Over the past few years, our state has been establishing a legacy of excellence in both sports and cuisine. Meanwhile, the literary world has also quietly been taking notice of the talent and quality of writing emerging from Oklahoma. This is in part because of the work of writers like National Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Oprah’s Book Club-selected, multiple-award-winning fiction author Honoreé Jeffers.
Storytellers, songwriters and poets are part of our state heritage. From the legends and creation narratives of Indigenous Americans to Dust Bowl survival accounts and the works of noted musician Woody Guthrie, Oklahoma’s history reflects a strong tradition of storytelling that is preserved and valued across generations.
Let us introduce you to a few of our favorite Oklahoma writers. If you are a reader, and need something new to read this fall, we have just the book for you.
Ken Hada
Poetry
Ken Hada is an award-winning Oklahoma poet who has authored a dozen books. His most recent collection, Visions of the Night, was published by Turning Plow Press, and released in April. Hada’s poetry explores the emotional terrain of loss and resilience as it frequently meditates on the beauty of Oklahoma. He has served for 25 years as a professor for the department of English and literature at East Central University in Ada, inspiring hundreds of students to fall in love with the written word. In addition to his more than two decades of service to ECU, Hada has directed the annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival for 20 years, bringing writers from across the country together every spring to share their lives and work with one another.
Cursed with knowing,/ the importance has been lost./ I envy tree frogs. I hear/ the coyotes/ gather, crying/ their tragic voices blending/ in desperation under/ a half-moon/ and I am moved.
– “The Uninvited Known”
Matt Kirouac
Food & Travel
A transplant to Oklahoma City after two and a half years of RV living, Matt Kirouac is an award-winning international travel and food writer and author, with a passion for sharing Queer stories. His latest book, Secret Oklahoma, explores the weird, wonderful and obscure lore of Oklahoma, from Route 66 folk art and elephant graveyards to ancient mountains, haunted mansions, space cowboys and literal no man’s land. The book debunks stereotypes and spotlights overlooked or undiscovered aspects of one of America’s most misunderstood states. Along with his husband, Nathan, he’s the co-founder of The Gay Lane, a travel brand dedicated to “celebrating queer culture in unexpected places” with the goal of expanding queer travel content beyond stereotypes.
“At its heart, this book is a love letter to my adopted home state—a place that is often misunderstood and stereotyped. I love my Oklahoma, and I’m proud to share this book with Oklahomans and the world.”
– On Secret Oklahoma
Constance E. Squires
Fiction
Constance E. Squires may have written the first novel about a touchstone tragedy for many Oklahomans: a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. She said about Low April Sun, “I was in OKC when the bombing happened, so it has always been a big part of my own memories, but I didn’t set out to write a novel about it. I think as Oklahomans we have a lot of solemnity about that event, and handling it came with considerable trepidation and concern about honoring the real experiences. I kept at my desk a postcard of the graffiti left by Rescue Team 5 on the wall of the Journal Record Building the day of the bombing—it kept me grounded in the emotional weight of the event.” The novel was published in February by University of Oklahoma Press, and was nominated for a National Book Award on July 14. Squires holds a Ph.D. in English from Oklahoma State University and teaches creative writing at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
“What if I’d never met the bomber? On April 19, 1995, I’d have seen the shattered face of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on the TV like everybody else in the world, and a couple of days later when they caught him, I’d have said look at that evil sonofabitch like everybody else and that would’ve been that.
– From Low April Sun
James Cooper
Fiction
James Cooper, a Midwest City native and OKC councilperson since April 2019, debuted his first novel, Moonlit Massacre, with Literati Press in October 2024. The novel is set during the time of Oklahoma’s first mass killing, the 1978 Sirloin Stockade murders, while tackling themes of violence, grief, race and community resilience. As well as exploring the depths of horror and trauma happening in the state at that time, the novel is also a love letter to Oklahoma history and architecture. Cooper holds degrees in film studies, English and creative writing and currently teaches at Oklahoma City University. The author’s book connects his love for the horror genre and his love for his Oklahoma community. Cooper is beginning work on a new project, and readers eagerly await to see what he conjures next.
“When we classify people as monsters or pure evil, it’s an easy way to disavow our own capacity for darkness. But horror forces us to confront that part of ourselves—not to shame us, but to help us reconcile and become whole.”
-James Cooper, on Moonlit Massacre
Mariana Llanos
Children’s books
Mariana Llanos is a Peruvian-born poet, translator and writer of award-winning children’s literature. She is a two-time Oklahoma Book Award winner, most recently in 2024 for Benita and the Night Creatures, about a little girl who defeats her fear of monsters at night with her love of books, which was inspired by very real events from the author’s life. Llanos was a child during a time of intense political upheaval in Lima, Peru, and found her peace by escaping into literature. Many of her books explore themes of finding belonging and friendship despite the challenges of changing homes or countries. Llanos loves visiting schools, spreading joy and empathy through the power of story. Her sequel to Vampirita and the Angry Mob comes out this November.
“Boooo!” Cuco screeched, and the shelves trembled.
With a thud, Benita finally shut her book.
“CAN’T YOU ALL BE QUIET? DON’T YOU SEE I AM READING A BOOK?”
– From Benita and
the Night Creatures
Cullen Whisenhunt
Fiction
Cullen Whisenhunt’s first full-length poetry collection, Until Air Itself Is Tinted, won the 2025 Oklahoma Book Award this spring. A lifelong resident of Oklahoma, he did not grow up writing poetry, but lovingly blames his professors Dr. Randy Prus of Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Dr. Jeanetta Calhoun Mish of Oklahoma City University’s Red Earth MFA program for encouraging him to explore that area of creative writing. Whisenhunt is an instructor for the English department at Eastern Oklahoma State College and also researches and writes Oklahoma literary history. His poetry is rooted deep in Oklahoma landscape, nature and symbolism, and gives voice to the soul of this state.
Refinery/ lamps climb toward heaven/ through the night- river/ flow chops and breaks echoes/ into brilliant billions/ Opposite,/ Tulsa skyline looks down/ and winks itself out/ the night becomes itself
– From “Sentinel Sequence”
Molly Crowe
YA fantasy
Molly Crowe is a young adult fantasy author who grew up in Oklahoma. As a teenager, she spent her time filling up journals and daydreaming, and now sneaks her writing in during the early mornings before her husband and two boys wake up and take over her world. In May of 2024, Crowe published Shadow of Hope, Book One in an epic fantasy saga about a complicated relationship between a young queen and an assassin who have known each other since childhood. Her story quickly garnered a passionate readership, as well as a Bookfest Award and an Amazon Readers’ Favorite Award. This May, Crowe released Book Two in the series, Whisper of Fate. Her fans are eagerly awaiting Book Three in the Sol Defenders Series.
“I wanted to make millions of mistakes with her. Years worth. Decades. I wanted them to pile up into a life where my mistakes became her world.”
– From Whisper of Fate
