The Ohioana Library Association is partnering with Ohio Goes to the Movies to shine a spotlight on prominent Ohio authors and their books that have been transformed for the movie screen. There are 27 authors on the new map with a listing of some of the films and year of their release.
The new trail map is a spin-off of the Ohio Literary Trail, which was introduced by the Ohioana Library in 2021 with more than 70 sites around the state. The modified Ohio Goes to the Movies map features sites that visitors can see such as museums, historic homes, libraries and historic markers.
For example, number 4 on the map in Northeast Ohio is Louis Bromfield who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1927; among his later works was the 1937 novel, “The Rains Came.” In 1939 the film won the first Oscar for special effects, used to produce the earthquakes and floods on screen.
The map’s number 24 in Southeast Ohio is author Zane Grey, known as the Father of the Western, who published his best-selling novel, “Riders of the Purple Sage” in 1912. To help get his books made into films, he formed his own motion-picture production company, which was later sold to Paramount Pictures, which produced many westerns based on Grey’s novels.
The newest addition to the Ohio Literary Trail, number 23 in Southwest Ohio, will debut in 2025 with the addition of an historical marker to honor Rod Serling on the campus of Antioch College. Sponsored by the Ohioana Library, the marker recognizes Serling’s many accomplishments and Ohio roots including his writing for film: “Patterns” (1956), “Saddle the Wind” (1958), “Requiem for a Heavyweight” (1962), “Seven Days in May” (1963) and “Planet of the Apes” (1968).
The Ohio Literary Trail increases awareness of Ohio’s unique role in shaping culture and literature worldwide. Organized by the state’s five regions, the original trail map pays tribute to the authors, poets, illustrators, libraries and creative influencers of the written word who have called Ohio home. It serves as a valuable resource for tourists planning a literary-themed outing, as well as Ohioans who want to discover literary treasures they never knew existed in their own backyard. For more details visit Ohioana.org
