Question: Who is the intended audience?
Answer: Ohioans, former Ohioans, and fans of writers’ memoirs.

Q: What is the book about?
A: Good Roots is a collection of essays and poetry from 20 prominent writers about growing up in Ohio. Each chapter offers a short profile of the contributor — they range from political satirist PJ O’Rourke to Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mary Oliver — and a childhood photo of the writer as a young Buckeye. The writers’ upbringings range from city to small town to rural. Yet what they have to tell us about their roots resonates with a shared heritage, a sense of what is universal and enduring about growing up in the heartland.

Q: Why are you the best person to write this book?
A: I was born in Cleveland, then returned from the East Coast to Ohio with young children and raised them in a small town for 10 years. I collected the essays because I wanted to explore what it would mean for my kids to grown up in Ohio.

Q: How is this book different from other books on this topic?
A: There isn’t a collection quite like this, that I know of.

Q: Is there anything else we should know about this book?
A:The Ohioana Library awarded the book a first-ever Legacy Citation in 2008 for outstanding contributions to the state’s cultural heritage.