause (coauthored with Chris Grabenstein), and the picture book Bigger Words for Little Geniuses (coauthored with his wife, Susan Patterson)—what it was like collaborating with President Bill Clinton, what’s up next from him (Hint: Alex Cross fans with young readers on your gift list should be very excited!) and much more.

In this episode of “Inside the Writer’s Head,” our Writer-in-Residence Jessica Strawser chats with D.M. Pulley about her experiences behind the scenes in Amazon Publishing, the historical real-life inspiration behind her suspenseful new release, and more.  D.M. Pulley lives just outside of Cleveland with her family. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a professional engineer, rehabbing historic structures and conducting forensic investigations of building failures. It was a structural survey of a vacant building in Cleveland that inspired her debut novel, The Dead Key, which was the grand-prize winner of the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. The book, a dark, haunting thriller, went on to be published by Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer imprint and to date has a staggering 10,000+ reviews on the site (with a 4+ star average). She has since published three other stand-alone novels in a similar vein: The Buried Book, The Unclaimed Victim, and No One’s Home (debuting on September 1). Follow her on Fac

Kristen Lepionka is the author of the Roxane Weary mystery series, hailed as rebooting and expanding the hardboiled genre thanks to its "private eye with little concern for her own safety (or the gender of her shifting sexual partners)" (True Crime Addict's James Renner). Her debut, "The Last Place You Look," won the Shamus Award for Best First P.I. novel and was also nominated for Anthony and Macavity Awards. Her follow-up, "What You Want to See," hit shelves last summer, and this July brings the latest installment: "The Stories You Tell" (all from Minotaur Books). Kristen's writing has been selected for Shotgun Honey, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Grift, and Black Elephant. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her partner and two cats. Visit kristenlepionka.com.

David Bell (davidbellnovels.com) is the USA Today-bestselling author of eight suspense novels from Berkley/Penguin, including 'Somebody's Daughter', 'Bring Her Home', 'Since She Went Away', 'Somebody I Used to Know', 'The Forgotten Girl', 'Never Come Back', 'The Hiding Place', and 'Cemetary Girl'. His new psychological thriller, 'Layover', is due out July 2, and you can see him discuss the novel in person at Joseph-Beth Booksellers on Monday, July 8. He is an associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University where he directs the MFA program in creative writing. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he spends his free time rooting for the Reds and Bengals, and confusing fellow fans by being named David Bell while rooting for the Reds and Bengals. He lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with his wife, writer Molly McCaffrey. In this episode of “Inside the Writer’s Head,” our writer-in-residence host Jessica Strawser chats with David about the page-turning premise of Layover—which begins with a memorable en

Award winning author Sonali Dev writes Bollywood-style love stories that let her explore issues faced by women around the world while still indulging her faith in a happily ever after. Her books—including "A Bollywood Affair", "The Bollywood Bride", "A Distant Heart", and "A Change of Heart"—have been on NPR, Washington Post, Library Journal, and Kirkus Best Books of the year lists, but Sonali is most smug about Shelf Awareness calling her “Not only one of the best but also one of the bravest romance novelists working today.” Her latest novel, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors—a multicultural, gender-swapped reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice—released from William Morrow on May 7, 2019. Sonali lives in Chicagoland with her very patient and often amused husband, two teens who demand both patience and humor, and the world’s most perfect dog. Find more at sonalidev.com.

Meg Leder is a Cincinnati native who now lives in Brooklyn, New York, working as an Executive Editor at Penguin Books, where she oversees many of their lead nonfiction titles. She is also a talented author of both nonfiction and young adult fiction. Her debut YA novel, "The Museum of Heartbreak", takes a heartfelt look at the artifacts our relationships leave behind. Her most recent novel, "Letting Go of Gravity", is a moving coming-of-age story set here in Cincinnati—now available in hardcover and forthcoming in a new paperback edition this July. She is also the coauthor of several nonfiction books for teens and adults. In this candid conversation, she offers insight into how editors think, what gives writing its spark, and what it meant to her to bring her hometown to life for a new generation of readers.

In this episode of Inside the Writer's Head, Jessica speaks with non-fiction author Laurie Halse Anderson about her new book "Shout," the impact of sexual assault, and the power of telling stories about it. Content Warning: This article podcast deals with topics pertaining to sexual violence that may be sensitive for some.

Our new Writer-in-Residence is local author Jessica Strawser and her first guest on the Inside the Writer's Head podcast is Jess Montgomery Montgomery is the author of THE WIDOWS (Minotaur Books), a new historical mystery set in the 1920s, in which two women work together to solve a tragic murder and save their community. On the podcast, they discuss writing, storytelling, and writing history specifically. Loosely inspired by the true story of Ohio's first female sheriff in 1925, Montgomery's novel is set in Southeast Ohio's Appalachian foothills and depicts coal mining, Prohibition, workers' rights, women's rights, and other issues that still resonate today. Early chapters of the novel earned Jess an Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Award and the John E. Nance Writer in Residence at Thurber House in Columbus. She is already at work on the second book in the series, The Hollows, forthcoming in 2020. Listen in for some great insight!

In the final episode of Season 3 of Inside the Writer's Head with Writer-in-Residence Emma Carlson Berne, we hear from our 2019 Writer-in-Residence Jessica Strawser. Strawser is editor-at-large for Writer's Digest and an author of several novels set in nearby towns, including "Almost Missed You" and "Not That I Could Tell." In this episode, Emma and Jessica discuss how to stay committed as a writer even when you have a full-time job and a family. They also answer questions from participants in Emma's last writer's workshop and talk about Jessica's plans as the new Writer-In-Residence. Tune in!

On this episode of Inside the Writer's Head, our Writer-in-Residence Emma Carlson Berne speaks with Michael Bourret. Bourret is a partner of Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret - a well-known literary agency that represents authors from a myriad of genres. In this podcast, they discuss how to get a literary agent, and what it's like working with an agent to get a book published. Bourret also gives some tips on writing a query letter, namely not to stress too much about it. This is the last episode of Season 3 of Inside the Writer's Head with Emma Carlson Berne! And it's a good one. Tune in!