Visible Voice books is excited to host writer Alice Miranda Ollstein on November 4th. Ollstein will be joined by Oberlin professor Steven Volk to discuss her new book Side Effects: How Abortion Bans Impact Everyone’s Health, a groundbreaking and powerful investigation into how the fall of Roe v. Wade changed American health care far beyond reproductive rights.

Ollstein spent years traveling around the country exploring the unexpected ways in which the Dobbs decision is disrupting the already fraught experience of pregnancy and birth, as physicians withhold or delay medically necessary procedures for fear of being prosecuted. A work of deep reporting and profound humanity, Side Effects chronicles the experiences of real people who have lost access to other forms of reproductive health care, including contraception and IVF, as well as those of all ages, genders, and geographic locations hit by the spillover effects to medical research, hospital staffing, wait times, management of chronic illnesses, and more.

Her explosive reporting offers an urgent, on-the-ground look at a medical system under pressure, at the patients and providers caught up in the dragnet of the new abortion restrictions, and at the impacts on both reproductive care and completely unrelated services.

This event is free and open to the public.

Alice Miranda Ollstein is a senior health care reporter for POLITICO, with a focus on health care in the states. Alice graduated from Oberlin College in 2010 and has been reporting in D.C. ever since, covering the Supreme Court, Congress and national elections for TV, radio, print, and online outlets. Her work has aired on Free Speech Radio News, All Things Considered, WAMU and WTOP, and her writing has been published by Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, and La Opinión. She was elected in 2016 as an at-large board member of the DC Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2017, she was named one of the New Media Alliance's "Rising Stars" under 30. She is the author of a forthcoming book on the broader health care impacts of post-Roe abortion restrictions, set to be published by The New Press.

Steven Volk is a Professor of History Emeritus at Oberlin College, where he taught Latin American history and museum studies for 30 years. Volk was named US Professor of the Year in 2011 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and was recognized by the Government of Chile in 2001 for his efforts in helping to restore democracy in that country.

Visible Voice is excited to partner with AIGA Cleveland for an evening with New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Andy J. Pizza, creator of the popular Creative Pep Talk podcast, for a conversation about creative resilience and the power of storytelling.

Drawing from his experience as an illustrator, author, and podcaster, Andy will explore the parallels between storytelling, the creative process, and the ways we navigate life. He'll share how studying the mechanics of storytelling has shaped his approach to making art and influenced the way he understands challenges, finds inspiration, and moves forward when the creative path isn't always clear.

The evening will also celebrate Andy's newest book, Mysterious Things, created in collaboration with Sophie Miller and published by Chronicle Books. Each registered attendee will receive a copy of the book, courtesy of AIGA Cleveland.

Andy J. Pizza is a New York Times Bestselling author-illustrator of many books for children and adults such as "Invisible Things" and "A Pizza with Everything On It". Pizza is also the creator of the popular podcast Creative Pep Talk which Vanity Fair says “is every bit as bright and effervescent as its title would lead you to believe”. For the past 15 years, Pizza has worked as a commercial illustrator for a wide array of top tier clients like Apple, X-Box and The New York Times. Helives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, 3 kids and 2 dogs

This event is open to the public. Tickets are $15. Follow the link below to register.

Visible Voice is excited to welcome Lee Bains to our stage for a hybrid reading and show around the publication of his debut poetry collection, Work Lunch, and the release of his new live album, Free South 2025.
 

In Work Lunch, Bains’ poems explore the multifaceted and often contradictory nature of Southern culture and values through the lens of food, whether at a meat-and-three or a taquería. In sprawling, long-form poems, Bains mines subjects of family, the often invisible work of service, and the horrors and comforts of fast food chains.

Lee Bains is a songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama, who, since 2012, has released four studio albums of what Rolling Stone once called “Southern gospel punk." His music has received acclaim from the likes of The New York Times, NPR, Mojo, Uncut, Sonic Magazine, and the Guardian. His most recent album, Old-Time Folks, was released by Don Giovanni Records in 2022, and explored stories of People’s movements in the Deep South. He has collaborated in live performance and on recordings with artists including Lonnie Holley, Moor Mother, Pussy Riot, and Algiers. In addition to touring around the U.S. and Europe, Lee has lent his music to support striking coal miners, immigrants’ rights groups, abortion funds, and anti-racism organizations. He has performed and read at Emory University, the University of Mississippi, Tulane University, Auburn University, and The Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden). 

This event is free and open to the public.