Guest Authors

In 2008, we had nearly 100 guest authors participate! Browse through these pages to learn more about our special guests.

Or you can visit our 2007 guest authors area to learn about past year's guests.

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2008 Guest Authors

A through F | G through L | M through R | S through Z

 

Mychelle Martin

From her teenaged days of keeping a personal diary, Mychelle Martin has enjoyed journaling her thoughts about life and its experiences. She believes in the power of well- crafted words. Mychelle presents workshops on teacher research, writing, and journaling. She is a National Writing Project Fellow. During the summer of 2006, she attended writing workshops with Natalie Goldberg in Taos, New Mexico, and Lucy Calkins at Columbia University in New York. She holds a Masters degree from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Mychelle currently teaches a fourth grade classroom of aspiring young authors and conducts Writing Workshops for area teachers. Scheduled Appearance: Writer's Conference - May 16, 9:45 am

Raymond McDaniel

Raymond McDaniel is the author of the National Poetry Series award-winning collection Murder (a violet). A native of Florida, McDaniel now lives in Ann Arbor, writes for The Constant Critic, teaches at the University of Michigan, and hosts the reading series at Shaman Drum Bookshop. Ray's new book is "Saltwater Empire". Conceived in the years before Hurricane Katrina and deeply influenced by its aftermath, Saltwater Empire is an assemblage of geographical metaphor expressed in original lyrics, text from The Tempest, and the voices of a ravaged New Orleans. Scheduled Appearance: Kalamazoo Stage - May 17, 12:30, introduce Maureen Freely Scheduled Appearance: Author Reading - May 17, Gale Stage, 2:00

Robert McElvaine

Robert S. McElvaine is Elizabeth Chisholm Professor of Arts and Letters and Chair of the Department of History at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi and a longtime Democratic and progressive activist. He is the author of ten books, including The Great Depression, Mario Cuomo, What’s Left?—A New Democratic Vision for America, and Eve's Seed: Biology, the Sexes and the Course of History. He has written scores of articles and op eds for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and many others. His latest book is Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America (Crown). Scheduled Appearance: Faith/Politics Panel - May 17, Michigan Stage (League), 2:00

Charity Nebbe

Charity Nebbe spent her childhood wandering the prairies and woodlands of Iowa. Now she explores the woods near Dexter, Michigan where she lives with her husband, daughter, and son. They share their small home with three wonderful mutts, five lazy housecats, and two cats that are quite busy. When she’s not out walking in the woods with dogs and kids, Charity hosts public radio programs on Michigan Pubilc Radio in Ann Arbor. Our Walk in the Woods is her first book for children. Scheduled Appearance: Books Change Lives panel - May 17, Michigan Stage (League), 11:00 am Scheduled Appearance: Author Reading - May 17, Borders Stage, 3:30

Matthew "Buzzy" Nielsen

Buzzy has worked in libraries for over ten years, in institutions ranging from the tiny Langlois Public and Pacific High School Libraries in Oregon to the massive University of Michigan Library. He recently completed dual master's degrees in Information and Public Policy. His interests include rural library development, the economics of libraries, and information technology policy. Scheduled Appearance: Future of the Book Panel - May 17, Mich. Humanities Stage, 2:00

Jim Ottaviani

Jim is the author of graphic novels about scientists, ranging from physicists to paleontogists to behaviorists. His books are probably the only ones to have received acclaim from both Physics World and Vampirella Magazine...and everything in between, including The Comics Journal to Discover to Entertainment Weekly to Time to Variety. Upcoming titles include biographies of Richard Feynman and the "Trimates" (Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas) for First Second, and a story about the space race for Aladdin, Simon & Schuster's young adult imprint. He comes to comics via careers in nuclear engineering and librarianship, and when he's not writing or running trails, he gives talks on comics and science in venues ranging from public libraries in small Michigan towns to the Nobel Museum in Stockholm. Scheduled Appearance: School Visit (pre-arranged)

John Otterbacher

Since earning his doctorate in clinical psychology, John Otterbacher has taught college, served as a State Representative and Senator, worked as a psychotherapist, and taken some long sails with his family (sixteen months in 1989-90 and six years between 1998 and 2004), recently sailing across the ocean four times. A longtime contributor to sailing magazines (Sailing, Cruising World and Yachting Monthly in England), John wrote Sailing Grace at his editor's insistence. John currenly lives and writes in Michigan. Scheduled Appearance: Michigan Notable Books Event - May 14, Borders Liberty Store, 7:00 pm

