Author Mark Clark talks writing, researching & Kirk v. Picard

Mark Clark is a polymath of geek culture.

He's written two books about Star Trek, a critical filmography of 1960s horror cinema, and, most recently, a FAQ about Star Wars.

He recently visited Mentor Public Library and was kind enough to talk about his writing.

Clark explained how he gathers new information on topics as well researched as Star Trek and Star Wars. He also discussed how he picks the subjects for his books.

He even weighed in on two of the most important pop-culture debates of our era: Kirk v. Picard; and Star Trek v. Star Wars.

That's right. The man behind not one but two Star Trek FAQs divulged if he's an original-series or Next-Gen guy, a Trekkie or a Jedi!

He also told us the biggest myth surrounding the making of Star Wars. It's a tale that even George Lucas perpetuates.

For more author talks at Mentor Public Library, visit our YouTube page.

Author Deanna Adams offers advice to writers

Author Deanna Adams offered advice to writers, both professionals and hobbyists, during her recent visit to Mentor Public Library.

She stressed the importance of observation, reading, and participating in writers' events.

"Those who want to write for a career should start early and go to a lot of writing events," she said, "be part of the writing community, be part of writers's groups, hang out with other writers and learn from them. Because writing is a very solitary field. So you want to get out and embrace of the aspects of life and other people."

Adams' newest book is The Writer’s GPS: A Guide to Writing & Selling Your Book.

She also wrote Rock ’n’ Roll and the Cleveland Connection, Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Roots and Peggy Sue Got Pregnant.

Additionally, Adams discussed the role that music plays in her writing.

"I'm a baby boomer. Music was always important to us," she said.

"Music defines your life, in many ways."

For more author interviews, visit Mentor Public Library's Facebook page

The Force will be with us this Monday (and you should be there too)

We have an author visiting us next week that will please Jedi masters and lil' Padawans alike.

Mark Clark—the author of Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Trilogy That Changed the Movies—will talk about a galaxy far, far away at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 8., at our Main Branch.

He'll discuss the origins of Star Wars and explore how behind-the-scenes drama during the writing of Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi influenced the current blockbuster Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

Clark is a polymath of geek culture. In addition to Star Wars FAQ, he's also written two books about Star Trek and a critical filmography of 1960s horror cinema.

The talk is free and open to everyone. You can register for it on Mentor Public Library's website or by calling 440-255-8811 ext. 216.

By the way, if you or your kids love Star Wars, then we have all kind of books, videos, albums and even video games that you can borrow for free with your library card.

The history of Mentor with Tom Matowitz

Thomas Matowitz—author, local historian, and Mentor resident—recently visited our library to talk about his newest history book, Mentor.

In his book, Matowitz traces this history of Mentor from a sparsely populated outpost (one of the first in the Western Reserve) to the city it is today.

Matowitz also discusses the city's most famous residents, including the country's 20th president, James A. Garfield.

Mentor is available for sale at James A. Garfield National Historic Site, at local bookstores, and online. Of course, you can also check it out at Mentor Public Library.

Matowitz has written seven books about local history; and, as he mentioned during his recent visit, his next book will be about a Mentor family and what they went through during World War II.

When it comes out, we'll be sure to have that book on our shelves, as well.

Learn about the history of Mentor with Author Thomas Matowitz

Thomas Matowitz will discuss the history of Mentor and his new book about the city on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at Mentor Public Library's Main Branch.

What do you know about the city of Mentor's history? Odds are that it's not as much as Thomas Matowitz.

He literally wrote the book on it, after all.

Matowitz will talk about his new book, Mentor, and the city's history at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at Mentor Public Library's Main Branch. He'll discuss prominent families like the Garfields, landmarks like the Wildwood Estate, and more.

The talk is free and open to the public. You can register for it on our online event calendar.

After his talk, Matowitz will sign copies of his book which will be available for sale.

Gail Ghetia Bellamy discusses her own Cleveland Memories

Gail Ghetia Bellamy—the author of the Cleveland Memories series—visited Mentor Library recently to discuss her books.

Bellamy is a renaissance woman—a poet, scholar, author and magazine editor who is a certified culinary professional with her doctorate degree in creative writing. Her writing, which includes everything from poetry to journalism, has been published in books, anthologies and magazines.

While at the library, Bellamy discussed the value of nostalgia and how it can bring people closer.

She also explained what her poetry has in common with the Cleveland Memories series.

For more author interviews, check out Mentor Library's YouTube page.

Author takes people on tour of Cleveland memories

Gail Ghetia Bellamy--the author of the Cleveland Memories series--will talk about the city's past this Monday at Mentor Library's Main Branch.

Gail Ghetia Bellamy has written three books about Cleveland Memories—Cleveland Christmas Memories, Cleveland Summertime Memories and Cleveland Food Memories—but there's more to her memories than just recalling the past.

"While nostalgia books have an element of history, they also encompass popular culture and even a bit of memoir," she told the Heights Libraries when they interviewed her. "Also, as an author, writing nostalgia books is a wonderful experience because people are so warm and enthusiastic when they’re sharing their own memories."

Bellamy will bring her memories, warmth and enthusiasm with her during her free author talk Monday evening at Mentor Library's Main Branch.

She'll share photos and stories from Cleveland's past and take us on a tour of the city's yesteryear.

