University Forum to Feature Award-Winning Fiction Writer John Green April 9

Tue, 04/02/2024 - 02:48pm | By: David Tisdale

John Green, an acclaimed author whose work includes young adult fiction bestsellers, will be the concluding speaker in the spring 2024 University Forum lineup at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) for the program “In Conversation with John Green” Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium on the Hattiesburg campus. Admission is free, and members of the University and local communities are invited to attend. 

Green’s books include Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars, and Turtles All the Way Down, as well as a collection of essays, The Anthropocene Reviewed, featuring detailed reviews of everything from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar. His work has been translated into more than 55 languages, with several adapted for film.

Along with his brother Hank, Green is also a prolific co-creator of many online video projects, including Vlogbrothers and the educational channel Crash Course. He is the 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and twice a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; his charity, Project for Awesome, supports maternal health in Sierra Leone.

Green already has a special connection with USM, having donated some of his papers to its de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection in 2013 to include manuscript materials for six of the young adult novels he has written or co-wrote, beginning with Looking for Alaska and ending with The Fault in Our Stars.

Karlie Herndon, curator for the de Grummond Collection, said when she first became acquainted with the collection’s materials she was delighted to find it includes the manuscripts given by Green, whose work she has admired for years.

“He has had a deep and lasting impact on the world of young adult fiction, approaching pressing topics from first love to cancer diagnoses to epic road trips to death,” Herndon continued. “His work is always fresh and surprising, while also being empathetic and inviting. In particular, John's thoughtful depictions of characters experiencing mental health problems are such an anchor for young people navigating the extreme pressures of social media today.

“I hope he continues to voice concerns and comforts that young readers need now.” 

University Forum is presented by the USM Honors College. Learn more about University Forum.