To celebrate the 150th birthday of Ohio author Zane Grey, Laura is joined by Lucas Fralick from the Wyoming Center for the Book and Don Boozer from Cleveland Public Library to discuss Grey’s novel Wyoming, which was originally published in serial form in 1932. Wyoming surrounds plucky, independent Martha Ann Dixon and abrasive Andrew Bonning, whose paths cross as Martha Ann hitchhikes her way to Wyoming.

Lucas, Don, and Laura discuss their favorite (and not-so-favorite) parts of the novel; Grey’s depiction of Wyoming; the myth and the romanticization of the West; Grey as the first millionaire American author who popularized the Western genre; Grey’s secret life and many romantic entanglements; Thomas H. Pauly’s excellent Grey biography; and how this novel was inspired by (and perhaps should be partially credited to?) Grey’s assistant, Berenice Campbell. In the process, Lucas offers his insights as a Wyoming resident, and Laura gets a bit too worked up over Andrew Bonning, whom she considers a poster child for toxic masculinity.

Lucas Fralick is the program coordinator at Wyoming Humanities, which houses the Wyoming Center for the Book. Don Boozer is the manager of the Literature Department at Cleveland Public Library and coordinator for the Ohio Center for the Book. Both the Wyoming and the Ohio Center for the Book are designated affiliates of The Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. For more context surrounding Zane Grey's life and work that we couldn't fit in this discussion, see this blog post of the OCFB website.

Corrections: At several points in this episode, Laura mistakenly refers to Andrew Bonning as “Andrew Bonner.” (If he wanted people to get his name right, maybe he should have treated Martha Ann with a bit more respect. Just saying.) Laura also likely pronounced Berenice Campbell’s first name incorrectly, which she deeply regrets. 

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

Don Boozer, the Literature Department Manager and Ohio Center for the Book Coordinator at Cleveland Public Library, steps in as Page Count’s guest host to interview author and historian Douglas Brinkley. During a discussion that covers the burning Cuyahoga River, the conservation policies of past American presidents, environmental activism, and his latest book, Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening, Brinkley sheds light on the history of U.S. environmentalism while offering hope for the future.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson

Photo credit: Moore Huffman

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

In this bonus episode, join us behind the scenes at the kickoff event for Cleveland Reads, the citywide reading challenge that tasks Clevelanders with reading a million books and/or minutes in 2023!

Featured in this episode:

• Justin Bibb, Mayor of Cleveland

The kickoff event was held Saturday, December 17, 2022, in the Public Auditorium in downtown Cleveland. Additional Cleveland Reads events and programs will be held through 2023. Visit ClevelandReads.com to register and participate.

With special thanks to all Cleveland Reads partner organizations, especially the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, American Federation of Teachers, and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.

Literary agent, author, and podcaster Erin Hosier discusses the current publishing landscape, challenges and opportunities in the industry, the author-agent relationship, and what aspiring writers can do to develop their writing. Finally, she and Laura critique three query letters submitted by Ohio writers.

Erin Hosier is a literary agent with Dunow Carlson & Lerner in NYC, specializing in narrative nonfiction (music biography, memoirs by artists, history, science and untold true stories of all kinds) and select literary fiction. She is the author of the memoir DON'T LET ME DOWN (Atria, 2019), and the coauthor of HIT SO HARD by Patty Schemel (Da Capo, 2017). She is the co-creator and host of the podcast Tell Me About Your Father, now in its third year. In general, novels with happy endings put her in a bad mood. She lives in Cleveland.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Edan Lepucki

Publishing News & Info

• Publishing, Under Pressure (New York Times)

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library and hosted by Laura Maylene Walter. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

We’re wrapping up 2022 with a compilation of writing advice from some of the authors who appeared on the pod this year. From writing routines to persistence, motivation, research, rejection, and more, these authors have you covered. Be sure to listen to their full Page Count interviews for more in-depth discussion of these topics and others.

In this episode:

• Negesti Kaudo on why writers shouldn’t worry about time

Finally, at the end of this episode, we share a preview of our first conversation scheduled to air in 2023: an interview and query letter critique with literary agent Erin Hosier. That episode airs January 3, 2023, so be sure to subscribe to Page Count and stay tuned.

