John Florio is a freelance writer in Brooklyn, NY. His debut novel, Sugar Pop Moon, received a starred review from the Library Journal, was an editor’s choice for the Historical Novel Society, a Best Mystery and Thriller on iTunes, and a mystery pick on the Barnes & Noble website. His follow-up, Blind Moon Alley, received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly.

As a journalist, John examines the intersection of race, politics, and sports. His work can be seen in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Nation, and on ESPN’s website, Andscape. He is the author of the nonfiction books One Nation Under Baseball and One Punch from the Promised Land, as well as two books for young readers: War in the Ring, and Doomed.

His work in television and film includes writing television documentaries for Ovation TV and composing music scores for NBC, ESPN, and Major League Baseball. He is also a founding partner of the BQE Project, a classical orchestra that composes new scores to classic films and performs them “live to picture.” In the commercial realm, he has written and produced promotional campaigns for brands such as Heineken, American Express, and the New York Yankees.

At the University of Southern Maine, John earned an MFA in creative writing and was awarded the Cultural Diversity Scholarship. He also holds graduate degrees from St. John’s University and New York University, and he is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in creative writing at the University of Glasgow.

John has taught writing at St. John’s University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. He now serves on the faculty of the Stonecoast MFA creative writing program at the University of Southern Maine.

    Upcoming Workshops taught by John Florio