Craft: Exploring Creativity

Dr. Kimberlee Kiehl became Executive Director of the Ohioana Library in May 2024, and she joined me to discuss the library’s mission, notable collections, and upcoming events.

Founded in 1929 by
Martha Kinney Cooper (left), the Ohioana Library has worked to preserve the literary works of Ohioans, with a collection of over 90,000 books, as well as original artwork, and self-published works. It also includes papers from renowned Ohio authors like Toni Morrison, Lois Lenski, and Bexley’s own R.L. Stine.

Be sure to mark May 3rd on your calendar and attend the Ohioana Book Festival, which will be returning to the State Library of Ohio, the place I first did Ohioana interviews, years ago. Ohioana has revamped its membership and sponsorship tiers to include more engaging benefits, encouraging deeper connections with the community, so check those out. Go, Ohio!

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 a travel bucket list with over 50 destinations worldwide that are linked to various interpretations of hell, underworlds, and eerie locations. Engelhaupt says that “cultures throughout history and around the world have had some kind of version of the underworld,” so she worked with the editors at National Geographic to create a book that highlights some of these underworlds. From the Gates of Hell crater in Turkmenistan (but missing the Gates of Hell in Clintonville) to the Hell Cave of Ireland to the Bracken Bat Cave in Texas, Engelhaupt has plenty of hellish locations for you. Check it out.

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 of year, but especially in the fall.

Cast

Students from Christopher Ray’s Whetstone Academy of Performing Arts (Whetstone High School)

Dominic Holmes – Malik Collins
Diesel Berkowitz – Gage Freshour
Hannah Kemper – Opal Shipley
Almarie Shawcross – Lilian Debelius
Dianne Shawcross – Evelyn Boreman
Police officer – Cruz Reyes

Audio editing by June Crowe from Ryan Van Bibber’s Audio Production class at Fort Hayes

Laura Meckler, national education writer for the Washington Post, is the recipient of the 2024 Ohio Book Award for Book About Ohio or an Ohioan for her book Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity. Her book examines the history of and ongoing efforts towards racial integration and equity in the Cleveland suburb. A native of Shaker Heights, she examines the city in three sections: the founding of Shaker Heights, the arrival of the first black families, and the current focus on closing the academic achievement gap. This last is the most difficult to understand: Why does the gap persist? What should be done differently? How can the work of so many well-intentioned people not fulfill the promise of racial integration in America?

As I discovered in talking with Meckler, it’s a thorny, difficult issue, one compounded by multiple factors, of which race is just one. Listen in to hear her thoughts on the struggles and where she finds hope in the relentless efforts of Shaker Heights citizens. Then, read the book and learn why it’s an award winner.

You can meet Laura Meckler and the other winners of the 2024 Ohio Book Awards on October 29 at the Ohio Statehouse.

Columbus horror author Rami Ungar developed his passion for horror by reading masters like Anne Rice and Stephen King. He explored the Japanese ghost legend Hanako-san in his short story “Hannah” from his collection Hannah and Other Stories,’ which Craft adapted for radio broadcast on WCBE, 90.5 FM, on October 31 at 7 PM. In this story and others, Ungar explores timely fears like the influence of the internet and the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s also a coordinator for the Horror Writers Association‘s Ohio chapter, who will participate in Scary Saturday on October 26 at the Columbus Metropolitan Library.