For the initial decade in which I produced radio interviews with authors (1994/2003) it was my pleasure to speak to most guests in person. During that period Dayton had become a hub for touring authors and hundreds of them passed through our region each year. Sadly, a number of factors have now permanently altered that traffic pattern. Most significantly, after the financial crisis of 2008 many publishers stopped footing the bills for authors to physically make appearances in secondary markets. At one time we had many virtually unknown writers passing through Dayton on book tours. Alas, that really doesn't happen very much any more.
For the past 14 years almost all of our author interviews have been conducted by telephone. Now and then we do have an author come in to the station to record a program but these instances have become rare. After the COVID-19 pandemic transpired last year those in-person appearances dwindled to nothing as we took precautions and stopped having any visitors whatsoever. Last month at last we had our first in-studio guest in over a year. Hurrah!
Christopher Buehlman actually came in to our studios to record an interview for his new fantasy novel "The Blacktongue Thief." We had a lovely conversation about a work of fiction that this reader found to be so wildly entertaining I was absolutely thrilled to discuss it. And we offer you photographic proof on this page that the author really was present that day in our little nook of books.
The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.