It is time to act on behalf of Ohioana….

Contact Your State Representative Now to Support the Ohioana Budget!

Governor Kasich’s proposed state budget bill has been released.  It includes an appropriation of $120,000 in each of Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013 for Ohioana.  Because this funding is critically important for Ohioana to maintain core services, we ask you to contact your state representative to express your strong support for our budget. (If you don’t know the name of your representative, please refer to item #4 below.)

The Ohioana budget will first be heard in the Ohio House by the Higher Education Subcommittee of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee. We expect to provide testimony in the last week of March, and will be relying on you to write, call, and/or visit your representative to voice your support.  If you prefer to write, please send letters, not emails.  Letters should be brief and cite your personal experiences for supporting Ohioana’s programs.  Phone calls and visits are also very effective.  Please note the following suggestions:

1.      Be positive.  Express your appreciation for previous state funding.  Share your personal experiences that have led you to become an avid Ohioana supporter.  We suggest you use the following format in addressing letters to representatives:    The Honorable Jane Doe, The Ohio House of Representatives, 77 S. High St., Columbus, OH 43215.

2.      The following are talking points that you may want to consider when composing letters or having discussions with legislators.

· At the foundation of all of our services is the Ohioana Collection.  On behalf of the citizens of Ohio, Ohioana promotes and preserves the legacy of Ohio authors, musicians and artists and through our programs we foster and nurture the talents of aspiring young writers and readers.

· State funding is needed to sustain our core services.  These funds are necessary so that Ohioana can seek out and leverage additional private support. Through this successful public/private partnership, Ohioana programs touched more than 80,000 Ohioans, including the Ohioana Book Festival, outreach to schools and libraries, and online educational materials.

· Ask for their support of $120,000 each year for Fiscal Years ‘12 and ‘13 for Ohioana funding.  The funds are appropriated in line item 355-501 of the budget bill.

· Thank the legislator for his/her consideration and past support.

3.      If you are calling or visiting legislators, but are unable to meet personally with them, take advantage of the time to speak with their legislative aides.  Because of heavy scheduling demands with multiple hearings and meetings, legislators may not be available at all times and do rely upon their aides to assist them in hearing constituent concerns.  If possible, send a follow up note of appreciation after the meeting.

4.      If you do not know who your state legislators are, check the website http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/ or call your county board of elections or local library.  You can also call the toll free legislative information number at 1 (800) 282-0253 to find phone numbers and addresses of legislators.

Thank you for showing your support of Ohioana.  Legislators have told us that the views of their constituents are very important to them, so please let them hear from you!

In order to qualify as an author for the festival, you must: have an Ohio connection (either born in Ohio or lived in Ohio for five or more years); your book must have been/be published after January 2010; your book must be traditionally published – we are not acception self-published authors at this time.

If you are interested in applying, click here for an application.

Please mail, email, or fax the application back to us with two copies of your book, a brief (120 words or less) bio, and a photo.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Authors will be notified no later than January 31 about participation in the festival.

The 4^th annual OHIOANA BOOK FESTIVAL is just around the corner – but even before the “Main Event” this Saturday (10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the State Library of Ohio, FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC), you can get a sneak preview by seeing and hearing some of our authors in these special appearances:

Wednesday, May 5:

11:00 a.m. – Noon
ALL SIDES with Ann Fisher (WOSU 820 AM)

In celebration of the 4^th annual Ohioana Book Festival, Ann Fisher hosts three authors as they reflect on writing and their Ohio roots:  poet and Ohio State University English professor Andrew Hudgins and children’s author Angela Johnson, and author and illustrator David Catrow.

4:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.
DANNO TALK OF THE TOWN (WCRS-FM, 102.1/98.3)

Ohioana’s David Weaver and authors Laura Bickle and Dara Naraghi join host Dan “Danno” Thomas for a preview of the 2010 Ohioana Book Festival

7:00 p.m.  – 8:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble Lennox Town Center
1739 Olentangy River Road – Columbus, OH 43212

Young adult historical novelist Lisa Klein and horror and science fiction writer Lucy Snyder read from their works, talk with fans, and sign copies of their books at this first of two free events hosted at the Lennox Town Center by Barnes & Noble, the official bookseller of the Ohioana Book Festival

Thursday, May 6:

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.           �
Worthington McConnell Art Center (MAC)
777 Evening Street – Worthington, OH 43085

Meet and hear writer and Worthington resident Lucy Snyder at a free public reception in the beautiful new McConnell Arts Center

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble Lennox Town Center
1739 Olentangy River Road – Columbus, OH 43212

Cartoonist, author and illustrator David Catrow and poet Andrew Hudgins share their works, greet fans, and sign copies of their books at this second free event celebrating the Ohioana Book Festival

Friday, May 7:

Get a sneak preview of the 2010 Ohioana Book Festival and meet these featured authors at the following Columbus Metropolitan Library branches – all free and open to the public:

10:00 a.m.            DAVID CATROW
Northside branch
1423 North High Street – Columbus, OH 43201

11:00 a.m.            LORI FOSTER
Whitehall Branch
4371 E. Broad Street – Columbus, OH 43213

1:00 p.m.              ANGELA JOHNSON
Northern Lights Branch
4093 Cleveland Ave. – Columbus, OH 43224

1:30 p.m.              DAVID CATROW
Hilltop Branch
511 South Hague Avenue – Columbus, OH 43204

2:00 p.m.              LORI FOSTER
Gahanna Branch
310 Granville Street – Gahanna, OH 43230

2:00 p.m.              DAN CHAON
Dublin Branch
75 N. High St, – Dublin, OH 43017

We hope to see you at these events – and remember to join us Saturday, May 8 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the State Library of Ohio for the 4^th annual OHIOANA BOOK FESTIVAL – it’s FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!  No ticket required – no advance registration.  FREE parking, too!

The festival will take place at Ohioana and the State Library of Ohio on Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 10am to 4:30pm, which means we need volunteers in the afternoon on Friday, May 7 and ALL DAY (8am – 6:30pm) Saturday.

We ask for at least a 2 HOUR commitment from our volunteers, though if you are able to commit more time to the festival, we would appreciate it. All Ohioana Book Festival volunteers will receive an Ohioana Book Festival t-shirt, which we will ask you to wear during your shift. Food will be provided during the festival to volunteers who have committed to four or more hours.

The times we need you are:

Friday, May 7 (Day before the Festival)

1pm – 5pm: We may not be here that late, but we need help setting up tables inside and with any last minute things for Saturday.

Saturday, May 8 (Day of the Festival)

8am – 10am: Set-up of outside and any final adjustments
9am – 11am: Festival operation/information, etc
11am – 1pm: Festival operation/information, etc
1pm – 3pm: Festival operation/information, etc
3pm – 5pm: Festival operation/information, etc
4:30pm – 6:30pm: Tear-down of Festival

If you are interested in volunteering, please email Beth Poley at bpoley@ohioana.org.

The Ohioana Book Festival exists to showcase the talents of Ohio’s authors, increase awareness of their literary contributions, and to celebrate and encourage the love of reading.  We have ten great featured authors and more than 70 festival authors this year.

We look forward to hearing from you and working with you on the 2010 Ohioana Book Festival!

The 2009 Ohioana Awards are quickly approaching (this weekend!).  You can still make reservations until the end of business today (October 15), so we hope to see you there!

Applications are due by November 15, 2009!  Be sure to apply on time!

Photos of the cover shoot are on our flickr account, click here to see them!

Thank you, as well, to Barnes & Noble booksellers for all of their dedication and hard work. Alexa Reck and her team worked tirelessly to get the authors’ books and to keep them stocked throughout the day. At times it got a little hectic but Alexa and the Barnes & Noble crew always kept things flowing smoothly.

Big thanks, as well, to Vito’s Catering. Everyone enjoyed their fabulous food and great employees, both at the book festival itself and at the governor’s reception later that night.

Thank you to Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland for kicking off the festival, and for the lovely authors’ reception at the governor’s residence on Saturday night.

Check back to this blog for further updates and for reviews of the festival. Also head over to Ohioana’s Flickr account for photos from the outreach events and the book festival itself.

See you next year!