Cbus Libraries

Poets, join us at the inaugural The Black Poets Fest on September 19-20! 🎤✍️ The festival features a workshop, panel, vendor marketplace, and plenty of incredible performances.

The Black Poets Fest is a two-day literary experience centering Black voices and strengthening community through poetry. Taking place September 19–20 in Columbus, Ohio, the inaugural festival will bring together poets, writers, creatives, curators, vendors, and community members from across the Midwest for a powerful weekend of artistic expression and intentional connection.

The Main Fest Experience will take place Saturday, September 19, at the Maroon Culture Lab, located at 867 Mt. Vernon Ave. The day will feature a Black-owned vendor marketplace, writing workshop, a panel discussion on Curating Community, and an evening theater experience filled with poetry performances from emerging and established artists.

On Sunday, September 20, Young Black Voices will offer free youth programming for youth ages 13–17. The day will include a writing workshop, performance teaching lab, guest speaker, youth entrepreneur marketplace, lunch, and opportunities for young poets to share their voices.

Learn more and register ➡️ theblackpoetsfest.com

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Congrats Janet!

Janet Ingraham Dwyer to receive the 2026 Ohio Library Council Hall of Fame Librarian Award
August 19, 2026

The State Library of Ohio is proud to announce that Janet Ingraham Dwyer has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Ohio Library Council (OLC) Hall of Fame Librarian Award. The OLC Hall of Fame Librarian Award recognizes library professionals whose careers have made an enduring impact on Ohio libraries and the communities they serve. This prestigious honor recognizes Janet’s exemplary career of service, leadership, collaboration, mentorship, and dedication to Ohio’s libraries.

“Janet Ingraham Dwyer’s visionary leadership, generous mentorship, and lifelong commitment to early literacy have transformed Ohio’s libraries and inspired generations of professionals,” expressed State Librarian Mandy Knapp.

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The Ohioana Library is pleased to announce the winners of the 85th annual Ohio Book Awards. First given in 1942, the awards are the second oldest state literary prizes in the nation and honor outstanding works by Ohio authors and illustrators in six categories: Fiction, Poetry, Juvenile Literature, Middle Grade Literature, Young Adult Literature, and Nonfiction. The seventh category, Book About Ohio or an Ohioan, may include books by non-Ohio authors.

About Ohio/An Ohioan:
John U. Bacon. The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. New York, NY: Liveright Publishing, 2025.

Fiction:
Patrick Ryan. Buckeye. New York, NY: Penguin Random House, 2025.

Juvenile:
Jashar Awan. Every Monday Mabel. New York, NY: SimonKIDS, 2025.

Middle Grade
Rosalyn Ransaw. Smoke & Mirrors. New York, NY: Amulet Books, 2025.

Nonfiction
John Green. Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection. New York, NY: Crash Course Books, 2025.

Poetry:
Arah Ko. Brine Orchid: Poems. Portland, OR: YesYes Books, 2025.

Young Adult:
Mindy McGinnis. How Girls are Made. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2025.

Readers’ Choice:
Marty Ross-Dolen. Always There, Always Gone: A Daughter's Search for Truth. Berkeley, CA: She Writes Press, 2025.

The 2026 Ohio Book Awards will take place online on Zoom, on Thursday, October 15 at 7:00pm, and is free to attend. Details to come! https://www.ohioana.org/programs/ohio-book-awards/

Congratulations to all of our winners!

ONE WEEK AWAY! 😁 On Wednesday, August 5, join The New Yorker cartoonist Tom Toro for "The Craft of New Yorker Cartoons" workshop at Thurber Center. 🎨 No prior cartooning experience or skill required. Open to adults and teens 15+.

Register ➡️ thurberhouse.org/events

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The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC

In case you missed it, our friends at Thurber House are hosting not one, not two, not three, but FOUR authors on September 6! 🤯🤯🤯

Headliner Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz will be in conversation with Ernest Cline (author of Ready Player One), Hanif Abdurraqib (author of They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us), and Scott Woods (author of Black Night Is Falling).

🎟️ Register: thurberhouse.org/events

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Look for our new GHPL PopUp Library in the community this summer!

We'll be at the first Grandview Hop of the season this Saturday, Music on the Lawn concerts every Tuesday through July, and the City of Grandview Heights, Ohio Rubber Duck Derby on July 24.

The new vehicle was made possible with additional support from the Grandview Heights Public Library Foundation.

Stop by, say hi, and check out a book!