Authors with Beacon ties have been busy (the 1-star makeover version)

Maybe you noticed that current and former Beacon Journal writers are cranking out books. We did. So far, we've come up with 32. If you know of others, chime right in.

They write about sports. Dyer and baseball’s Omar Vizquel teamed up.

Terry Pluto has a new book published every three days, it seems, mostly sports but also religion. Terry co-authored a LeBron James book with Brian Windhorst.

David Lee Morgan, Jr. wrote about LeBron James in some of his flock of sports books. And Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel.

Roger Snell stuck to Chicago Cubs pitcher Charlie Root, whose gopher ball to Babe Ruth may not have been a “called” home run, as legend has it.

Stuart Warner wrote about a Kentucky high school legend.

Dick McBane delved into minor league baseball, his passion, with "Glory Days: The Akron Yankees of the Middle Atlantic League 1935-41," which is available for $12 to $45, a quick Googling revealed. Also, the only cover photo available is hanging on the wall of Dick's home. Chuck Ayers illustrated the cover.

Even though he was a police reporter for the BJ, Phil Trexler wrote about sports, too, with "Cleveland Indians, Yesterday and Today."

Michael Weinreb also wrote a book about a sport -- chess! "The Kings of New York" is about a multiple national championship team in a New York City high school. His latest, "Bigger Than the Game," is scheduled for an Aug. 5 release.

Chuck Klosterman gives Pluto a run for his money in frequency of publication, centered – if that’s possible for Chuck – on rock, sex and, well, everything that scrambles through Chuck’s mind.

And television. Mark Dawidziak and R.D. Heldenfels, TV critics of the Plain Dealer (by way of the BJ) and BJ, respectively, dived into that topic. Dawidziak added Dracula and Mark Twain to his list. David Bianculli, who was at the BJ when Channels magazine was born in 1980 but left for greener New York pastures, channeled the Smothers Brothers.

Thirty Umbrigar has a series of books set in her native India.

Some were in high-faluting company, such as Lary Bloom with Tom Ridge and Christopher Dodd.

David Giffels wrote about restoring an old house. And the music group Devo. And, with Steve Love, the rubber industry.

Donald Rosenberg, naturally, wrote about the Cleveland Orchestra, his PD beat till the paper’s management caved in to complainers in high places.

Jane Snow, once among America’s premier food writers, cooked up, well, cookbooks.

Andrea Louie served up “Moon Cakes,” which is NOT a cookbook.

Regina Brett stared into “God Never Blinks.”

Russ Musarra and Chuck Ayers took a walk around Akron and morphed their series of BJ articles into a book.

John Backderf has three graphic novels, "Trashed," about his experiences as a Richfield garbageman; "Punk Rock & Trailer Parks," set in the Rubber City's punk rock heyday; and "My Friend Dahmer," about Derf's teenage friendship at Revere High School, a series of short stories that will be released in 2011 as a full graphic novel. Or, as we called them in my Marvel childhood, comic books.

John DeGroot went from fiction in the BJ about an angel visiting downtown Akron (some thought an angel really DID show up on Main Street!) to writing “Papa,” a play about another author, Ernest Hemingway. Maybe you’ve heard of him.

It’s not that BJ reporters writing books is new because B.J. Widick did it in the 1960s to 1980s, focusing on labor unions. And the copy editor with the most extraordinary mind, the late Hal Fry, wrote "Print It! 150 Years of the Akron Beacon Journal" in 1989 on the BJ's 150th anniversary. But the numbers seem to be growing.

If you know of others, click on “Comments” and give us their names and the title of at least one book they wrote. Or email John Olesky at

Jo4wvu@sbcglobal.net

and he’ll check them out.

Our list so far:

Chuck Ayers
John Backderf
David Bianculli
Lary Bloom
Regina Brett
Mark Dawidziak
Phil Dietrich
Bob Dyer
Hal Fry
David Giffels
Glenn Guzzo
Jim Jackson
Chuck Klosterman
Andrea Louie
Steve Love
Dick McBane
David L. Morgan Jr.
Russ Musarra
Jack Patterson
Melanie Payne
Terry Pluto
Donald Rosenberg
Roger Snell
Jane Snow
Jabe Tartar
Phil Trexler
Thrity Umrigar
Stuart Warner
Michael Weinreb
B.J. Widick
Brian Windhorst
Abe Zaidan

Click on the headline for dozens of photos of BJ-ish authors and their book covers.

Ken Krause posted, under "Comments":

A few others I’m aware of:

Melanie Payne wrote a book about the Soap Box Derby, “Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams.”

Steve Love, noted as a co-author on the rubber industry, also wrote “The Golden Dream” with Gerry Faust, and books about Stan Hywet Hall and the Holden Arboretum.

Glenn Guzzo wrote “Strat-o-matic Fanatics” about the tabletop baseball game.

Jack Patterson wrote “Inside Bowling” with pro bowler Don Johnson.

Phil Dietrich wrote several sports books, including “Down Payments,” a history of pro football in Summit County from 1986-1930; “The Suncheaters,” the story of the South Akron Awnings football team; “The Silent Men” on the Goodyear silent football team; and a book on long-time St. Vincent High football coach Eddie Wentz.

James S. Jackson wrote some short historical books and also had a collection of columns published by the Summit County Historical Society (“Behind the Front Page: A Newsman Looks at Akron”)

The Beacon Journal published two books of antiques columns by Jabe Tarter, and also a cookbook of recipes compiled by Glenna Snow, which is being re-released by the University of Akron press in the fall.