Ellen Piligian

Ellen Piligian is a metro Detroit freelance writer whose subjects ranged from Olympic athletes to careers in public heath to moms who rock. She has been a stringer for People magazine since 1999 and senior writer for International Figure Skating since 1997. Bylines have appeared in the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Twist, Model D, The New York Times, The Metro Times, Strut, Signature, Vital, Teen People, Seventeen, Air Tran's Go! Magazine and Southwest's Spirit Magazine, among others. She has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University. Scheduled Appearance: Writer's Conference - May 16, 9:45 am

Deb Pilutti

Deb Pilutti has been designing and illustrating fun stuff for children for the past 10 years, and now includes "writing for children" on her job description. Her first picture book, The City Kid and the Suburb Kid, will be published by Sterling in May 2008. Deb's design and illustration work has earned many awards and appears on toys, web sites, books and clothing. Scheduled Appearance: School Visit (pre-arranged)

Eileen Pollack

Eileen Pollack is the author of the novel Paradise, New York, a work of nonfiction entitled Woman Walking Ahead: In Search of Catherine Weldon and Sitting Bull, a collection of stories called The Rabbi in the Attic, and, most recently, In the Mouth: Stories & Novellas. She is the Zell Director of the MFA Program at the University of Michigan. Scheduled Appearance: Writer's Conference - May 16, 9:45 am

Daniel Radosh

Daniel Radosh is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and a contributing editor at The Week magazine. His writings have appeared in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Playboy, Esquire, and GQ. In the early 1990s, Radosh was a staff writer and editor at Spy magazine. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and children. Scheduled Appearance: Faith/Politics Panel - May 17, Michigan Stage (League), 2:00 Scheduled Appearance: Election Panel - May 17, Gale Stage, 3:30

Greg Rappleye

Greg Rappleye is corporation counsel for Ottawa County, Grand Haven, Michigan. He is the author of two poetry collections, Holding Down the Earth and A Path Between Houses, as well as two chapbooks. A past Bread Loaf Fellow in poetry, he has won a number of awards, including a Pushcart Prize, the Paumanok Poetry Award, and the Brittingham Prize, and he was the first runner up for the 2007 Dorset Prize. Scheduled Appearance: Writer's Conference - May 16, 8:30 am

Laura Pershin Raynor

Laura Pershin Raynor is a children's librarian and storyteller at the Ann Arbor District Library. Laura recently received the State of Michigan Award of Merit for children's librarians. She has performed as a Teller in Residence at the International Storytelling Center, the Colonial Williamsburg Festival, and many other storytelling festivals around the nation. Scheduled Appearance: "Giraffes Can't Dance" - May 17, Gale Stage, 12:30

Keith Reisinger

I have spent my entire career working in the book manufacturing industry and I absolutely love it. I spent the first 19 years of my career working for an offset book printer and the last 7 working for a short run digital book printer. I love sharing what I know with authors and/or publishers as it helps them make informed decisions about how to get their books printed. Scheduled Appearance: Writer's Conference - May 16, 2:00

Cynthia Furlong Reynolds

At a very early age, Cynthia Furlong Reynolds discovered that her calling was to help people tell their stories; she later told about that experience in her children's book Grammie's Secret Cupboard. Her career began as a journalist and a news liaison, working on the staffs of the Portland Times, St. Petersburg Times, Omaha World-Herald, Princeton University (Associate Director, Office of Communications/Publications),and the University of Tampa (Director, Communication/Publications). As a freelance writer juggling writing time with motherhood, her byline has appeared in dozens of magazines, journals, and newspapers around the country. She has also written a number of oral histories, for individuals, towns, non-profit organizations, and corporations. Scheduled Appearance: Writer's Conference - May 16, 2:00 Scheduled Appearance: School Visit (pre-arranged)

Christine Rhein

Christine Rhein is the author of Wild Flight, winner of the Walt McDonald First-Book Competition in Poetry (Texas Tech University Press, 2008). Her poems have been published in many literary journals, and have been selected for Poetry Daily and Best New Poets 2007. Christine has a degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University. She worked for fifteen years in the automotive industry before becoming a stay-at-home mother and writer. She lives in Brighton, Michigan. Scheduled Appearance: Gale Stage - May 17, 2:00, introduce Ray McDaniel

Jacqui Robbins

Jacqui Robbins has filed resumes, sold books, written grants, worked the grill at a snack bar, and taught students from ages 6 months to 65 years. Jacqui's first book, The New Girl…And Me was published in June, 2006 (illustrated by Matt Phelan, Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books). Jacqui's next book, Two of a Kind, will be published in June 2009 (also illustrated by Matt Phelan, Atheneum), to be followed by Desmond's New Shoes. Scheduled Appearance: School Visit (pre-arranged)

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