Lawrence University Associate Professor of English David McGlynn has been named the recipient of the Council for Wisconsin Writers’ 2012 Kenneth Kingery/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award for his memoir “A Door in the Ocean.”
The book, published by Counterpoint Press, traces McGlynn’s journey from competitive swimming and family tragedy through radical evangelicalism and adult life.
McGlynn will be recognized and read from his memoir Saturday, May 11 at the CWW’s annual awards banquet at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee. One of eight literary category winners, McGlynn will receive a $500 prize and a week-long residency at Shake Rag Alley, an artist’s colony/retreat in Mineral Point.
The CWW award is the second for McGlynn. He was the 2009 recipient of the CWW’s Kay W. Levin Short Nonfiction Award for his essay “Hydrophobia,” which appeared in the Missouri Review.
A member of the Lawrence faculty since 2006, McGlynn received the 2008 Utah Book Award for his first book, “The End of the Straight and Narrow,” a collection of nine short stories that examines the inner lives, passions and desires of the zealous and the ways religious faith is both the compass for navigating daily life and the force that makes ordinary life impossible.
McGlynn, recipient of Lawrence’s Award for Excellence in Creative Activity in 2009, earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from the University of California, Irvine and master and doctorate degrees from the University of Utah.
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.
