Looking back at our literary life in 2020
Avoiding clichés is a ubiquitous piece of writing advice. Already, “2020, what a year!” is a bit of a cliché. But sometimes, clichés carry a lot of truth.
So, I’ll go ahead and say it. After all, diving into my annual look back at our region’s literary life without acknowledging — 2020, what a year! — would be worse than a cliché. It would be glib!
Nevertheless, even with shutdowns and illness and uncertainty, the literary life of the Miami Valley remained strong. I think we can all be proud of that.
Bookstores and libraries found ways to safely get books into the hands of readers. Libraries converted their in-person programming to virtual events, as did organizations like Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, Ohio Playwrights Circle, Word’s Worth Writing Connections, and The Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, which extends its virtual events for the Cultural Arts & Book Series through May 2021.
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize postponed its annual autumn celebration of the prize to spring of 2021, but found unique ways to connect readers and authors, continuing the discussion of literature through new virtual programs, the “Turn the Page” initiative and a monthly Virtual Book Club. Click on “Get Involved” on the organization’s website (www. daytonliterarypeaceprize. org) and scroll down to learn more.
Locally-published “Mock Turtle Zine” put out its 21st issue (www.mockturtlezine.com/issue-21) and is working on its 22nd, while “Flights,” the literary magazine of Sinclair Community College, put out its next issue ( flflightsscc. wordpress.com).
Two Dayton-based anthologies were published. One, published by The Dayton International Peace Museum through The Facing Project , and coordinated and edited by Kate Geiselman (who also is chair of the Department of English at Sinclair Community College and Editor of “Flights”) features interviews and essays from those who, per the project’s website, “with a story to share on the topic of gun violence.”
And “The Dayton Anthology,” edited by Shannon Shelton Miller and published by Belt Publishing, offffffffffffered essays and poetry by local writers reflflecting on the devastating 2019 tornadoes as well as the 2019 mass shooting.
Miami University’s Department of English launched its two-year lowresidency Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in CreativeWriting, and continues its programming with adjustments for COVID-19. Specifics about the curriculum, residencies and other pertinent details are available online at miamioh.edu, on the Department of English page; fifind the direct link to the MFA on the department’s creative writing page.
Two Dayton-area writers were recipients of Ohio Arts Council (OAC)’s Individual Excellence Awards: short story writer, novelist andWright State University creative writing professor Erin Flanagan and poet Aimee Noel.
The Ohioana Library created the Ohio Literary Trail (www.ohioana.org/ resources/the-ohio-literary-trail), spotlighting more than 70 sites (destinations and Ohiomarkers) focused on Ohio authors, poets, and other literary inflfluencers, including fifififififive in the Greater Dayton area: Paul Laurence Dunbar House and State Memorial, plus the Paul Laurence Dunbarmarker; Natalie Clifffffffffffford Barney (marker at Cooper Park, near the Dayton Metro Librarymain building); Hallie Quinn Brown (marker on the south side of the Hallie Quinn Brown Library at Central State University); Virginia Hamilton (marker is located at 740 Dayton St. in Yellow Springs; and Helen Hooven Santmyer (marker at 113 W. Third St. in Xenia).
Finally, residents and natives of the Dayton area published new books in 2020, all of which are easy to fifind with a quick search on the internet or at your local library or bookstore:
• P. J. Braley, “The Fire Slayers”
• Jeffff Bruce, the Strange Files mysteries, “The Strange Files,” “Florida Man,” “Get Strange,” and “Strange Currents”
• Molly Campbell, “The World Came To Us”
• Linda Castillo, “Outsider,” twelfth in the Kate
Burkholder Amishmystery series
• Cathryn Essinger, “The Apricot and the Moon”
• Steve Frech, “Deadly Games”
• David Lee Garrison, “Light in the River”
• Scott Geisel, “Fair Game”
• Kameron Hurley, “The Broken Heavens” (The Worldbreaker Saga Book 3)
• J. E. Irvin, “A Principle of Light”
• Melody Moezzi, “The Rumi Prescription: How an Ancient Mystic Poet Changed My Modern Manic Life”
• Jess Montgomery, (yes, that’s my pen name), “The Hollows,” second in the Kinship Historical Mystery Series
• TaraShea Nesbit, “Beheld”
• Susan Pohlman, “A Time To Seek”
• Nathan Pyle, “Stranger Planet”
• John Scalzi, “The Last Emperox” (The Interdependency Book 3)
• J. Bradford Tillson Jr., “Dayton Book Guys”
• TimWaggoner, “Writing in the Dark”
• HeatherWebber, “South of the Buttonwood Tree”
Wow! That’s a whole lot of literary awesomeness in a strange, challenging, and tragic year. I take hope and inspiration in seeing the many accomplishment of our Greater Dayton literary community in 2020, and I hope you, dear readers, do too. Stay safe, healthy and kind.