Reporter turned author Andrew Welsh-Huggins will discuss his newest books, The Delivery and Rescue Me, with fellow Ohio author Sharon Short.

THE DELIVERY

The Delivery is the fast-paced follow-up to The Mailman, continuing the Mercury Carter series. A former postal inspector turned high-risk deliveryman, Merc Carter specializes in transporting sensitive and dangerous packages by any means necessary. Known for his resourcefulness, sharp wit, and unwavering commitment to the job, he once again finds himself pulled into a dangerous world where every delivery comes with high stakes. After encountering a mysterious car crash, Carter soon becomes embroiled in a deadly puzzle involving a memorable pair of grifters, a crooked ex-cop, stolen identities, human trafficking, and murder. And it appears that Carter’s next assignment will put him right in this conspiracy’s perilous center . . .

RESCUE ME

Rescue Me follows private investigator Andy Hayes as he takes on an unconventional case that challenges his assumptions and pushes him outside his comfort zone. Hired to protect a young Black drag performer facing harassment and threats, Andy is pulled into a tense and timely story shaped by identity, prejudice, and rising political extremism in Ohio. As the stakes escalate, Andy must navigate personal growth and a dangerous investigation where the consequences extend far beyond a single client.

You will have the opportunity to ask the speakers questions after the event, purchase books, and get your books signed.

Jack Marchbanks is a professional historian, lecturer, and longtime host of Jazz Sunday, a weekly three-hour radio program on 90.5 FM WCBE in Columbus, Ohio.

ART AND ACTIVISM

Art and Activism explores the powerful, symbiotic relationships among artists such as Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln, and Lena Horne and their literary counterparts—Lorraine Hansberry, Maya Angelou, and Langston Hughes. These creative figures positioned themselves as cultural thought leaders within the evolving civil rights movement. While the Jim Crow South was the movement’s operational front, Jack Marchbanks argues that New York City’s intellectual, cultural, and fundraising communities functioned as its strategic command center.

Readers who admire jazz legends like Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, and Charles Mingus—and those fascinated by prominent African American writers like James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison—will discover how these artists intertwined their work with the civil rights struggle. The book examines their involvement in pivotal confrontations and their connections with key leaders such as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Daisy Bates, Ella Baker, and Malcolm X.

By illuminating the intersection of art and activism, this study offers a fresh perspective on the pivotal decade from 1955 to 1965. It is an essential resource for undergraduate courses and an engaging read for anyone seeking to understand the civil rights era through a cultural lens.

You will have the opportunity to ask the speaker questions after the event, purchase books, and get your books signed.

Acclaimed poet and performer Barbara Fant will discuss her newest poetry collection with arts educator and and practicing artist Dionne Custer Edwards.

JOY IN THE BELLY OF A RIOT

The poetic force known as Barbara Fant celebrates the practice of poetry as healing and prayer in this vital, life-affirming collection about surviving the void and touching the divine.

At age fifteen, Barbara tragically lost her mother, and her world was suddenly upended. “I became an angry teenager. I was mad at the world,” she recalls. “I even stopped praying, but I began to write. Poetry became my way of communication, my way of processing . . . it became my way to pray.”

Rebirth, renewal, and healing are the heart of Joy in the Belly of a Riot. Barbara’s monumental collection is a continuation of her lifelong project of using poetry as prayer; this is healing-informed poetry to restore herself, her community, and the world. Exquisitely lyrical and boldly resonant, Barbara’s poems excavate the nightmares of a childhood marked by poverty, violence, racism, and the loss of countless loved ones. Suffering seemed endemic to neighborhoods like hers, and yet, in Barbara’s own words, “I keep trying to write about the trauma, but the joy won’t let me.”

Joy in the Belly of a Riot is a healing balm in times of sustained uncertainty and a rock upon which we can build and sustain a foundation of joy. Barbara’s essential message demands to be heard, now more than ever.

You will have the opportunity to ask the speakers questions after the event, purchase books, and get your books signed.

Acclaimed author, journalist, Pulitzer Prize finalist, James Thurber Fellow, and multi-award-winning Columbus native Wil Haygood makes his anticipated return to the Thurber House lawn to discuss his latest release.

THE WAR WITHIN A WAR

Drawing on the lives of soldiers and officers, doctors and nurses, journalists and activists, artists and politicians, Wil Haygood illuminates a generation caught between two battles: one on the front lines in Vietnam and another for justice and dignity in America.

Among those at the heart of the story are Air Force pilot Fred Cherry, the first Black officer captured by the North Vietnamese and a hero to millions back home; Dr. Elbert Nelson, a doctor who came to Vietnam after watching TV footage of the Watts riots in Los Angeles and soon found himself amid rising Black soldier protests overseas; Wallace Terry, a groundbreaking Black reporter determined to expose the dynamics of race and war to the American public and Philippa Schuyler, a biracial concert pianist who traveled to Vietnam to rescue mixed-race orphans, many fathered by Black soldiers, and died trying to bring them to safety.

Surrounding their experiences are the cultural and political forces of the era, including Martin Luther King Jr., Marvin Gaye, Berry Gordy, and Lyndon Johnson, whose voices and actions shaped a decade of turbulence and transformation.

The War Within a War is both sweeping history and intimate revelation, capturing the tragedies and triumphs, the honor and hypocrisies, the courage and cowardice that shaped an era and whose repercussions resonate today.

You will have the opportunity to ask the speaker questions after the event, purchase books, and get your books signed.

Our popular Book Bar returns this July at Antiques on High’s indoor/outdoor rooftop hideaway! Join us for an easygoing, social night made for book lovers who want to mingle, read, or do a little of both.

Grab a drink, enjoy buffet-style appetizers, and settle in for good conversation and cozy vibes. Whether you come with friends or on your own, Book Bar is all about community, curiosity, and connecting over books.

Each ticket includes admission, one standard drink, and appetizers. Guests can also opt for an Event + Blind Date Book Bundle, which includes a surprise “Blind Date” book along with admission, one drink, and appetizers.

Space is limited, so snag your ticket early and join us for a relaxed, bookish summer night out!

Note: This is an adult-only event. All guests must be 21 or older.

Conservationist and former zookeeper Beth Armstrong discusses her fascinating memoir detailing her years as a gorilla keeper at the Columbus Zoo and her conservation work that was born out of her love for animals.

VOICES FROM THE APE HOUSE

Exploring the history humans share with gorillas, Voices from the Ape House offers a behind-the-scenes look at the complicated social lives of western lowland gorillas through the eyes of a devoted zookeeper.

The memoir traces Beth Armstrong’s love and fascination for animals, from her childhood to her work with captive primates as an adult. Through her eyes, readers sense the awe and privilege of working with these animals at the Columbus Zoo. Individual gorillas there had an enormous effect on her life, shaping and influencing her commitment to improving gorilla husbandry and to involving her zoo in taking an active role to protect gorillas in the wild.

Through anecdotal stories, readers get a glimpse into the fascinating lives of gorillas—the familiar gentleness of mothers and fathers toward their infants, power plays and social climbing, the unruly nature of teenagers, the capacity for humor, and the shared sadness by group members as they mourn the death of one of their own. In the end, Armstrong’s conflict with captivity and her lifelong fondness for these animals helped shape a zoo program dedicated to gorilla conservation.

You will have the opportunity to ask the speaker questions after the event, purchase books, and get your books signed.