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

We’re taking a meta dive into the world of podcasting with Jill Grunenwald, an author, librarian, and the cohost of OverDrive’s Professional Book Nerds podcast. Grunenwald shares how Professional Book Nerds got its start, how she and her cohosts produce the show, the challenges and benefits of hosting a podcast, tips for authors making their first podcast appearance, and why podcasting is such a popular medium for discussing books. On the writing front, Grunenwald discusses her work as a memoirist, including her latest title READING BEHIND BARS, which chronicles her time as a prison librarian.

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Running with a Police Escort by Jill Grunenwald

Podcasts mentioned in this episode:

• Professional Book Nerds

Additional podcasts Laura recommends for writers:

• Missing Pages

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

This mini episode offers 10 tips for writers working on their first novels. Host Laura Maylene Walter draws on her experience as a novelist to discuss idea generation, outlines, structure, word-count goals, persistence, the constant battle against self-doubt, and more.

The advice Walter shares in this episode was originally recorded during a workshop she led at the Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. This episode may be especially helpful for writers participating in NaNoWriMo, the annual challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November.

The cold open is an outtake “Escaping the Drawer with Sammy and Annisha.” And for another episode related to the novel-writing process, listen to “Novel Revision with Matt Bell.”

Finally, as Thanksgiving approaches, learn about National Native American Heritage Month by accessing resources from the National Park Service, the National Archives, the Smithsonian, and more.

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

Kirsten Reach, founder of Jonquil Editorial and former Kenyon Review fiction editor and Melville House book editor, critiques opening pages from Ohio prose writers. Her feedback surrounds the importance of starting in the right place, writing dialogue that moves the story forward, and creating a clear and immediate sense of the world from the very first page. This episode also covers literary magazine submission tips, the best time to hire a freelance editor, the joys of cake and gossip, and more. With special thanks to the three writers who shared their work: S. Elizabeth Sigler, Suzanne Ondrus, and JB Bergin.

To learn more about Kirsten Reach and her editorial work, visit Jonquil Editorial or connect with her on Twitter @KirstenReach.

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

In this special live episode, Laura Maylene Walter interviews Liz Breazeale, an award-winning author and NEA Fellow, to offer listeners practical advice surrounding the writing process, revision, rejection, literary agents, publication, MFA programs, and more. During their conversation, Liz equates revision with disaster; Laura reveals why she can’t be Liz’s literary executor; Liz describes how she found her literary agent; and Laura shares how she won a writing grant that will transform her into a mermaid.

This episode was recorded before a live audience on September 10, 2022, at Cleveland Public Library as part of Literary Clevleand’s Inkubator Writing Conference. Learn more about Liz Breazeale by visiting her website or following her on Twitter or Instagram. 

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.

A fun discussion about puppets, children’s literature, libraries, and the age-old cat vs. dog debate? Toucan play at that game—namely, our two special guests Sammy and Annisha!

First, we partnered with the Indiana Center for the Book to chat with our friend Sammy, a corduroy puppet in the shape of a toucan who has interviewed Indiana authors for more than a decade. Sammy lives in a drawer but does not want to talk about it! Sammy is a very good reader! Sammy thinks Garfield is a killjoy! Sammy does not know who Jonathan Franzen is! Sammy’s sassiness increases with age! Sammy sees puppets as friends! Although really, what even IS a puppet, anyway?

We’re also joined by Annisha Jeffries, the Manager of the Youth Services Department at Cleveland Public Library. Annisha discusses her love of cats, why puppets are helpful for young readers, why libraries matter, and more. She also shares her enthusiasm for Bill Cotter’s books, including DON’T PUSH THE BUTTON and DON’T TOUCH THIS BOOK. Sammy, meanwhile, offers enthusiastic bird praise for author April Pulley Sayre and shares Sayre’s delightful book, BIRD, BIRD, BIRD!

Find Sammy’s amazing interviews on the Indiana State Library’s Toucan Tuesdays YouTube playlist, or check out a few of our favorites:

• Sammy interviews Leah Johnson!

Mentioned in this episode:

• Puppetry at Cleveland Public Library

Produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library and hosted by Laura Maylene Walter. For a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email [email protected] (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Twitter or on Facebook.