Wayne Johnston, distinguished chair in creative writing at Hollins University
The language and literature department at EMU is featuring Wayne Johnston, distinguished chair in creative writing at Hollins University, at its second “Writers Read” program of fall semester.
Johnston, whose award-winning fiction writing includes “The Story of Bobby O’Malley,” “The Colony of Unrequited Dreams” and “The Navigator of New York,” will read from his work 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, in Martin Chapel of the seminary building at EMU.
Johnston wrote both the novel and the screenplay for “The Divine Ryans” and received Canada’s most prestigious prize for creative non-fiction for “Baltimore’s Mansion.”
A native of Goulds, Newfoundland, Johnston earned a BA degree in English from Memorial University and was a reporter for the “St. John’s Daily News” before deciding to devote himself full time to writing. En route to being published, he earned an MA in creative writing from the University of New Brunswick.
His first book, “The Story of Bobby O’Malley,” published when he was just 27 years old, won the WH Smith/Books in Canada First Novel award for the best first novel published in the English language in Canada that year.
General admission to the program, which includes dinner, is $14. Reservations are required and should be made by noon Friday, Nov. 23, by calling the language and literature department at 540-432-4168.