2026 Local Authors

Meet Featured Author, Ashley Petry

Don’t miss your opportunity to meet local author, Ashley Petry. She will be signing and selling her books on Thursday, November 12th, from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Friday, November 13th, from 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM, Saturday, November 14th, from 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM, and Sunday, November 15th, from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, at the Local Authors Booth #306.

Ashley Petry is an Indianapolis native and the award-winning author of five books about her hometown. Her two essential guidebooks for the Circle City are geared toward locals and travelers alike: 100 Things to Do in Indianapolis Before You Die (now available in an updated third edition) and Secret Indianapolis: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.

Her other books tell the story of the city through its history. Indianapolis: An Illustrated Timeline is a comprehensive history of the city, richly illustrated with maps, photos, vintage advertisements, and other images. Amazing Indianapolis, meanwhile, is a fascinating collection of historical fun facts—bizarre local inventions, unsung heroes, true crime, and lots of weirdness.

New for 2026 is Remarkable Women of Indianapolis. The book highlights a diverse group of incredible women who shaped Indianapolis as we know it today. These women include Civil War heroes, suffragist leaders, trailblazing educators such as Eliza Blaker, famed entrepreneurs, Madam C. J. Walker and Christel DeHaan, and unsung heroes, like Madge Oberholtzer. One Indianapolis woman was the “mother of science fiction.” Another woman wrote every episode of I Love Lucy. One was a palm reader with a celebrity clientele. Other women in the Circle City have been pioneering athletes, trend-setting artists, and fierce community organizers—including the woman who saved the Indiana Pacers.

Petry has twenty years of experience as a freelance writer specializing in Midwest travel, food and drink, history, and the arts.