Josef Matulich
Writer and artist Josef Matulich, visual artist and writer Samuel Adebuga, are joined by writers Dale Lykins, Bharat Krishnan, Cliff Anthony and Vonnetta Mayo , all signed up to display their works at the 2023 New Americans Book Fair at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Dublin City branch on Saturday, September 23, 2023.
Josef Matulich’s book “The Silk Empress” is a science fiction story about a boy called “Pig” who grew up on tales of airships and air pirates. At twelve, he finds himself apprenticed to the First Mate of the airship Wu Zetian on the High Silk Road.
Josef Matulich, who will be reading excerpts from the book and hosting a book signing is a writer and artist who specialized in horror/comedy and steampunk. With his wife he co-owns a semi-haunted vintage and costume shop.
Dale Lykins
Dale Lykins in the book “Hush, Child: Finding My Voice and Breaking the Silence” writes about how a “web of family lies began to unravel during a session of Dale Lykins’ voice therapy. It defined his existence, causing him to hold tension in his body in an attempt to protect himself. Dale didn’t trust very many people, including himself. He thought he was a disappointment and carried on accordingly.
In Hush, Child: Finding My Voice and Breaking the Silence, Dale Lykins shares his winding journey and a captivating story for people who, like him, have lost their own voices and want to take them back.
Dale Lykins is a transformational coach, writer, and pastor. He writes The Unlearning Blog and has been published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Cincinnati Enquirer, and The Columbus Dispatch.
Dale is the founder of The Open Table, a progressive and affirming faith-based community. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his wife in a mixed orientation marriage.
Bharat Krishnan, in “Privilege: A Trilogy” writes about the epic saga of privilege and power, and the main character, Rakshan Baliga making a choice between the American Drea and his own. New York’s drug problem is Rakshan’s solution. Getting his hands on a super drug called WP could earn him glory, power, and a chance to win back his ex. But stealing it from the Top 1% is costly, and if Rakshan isn’t careful, he’ll pay with his life.
Bharat Krishnan wants readers to discover how Rakshan’s journey sets off a chain of events that changes his city, his country, and the world.
Bharat calls himself a professional storyteller and amateur cook. He’s always looking to make a political statement with his writing because he knows politics seeps into every aspect of society and believes people can’t understand each other without a firm, constant understanding of how politics affects them in all ways. He is currently working on a sequel to Privilege: A Trilogy, which won “Best Adult Fiction” for the Ohio chapter of the Indie Author Project.
He’s also been published in the award-winning anthology, Once Upon a Winter, and is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Samuel Adebuga
Samuel Adebuga in “The Notables: Book as my canvas” repurposes discarded books into a complete visual-art-book collections series. A reconfigured “hardcover book” as template canvas for commemorative of the Notables, acknowledging their remarkable accomplishments across sphere of life.
Ohio-based artist Samuel Adebuga draws from a successful graphic career and editorial illustration experience. He juxtaposes the subject’s detail while remaining figurative, expressive, conceptual, and poetic. Adebuga’s process is self-revealing, using it to investigate and explore for celebration of life.
Cliff Anthony
Cliff Anthony in “Tears in God’s Own Country” tells the story of an Indian musician’s dream of making it big in America. But first, he has to overcome colorism—a universal scourge.
“The takeaway: We are children of God. If you don’t believe in creationism, we are children of Mother Nature.”
Cliff Anthony teaches Journalism and freelances for Cleveland publications. Before that, he worked as a journalist for 25 years for several publications in Cleveland, New York, Oman, and Mumbai.
He is a member of the Ohio Writers’ Association, Cleveland Literary, and Northern Ohio Writers Guild. Cliff serves on the Cleveland Press Club’s board and the Society of Professional Journalists’ Porter Scholarship Committee. He received the “Distinguished Service Award” from The Society of Professional Journalists-Cleveland Chapter in 2021. He also received nine Cleveland Press Club awards, four awards from the Society of Professional Journalists-Ohio, and three honors from the Suburban Newspapers of America. He has two masters: One in Journalism from Kent State and another in English from Bombay University. (www.cliffanthony.com).
Vonnetta Mayo
Vonnetta Mayo, in “Joy in Sorrow, Hope for Tomorrow” writes about a young girl telling her story about her mother, her mother’s three friends, and her three younger brothers’ experience as slaves on a plantation in Memphis, Tennessee.
Vonnetta Mayo was born in Gary, Indiana, and raised in Southern California. She then relocated to the Sunshine State, Florida. However, afterward, she lived in Morgantown, West Virginia, for a couple of years. Now, she resides in New Bremen, Ohio. Vonnetta Mayo is the youngest of four children. At an early age, she aspired to become a writer. Vonnetta Mayo’s mother and father both were influential in her becoming a writer. She started writing poems for church conventions.
