Childhood
johncflavin@gmail.com
I was born in Detroit, Michigan. My childhood was animated by art, laughter, sports, welfare, and sibling arguments over how many bowls of Cap’n Crunch cereal we could eat at certain times of day. There were splashes of idyllic Christmas mornings and real tooth fairies.
Then came the stomach-punches: divorce, runaways, and waves of cancer that robbed my mother and aunts and uncles, and then the gatherings of family for 4th of July pool parties were over. Everyone wandered in all directions, from law school in Washington State to marriage in Texas to mental illness across the country.
My education was lived and learned, formally and informally. Before my mother died, she told me she wished she could see me to go to college.
It took 11 years, but I earned two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Washington: Political Science and Comparative History of Ideas. I earned minor equivalents in English and history (with a taste of science), and later a master’s in education. I ran a short video group in Seattle for a short while, spent a few years editing video, and continued educating myself in any and all aspects of writing.
I taught for 12 years at a rural high school just outside Portland, Oregon, where I was the Chair of English Language Arts department and advisor to the school newspaper and magazine. I was a contributing freelance writer and photographer for The Oregonian for nine years.
Now, I have found love, adventure, and decency on the East Coast. Here, I reside and teach in Baltimore County.
Genres
I write in many genres. I love writing social and political pieces, as well as formal and informal academic essays. While I have limited experience in writing scripts, I have found success there, too. I have been paid extensively for writing a broad variety of newspaper, magazine, and online articles.
I welcome opportunities to create and/or collaborate on a new writing projects. I am interested in publishing my work, discussing new writing projects or proposals, and I am open to all feedback.
Articles
I have written hundreds of freelance articles and taken photographs for The Oregonian and other publishers. All links below are marked “private.” If you wish to read one, please contact me by email (johncflavin@gmail.com).
St. Louis,Missouri | Feast Magazine human interest story about the personal tragedy of area wine connoisseur, Darryl Vennard: “After Tragic Family Loss, St. Louis Food Community Rallies Around Corked Tree.”
Oregonian op-ed on the state of American public education: Diane Ravitch, a historian of education, an educational policy analyst, and a research professor at New York University, posted this article here.
“What if…” A lead feature article on a local tragedy and what it meant for the Seattle-area residents.
Book review on Charlie LeDuff’s book, Detroit: an American Autopsy.
Art review on Woodburn, Oregon artist Doug Mosley.
A Family Builds an energy-independent house out of straw; a human interest story.
Satire
A completed satirical novel about the one, real afterworld. The Director of Limbo and narrator of the story, Neither-Nor Johnson, takes the reader on an absolutely true tour of heaven and hell in a race to prevent Satan from being “loosed out of his prison”, as we have all been promised in the Holy Bible.
110,400 words.
The ultimate satire. The book outlines why virtually every person in the world should carry out the act–mostly for noble and selfless reasons, of course.
Due to the sensitive nature of the title and subject matter, this sample is private. Request access.
About 30% complete; currently 13,000 words. Not a full-length book. Projected: 80-100 pages of text, and with images, perhaps 100-120 pages.
Science Fiction
A science fiction, post-post-apocalyptic novel. The main plot takes place far in the future, 4447, long after the swelling human populations had been obliterated and every scrap of ice on the Earth melted. Small tribes are scattered around the globe and worldwide population is at pre-historic levels–about 15 million people. Coastal regions of the continents are under water and the majority of the people live in the Himalayas. There are two main societies: those who still believe in progress and those who do not.
About 20% complete. 28,750 words.
Social Commentary
Social commentary about how the last 40 years have propagated Americans (in particular) who incessantly seek more; it touches on some of the commercial, political, and psychological explanations. It is light-hearted and humorous. (While not an academic piece, citations and links exist.)
Academic
This academic essay was written for a graduate-level English course at Portland State University. The objective of the assignment was to identify any British author, then analyze the use of language and how that language affected the reader’s experience. A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess and published in 1962, is a deceptively complex work with regard to Burgess’s treatment of language. He combines straight English, Cockney English, and a Russian-influenced argot called “Nasdat”.
Radio Story
I wrote, directed, and produced a 30-minute story that aired on late-night radio in Los Angeles. While it pokes fun at people who believe they are the focus of an insidious invisible power, and thereby cursed, it carries a Twilight Zone-like feel.
Other
I wrote the “edgy” blurbs for Ink & Paper Group, a former Portland publisher, who printed a deck of cards to inspire locals to enjoy their city or tourists to try something new.
johncflavin@gmail.com
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