Bellamy is a renaissance woman—a poet, scholar, author and magazine editor who is a certified culinary professional with her doctorate degree in creative writing. Her writing, which includes everything from poetry to journalism, has been published in books, anthologies and magazines.

In addition to sharing her stories and memories, Bellamy will also be signing books after her talk Monday.

Why James Renner investigates monsters and myths

Author and journalist James Renner spent years collecting stories about the weird and wonderful denizens of this state for his book, It Came from Ohio: True Tales of the Weird, Wild and Unexplained.

On Monday, he visited Mentor Public Library and discussed the Loveland Frog, Lake Erie Monster, the Melonheads of Kirtland and other myths and monsters from the Buckeye state.

He also talked about how we went from writing true crime stories to investigating tales of moth men.

If you want, you can check out It Came from Ohio, as well as Renner's true-crime stories or his mystery novel, from Mentor Library.

Rachele Alpine, 'Canary' writer, offers tips to teen writers.

Rachele Alpine—the author of the Young Adult novel, Canary—hosted a writers workshop especially for teens Saturday at our Main Branch.

Everyone who came to the workshop also got a free copy of Canary.

Alpine’s book tells the story of Kate Franklin, a teenage girl who is sexually assaulted by a popular student-athlete and then told by her father to keep it a secret.

In this video, Alpine talks about Canary and what advice she would give to young writers.

If Canary piques your interest, you should consider joining our 20/30 Book Club for their March meeting.

They'll be discussing Canary and Alpine is coming to the meeting, as well.

Our 20/30 Book Club will be meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 26 at the Don Tequila in Mentor. Click here or call (440) 255-8811 ext. 215 for more information on how you can join the fun.

Cleveland storyteller shares stories from the city's gilded age

"Our mission is to make Clevelanders more proud of Cleveland through its great history."

That's what storyteller Dan Ruminski said before his talk on the families of Millionaire's Mile Monday.

Ruminski told his stories to a packed house at our Main Branch; but, if you missed his talk, that doesn't mean you have to miss his stories.

You can still buy Ruminski's book, Cleveland in the Gilded Age, from his website. The book costs $20 and part of the proceeds go the Willoughby Rotary Autism Project, which purchases iPads for children with autism.

We had the chance to interview Ruminski before his talk Monday. See what he had to say about Cleveland, its history and the power of stories.

For more information on programs and events at Mentor Public Library, visit www.mentorpl.org.

The Meeting of the (Mark) Twain

Mark Twain visited the Mentor Public Library last week. (Apparently the rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated.)

Twain was gracious enough to answer a few of our questions before speaking at the library.

For more information on visiting authors--both the living and the posthumous--visit www.mentorpl.org.

Chatting with Maria Isabella, the author of 'In the Kitchen with Cleveland's Favorite Chefs'

Earlier this week, Maria Isabella -- the author of the cookbook, In the Kitchen with Cleveland's Favorite Chefs -- visited Mentor Public Library.

She talked about how food has affected her life and family and how she wrote her book.

Isabella compiled appetizer, dinner and dessert recipes from 35 local chefs, including Jonathon Sawyer, Eric Williams, Michael Symon, Dante Boccuzzi, Zachary Bruell’s and Karen Small.

For more on Isabella, you can visit her website or blog. You can buy her book at your local bookstore or here. (You can also check it out at your local library.)

For more author visits and other programs at the library, visit www.mentorpl.org.

Margit Liesche coming to Mentor Library to talk about new novel, ‘Tryptich’

Margit Liesche, the author behind the WWII-era Pucci Lewis novels, is coming to Mentor Public Library to talk about her newest mystery, Tryptich.

Tryptich tells the stories of two sets of mothers and daughters—one based in 1956 Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution and the other in 1986 Chicago as the daughter of refugees learns the truth about her mother’s death.

Margit Liesche

Liesche is herself the child of Hungarian missionaries who settled in San Francisco after years in China. She drew from her family’s own hushed recollections of the Budapest Revolution to write Tryptich.

“Triptych was conceived at a summer writer's workshop with this exercise prompt: 'My mother never…' I quickly added, 'lived in the same world as me,’” Liesche said. “My parents ended up in the States by default, as refugees, after they were forced to leave their missionary post in China, and Soviet-ruled Hungary refused to allow them to return.”

Liesche added that her mother never seemed to fit into her adopted country and that, to her, Hungry would always be home.

Liesche’s workshop sentence grew into a page, and the idea on the page resonated with her.

“I realized I wanted to write about a mother-daughter relationship, specifically about how a refugee mother’s sense of loss and displacement might influence her daughter’s life choices and character,” she said.

Liesche will talk about her family and Tryptich when she speaks from 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at the Mentor Public Library’s Main Branch. She will also be selling and signing copies of her book.

Her talk is sponsored by the Friends of the Mentor Public Library.

Liesche has also written the mysteries Lipstick and Lies and Hollywood Buzz, which follow the adventures of Pucci Lewis. Lewis is an undercover agent and Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP.)

Though Tryptich and the Pucci Lewis mysteries are different, they are connected by strong female characters and an interest in history.

“Besides the focus on trailblazing women, I learned that I liked to build stories based on little known slices of history,” she said.

Liesche’s talk is free and open to the public. However, people are asked to register for the program. They can do so by calling Mentor Public Library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 215 or by visiting the library's website.