OXFORD — When Eric Goodman wrote his fifth novel, he drew inspiration from a painful part of recent Cincinnati history and also from parts of his own past.

“Twelfth and Race” was published March 1 by the University of Nebraska Press as part of its Flyover Fiction series.

Goodman, a Miami University professor of English and director of the school’s creative writing program, will have a reception and book signing from 5 to 7 p.m. March 28 at Follett’s Miami Co-op Bookstore, and will give a reading of his recent work at 7:30 p.m. April 3 in Leonard Theatre (Peabody Hall).

The novel follows a mixed-race couple, Richie and Tisha, amid race riots in the fictional metropolis of Calhoun City, Mo. The story is set against events inspired by the civil unrest in Cincinnati in 2001, which erupted after an unarmed African-American, Timothy Thomas, was fatally shot by police.

At one point, Richie is contacted by the police, who inform him they have possession of his wallet and ID. There is a phone number and photo within the wallet. Serious complications ensue.

Goodman knows about getting that kind of phone call.

“I got a call from Hamilton Police,” he said. “They said they had my ID. That was really the genesis of the novel, which is about identity and parenting.”

In “Twelfth and Race,” Richie had grown up believing his grandparents were his parents.

“That story about a kid being raised by his grand-parents came out of my family,” said Goodman, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Goodman said he had expected to write about it much earlier in his career.

“When I got that call from the Hamilton Police Department, those two ideas (the call, the kid) came together,” he said.

Goodman’s previous novels are “High on the Energy Bridge” (1980), “The First Time I Saw Jenny Hall” (1983), “In Days of Awe” (1991) and “Child of My Right Hand” (2004).

Goodman, who jokingly refers to himself as the “Bard of Sheepshead Bay” — it’s a neighborhood in Brooklyn — has done far more than write novels.

“I wrote for about a gazillion women’s magazines and travel magazines,” he said with a grin.

Goodman also has written music, screenplays, TV scripts and short stories.

He has been at Miami 21 years, the last 12 as director of its creative writing program.

Contact this reporter at Pete.Conrad@coxinc.com.