Lawrence University Associate Professor of English David McGlynn delivers the talk “From Essay to Memoir: The Conversion of a Door in the Ocean” Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m. at Thomas A. Lyons Fine Books, 124 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 140, Neenah, as part of the 2013 Fox Cities Book Festival. Lawrence is one of the co-sponsors of the book festival, now in its sixth year.
Last month McGlynn was named recipient of the Council for Wisconsin Writers’ Kenneth Kingery/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award for “A Door in the Ocean,” which traces McGlynn’s journey from competitive swimming and family tragedy through radical evangelicalism and adult life.
He also is the author of the 2008 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. His fiction and creative nonfiction works also have appeared in numerous literary journals, including Alaska Quarterly Review, Image, and Shenandoah.
In 2009, the Council for Wisconsin Writers recognized McGlynn with its annual Kay W. Levin Short Nonfiction Award for his essay “Hydrophobia,” which appeared in the Missouri Review.
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.
