Meg Cabot: From The Princess Diaries to Westerville

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Doug Dangler

Novelist Meg Cabot is more than just The Princess Diaries, although that’s an impressive accomplishment. She’s had an her extensive career, writing over 50 novels for young adults and adults. Next up, she will appear at a Meet the Author Talk at the Westerville Library on September 17th. Fans can attend to hear about the first book in the new Princess Diaries graphic novel (releasing in April 2026) and they’ll get exciting news about the upcoming Princess Diaries 3 movie, which will start filming around the same time. She might even talk about attending DC University, where she learned about writing graphic novels (but, disappointingly, not about becoming a superhero). Cabot teases her future works, including a sequel to her adult novel Enchanted to Meet You, and she describes the need of YA authors to be flexible about what they sign, like a dictionary

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Events to attend, Original Craft Productions | Comments Off on Meg Cabot: From The Princess Diaries to Westerville

Abby Posner: How many instruments can one person play?

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Doug Dangler

Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Abby Posner has released four albums and won the 28th annual USA Songwriting Competition in 2023. She’ll be in town with the Six String Concert series on September 19. We discuss her multi-instrumental talents and her journey in learning music from a young age. Abby also answers my eternal question of what musicians mean when they say they want to push their boundaries. It’s not buying the neighboring apartment, like I thought.

Join her at Six String!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Original Craft Productions | Comments Off on Abby Posner: How many instruments can one person play?

The Cat-like Comedy Reflexes of Bridget Mendy

Posted on August 27, 2025 by Doug Dangler

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 a journalist, Mendy transitioned to comedy after moving to Chicago and taking improv classes to overcome her fear of public speaking. Now based in Columbus, she performs at clubs and bars around town and has enjoyed the growth in Columbus’s comedy scene. Get to know Bridjet on Instagram @BJMendy and then see her at the Columbus Comedy Fest!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Original Craft Productions | Comments Off on The Cat-like Comedy Reflexes of Bridget Mendy

Nef Johnson’s Journey from  Shrunken Head to  Columbus Comedy Festival

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Doug Dangler

Columbus comedian Nef Johnson got his start at open mic nights at Columbus bars like the Shrunken Head, and he’s progressed to being a comic at the Columbus Comedy Festival. He calls his style conversational, and we discuss how he adapts his performances to suit the audience’s tastes. Johnson describes the emotional high of successful sets (a great set equals a sleepless night), along with the struggles of being a working comic. Catch him at the festival and tell him Dustin Hoffman says “Hello.”

Posted in Comedy, Events to attend, Original Craft Productions | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Nef Johnson’s Journey from  Shrunken Head to  Columbus Comedy Festival

Victoria Christopher Murray: Finding the Past

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Doug Dangler

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 Redmond Fauset, a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Murray shares her extensive research process, which involved moving to Harlem and reading numerous editions of Crisis Magazine, as well as her discovery of a romantic affair between Fauset and W.E.B. Du Bois. We discuss how she navigates blending historical facts with fiction and she recounts her first story (in elementary school!). She will be at the Columbus Book Festival on July 12 and 13.

Image credit: Three African American women in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance, ca. 1925. From http://www.blackpast.org/perspectives/passing-passing-peculiarly-american-racial-tradition-approaches-irrelevance

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Columbus Metropolitan Library, Original Craft Productions | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Victoria Christopher Murray: Finding the Past

Steve Hofstetter: Getting to Know Comedians

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Doug Dangler

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 than a dozen comics.

His career has offered plenty of material for comedy and mental health issues, from hecklers to an audience member collapsing during his set. We discuss how he keeps his comedy fresh, what kind of dog is best for travel (think small), and what happens when a comedian unaccustomed to edibles tries one on stage.

Catch Steve Hofstetter on July 15 at the Columbus Funny Bone.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Comedy, Original Craft Productions | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Steve Hofstetter: Getting to Know Comedians

Gregg Hurwitz: The Upside of Getting Choked Out

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Doug Dangler

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 in the service of ensuring that he knows intimately what his characters endure. Hurwitz is the bestselling author of 36 novels, including his latest, Nemesis, part of the Orphan X series. In this installment, his protagonist, the assassin Evan Smoke, tries to reclaim his humanity while dealing with betrayal.

We also discuss Hurwitz’s efforts to combat political and cultural polarization through thoughtful discourse, so listen in and then see Hurwitz when he appears at the Columbus Book Festival, July 12-13!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Columbus Metropolitan Library | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Gregg Hurwitz: The Upside of Getting Choked Out

Amal El-Mohtar: This is How You Win the Writing Game

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Doug Dangler

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 This is How You Lose the Time War. Her most recent book is The River Has Roots. She is one of 4 featured authors for the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Columbus Book Festival, which will be held at the main library on July 12-13.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Columbus Metropolitan Library, Original Craft Productions | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Amal El-Mohtar: This is How You Win the Writing Game

Grady Hendrix Casts a Spell

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Doug Dangler

Author Grady Hendrix‘s latest book is Witchcraft for Wayward Girls and we discuss both witchcraft and wayward. Set in the 1970s, the book follows four teenage girls in a Florida home for unwed mothers who discover a book that actually teaches them witchcraft. The book explores themes of power and control, often as described by 70s activist literature.

Years ago, Hendrix grew bored with traditional book events and now performs fast-paced book events with hundreds of images and Hendrix’s well-honed wit. I ask the age-old questions every author fears: when will you write a sequel and when will your books become movies?

Check out Grady Hendrix at the Westerville Library on May 28th!

Posted in Original Craft Productions | Comments Off on Grady Hendrix Casts a Spell

From Animorphs to Odd Otters, Katherine Applegate Brings the Talent

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Doug Dangler

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 otters.

Applegate co-wrote the Animorphs series with her husband, and we discuss the challenges and rewards of collaborative writing versus solo writing. We finish our delightful talk with insights into why she incorporates complex themes in children’s books and her experiences with book-to-movie adaptations. Applegate will appear at the Dublin branch of the Columbus Library on May 10th.

Image by KnipsKaline from Pixabay

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted in Columbus Metropolitan Library, Original Craft Productions | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on From Animorphs to Odd Otters, Katherine Applegate Brings the Talent