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Community Reception: Welcoming New Thurber House Executive Director Barbara Fant (FREE)

Thursday, September 17, 2026
7:00 PM 8:30 PM

Thurber Center 91 Jefferson Ave Columbus, OH 43215 (map)

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Community Reception: Welcoming New Thurber House Executive Director Barbara Fant

Thursday, September 17 from 7:00-8:30 pm at Thurber Center

This event is free, but registration is required.

About the Event

We invite you to join us for a reception to welcome incoming Thurber House Executive Director Barbara Fant! Following opening remarks from Barbara and outgoing Interim Executive Director Kathy Matthews, guests are encouraged to meet and mingle with Barbara, enjoy refreshments and free tours of Thurber House, and celebrate this exciting new chapter for our organization and the Central Ohio community.

Attendees are welcome to drop in any time between 7:00-8:30 pm. However, Barbara and outgoing Interim Executive Director Kathy Matthews will give remarks when the reception starts at 7:00 pm.

If you’d like to partake in a free tour of Thurber House and you need accessibility accommodation (such as directions to the wheelchair ramp or a step-free virtual tour), please check in at the Thurber Center reception first. Otherwise, you may drop in at Thurber House any time between 7:00-8:30 pm without checking in at the reception.

About Barbara Fant

A nationally recognized poet and performer with deep roots in Columbus and over 20 years of nonprofit experience, Barbara Fant will lead Thurber House into a new era of community engagement, partnership, and growth.

Originally from Youngstown, Ohio, Barbara began writing poetry as a teenager and found her voice on the open mic stage, going on to compete in nine National and World Poetry Slams, including the Women of the World Poetry Slam, where she placed 8th in 2017. Barbara is also the author of multiple poetry collections, including Mouths of Garden (Sundress Publications, 2022). She views her work as a form of ministry and healing, and currently collaborates with organizations focused on prison abolition, including Arts for Healing and Justice Network and JustMedia.

With extensive experience in the Columbus nonprofit community, Barbara has previously held leadership roles at The Columbus Foundation and Harmony Project. Barbara's other work in Columbus includes founding the Black Women Rise Poetry Collective (now The Giovanni Collective) and co-founding Network Ohio for Arts and Healing (NOAH), as well as collaborations with Lincoln Theatre, The King Arts Complex, Streetlight Guild, Maroon Arts Group, TRANSIT ARTS, the Wexner Center for the Arts, and the Columbus Museum of Art.

This event will be held at Thurber Center (91 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215).
- Parking on Jefferson Avenue: Free, easy street parking is available all along the Jefferson Avenue oval. Note: only the spots along the one-way oval are free; the spots along the two-way ends of Jefferson Avenue (near Broad Street and Long Street) are not free.
- Parking off N. 11th Street (behind Thurber House): Free visitor parking is available in the small lot directly behind Thurber House, accessible off N. 11th Street and located here. There is no time limit as long as you are visiting Thurber House. All other parking lots do not belong to Thurber House and you may be towed.
The reception will be located on the first floor of Thurber Center, which is handicap/wheelchair accessible, including the first floor restrooms. The step-free and usually shortest entrance is to Thurber Center is from our back parking lot, reachable off N. 11th Street.
Free tours of the Thurber House museum will also be available (please check in at the reception). The first floor is fully handicap/wheelchair accessible, including the first floor restrooms. The second floor is accessible only via staircases (which are wide with handrails). If you need assistance accessing Thurber House, our volunteers will be available to guide you to the entrance that best suits your needs.
ACCESS TO THURBER CENTER FROM JEFFERSON AVENUE
- If you can navigate four small steps (with handrails):
  - We recommend arriving earlier to get a parking spot closer to the entrance or doing a drop off in front of the entrance. If you cannot do so, please see “Access from the rear parking lot” below for an alternative path that will be shorter and eliminates all steps.
  - Access to Thurber Center from Jefferson Avenue requires one very slight curb step from the street and an additional four small steps (with handrails). You can also bypass the four steps by using the wheelchair ramp, which involves walking a slightly further distance.
- If you need fully step-free access:
  - The closest “ramp” cut is the entrance to the large parking lot on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Long Street (here).
  - Follow the sidewalk through the Thurber Center front gate. Take the sidewalk around the porch on the right side of the building. The entrance to the wheelchair ramp will appear on your left, past the porch.
ACCESS TO THURBER CENTER FROM THE REAR PARKING LOT
- Fully step-free access:
  - Follow the sidewalk between the handicap parking signs (here). The sidewalk will take you around the north side of our multipurpose building, Thurber Center. The ramp will appear on your right and leads up to the front porch.
For any questions that are not answered here, please email Jess Cox at jcox@thurberhouse.org or call 614-412-5955.
‣ Can I drop in any time? Yes. However, remarks will be given when the event begins at 7 pm.
‣ Will refreshments be provided? Yes.
‣ Will there be a bathroom? Yes, bathrooms will be available.
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Disclaimer: Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by event and program speakers in all mediums are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Thurber House, its affiliates, or its staff/board.