Jacksonville University professors who are also successful authors, poets, and illustrators will discuss their works and their craft during two Creative Writers events on Wednesday, Feb. 26, and Thursday, Feb. 27.
The presenters include:
- John Heine, marine biologist and research scientist in the Marine Science Research Institute, author and photographer. He is also a scientific diving professional, who received a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of California and a Master’s Degree from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. He has written a number of diving textbooks, including “Scientific Blue-Water Diving,” “NAUI Master Scuba Diver,” “Scientific Diving Techniques: A Practical Guide for the Research Diver,” and “Cold Water Diving: A Guide to Ice Diving.” He has made many dives under the ice in Antarctica, and also made a dive to two-miles deep in a Russian submersible.
- Dr. W. Brian Lane, Department Chair and Professor of Physics and author. W. Brian Lane grew up in Jacksonville, where he attended Douglas Anderson School of the Arts for instrumental music and then Jacksonville University to major in physics. He earned his PhD in physics at the University of Florida in 2008 and returned to Jacksonville University as a professor. Dr. Lane produces an educational YouTube channel called “Let’s Code Physics” and is actively involved in the American Association of Physics Teachers as a presenter and conference organizer.
- Dr. Jorge Majfud, Associate Professor of Spanish, Latin American Literature & International Studies, and author. He is an architect from the University of the Republic of Uruguay with a PhD in Latin American Literature from the University of Georgia. He is the author of many essays and books, including “The Eternal Return of Quetzalcoatl,” “A Theory of Semantic Fields,” “Neomedievalism,” “Reflexions On the Post-Enlightenment Era,” and novels “The Queen of America” (2001), “The City of the Moon” (2009), “Crisis” (2012), “The Sea Was Calm” (2017), “Tequila” (2018) and “The Same Fire” (2019), which was recently awarded Roman Edite, Premier Prix.
- Ed McCourt, Associate Professor of English, Writing Center Director, author and poet. His poetry, nonfiction, and fiction has appeared in “The Portland Review,” the “Little Patuxent Review,” the “Red Booth Review,” “Gravel Magazine,” “Citron Review,” and many others. His recent essay “What We Leave on the Curb” appears in the Anthology Sanctuary by Darkhouse Books.
- Nick McNally, Assistant Professor of Art in Illustration and illustrator. He earned his BFA in Painting from Massachusetts College of Art in 2001 and his MFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art University in 2008. He published children’s illustrations with Carus Publishing and Pauline Media and has exhibited at The Museum of American Illustration in New York City, Gallery Nucleus in Los Angeles, and various other galleries of note. His academic presentations include “#nofilter: Idealization in the Portraits of Hans Holbein the Younger,” “Metaphor in Myth and Image: Darwin’s Influence on The Visual Arts,” and the forthcoming, co-authored “Making Space for Time: Integrating Motion into the Illustration and Graphic Design Curricula.”
- Dr. Sarah Murphy, Associate Professor of English and poet. She teaches creative writing, literature and composition. Her poems have appeared in “Best American Poetry,” “New England Review,” “Pleiades,” “Court Green” and “Post Road,” among other journals.
From noon-1 p.m. Wednesday in Room 145/146 of the Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences (BRCHS), the Creative Writers panelists will engage in a discussion of their craft. The entire University community is invited. If you intend to attend, please RVSP.
From 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday in the BRCHS Lobby, we will Celebrate Creative Writers with readings and conversation from the five panelists moderated by Dr. Douglas Hazzard, Associate Professor of Spanish. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Nisse Goldberg at ngoldbe@ju.edu.
