Presenting Page Count, the Podcast for Literary Lovers in and from the State of Ohio!

About Page Count

Page Count is a new literary podcast presented by the Ohio Center for the Book (OCFB) at Cleveland Public Library. This interview-format podcast will feature authors, librarians, booksellers, illustrators, publishing professionals, and literary advocates in and from the state of Ohio. Guests range from internationally recognized and bestselling authors to professionals working on a grassroots level to improve access to books and literacy resources.

Page Count is ad-free and can be found on all major podcasting apps. A new episode releases every other Tuesday.

Now on Demand

• Welcome to Page Count: Host Laura Maylene Walter interviews Cleveland Public Library Literature Department Manager and OCFB Coordinator Don Boozer to help introduce Ohio Center for the Book and their plans and hopes for the Page Count podcast.
• The Ohio Literary Trail: David Weaver, the executive director of the Ohioana Library Association, and Betty Weibel, author of The Ohio Literary Trail: A Guide, offer an overview of some notable literary sites across the state.
• Doing the Work with Thrity Umrigar: Bestselling author Thrity Umrigar discusses her latest novel, Honor, as well as her writing life, perspective on publishing, and love of libraries.Matt Bell discusses novel revision through the lens of his latest release, the craft book Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts.
• Building Community with Rachel Cargle: The founder of Elizabeth’s Bookshop and Writing Centre in Akron, discusses independent bookstores, her development as a writer and activist, intersectional feminism, and the opportunities and challenges facing writers from marginalized backgrounds.
• Christopher Gonzalez, author of the debut story collection I’m Not Hungry But I Could Eat, discusses the craft of writing short stories, literary magazine publishing, representation in publishing, reality television, and more.

Upcoming Episodes

The following guests are scheduled to appear in upcoming episodes (listed in alphabetical order):

• Devon Halliday, a literary agent at Transatlantic Agency, discusses her work as an agent, leaving New York to work from her hometown in Ohio, and tips for writers seeking publication. She also critiques three query letters submitted by Ohio writers.
• Writer, speaker, and former publishing executive Brandi Larsen discusses word count guidelines for writers hoping to publish books, including how word count translates to the page count as well as the business rationale behind such guidelines.
• Eric Obenauf and Eliza Wood-Obenauf, the founders of the Columbus-based publisher and independent bookstore Two Dollar Radio, discuss the genesis of their publishing company, small-press publishing, and more.
• Columbus-based author Jyotsna Sreenivasan discusses her new story collection, And Laughter Fell from the Sky, and writing from the perspective of second-generation American characters.

About our Host

Laura Maylene Walter is the Ohio Center for the Book Fellow and author of the novel Body of Stars (Dutton 2021) and the story collection Living Arrangements (BkMk Press 2011). Her writing has appeared in Poets & Writers, Kenyon Review, The Sun, Slate, Ninth Letter, Literary Hub, The Masters Review, Literary Hub, and many other publications. Walter has received fellowships, residencies, or grants from Tin House, Yaddo, the Ohio Arts Council, the Ohioana Library Association, the Chautauqua Institution, and Art Omi: Writers. She is a founding editor of Gordon Square Review and a mentor in Literary Cleveland’s Breakthrough Writing Residency.