Ch. 1

The first chapter in many renowned authors’ biographies takes place in Oklahoma City. Get to know your new hometown by reading the works of some of its more wordy residents.

• Ralph Ellison, author of the 1953 National Book Award winner “Invisible Man” and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree (1969), grew up in Oklahoma City. You can see a sculpture of him at the Oklahoma City library that bears his name or see a portrait of him at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Read more by checking out some of the books by and about him from the Metropolitan Library System.
• Award-winning mystery writer Carolyn Hart grew up in Oklahoma City and has written 58 books, and most recently published “Ghost on the Case” in October 2017. Her standalone novel “Letter From Home,” which is set in Oklahoma, won the Agatha for Best Mystery Novel of 2003 and was a New York Times notable book that year.
• Oklahoma City native and resident Lou Berney has written three critically-acclaimed, award-winning novels. One novel, “The Long and Faraway Gone,” is a mystery based in Oklahoma City and has won multiple awards including the 2016 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original.
• Oklahoma City native Gena Showalter, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, writes young adult romance novels often featuring paranormal creatures.
• Chef Rick Bayless grew up in Oklahoma City (his family’s business was the barbecue restaurant called Hickory House) and now operates Frontera Grill in Chicago. He has written several cookbooks featuring the Mexican cuisine for which he is known. His brother, Skip Bayless, is a sportswriter and columnist and a television commentator for Fox Sports.