Greensboro College Professor Named Finalist in National Poetry Contest

L. Wayne Johns, an associate professor of English and Communication Studies at Greensboro College, has been named a finalist in the 2014 Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival poetry contest. Johns was named a finalist by Robert Pinsky, the only poet ever to serve three consecutive terms as U.S. Poet Laureate. As a finalist, Johns receives a panel pass to all of the more than 20 discussion panels at the festival, which will take place March 19-23 in New Orleans. The winner will be named at the festival. The Tennesse Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival has grown from 500 attendees when it debuted in 1986 to more than 10,000 attendees annually today. It holds contests in poetry, fiction, and one-act play writing. Speakers this year include novelists Emily Raboteau, Valerie Martin, and Dorothy Allison; journalists Hilton Als and Laura Lippman; and actors Diane Ladd and Judith Chapman. Johns, in addition to teaching and writing poetry, advises the staffs of Greensboro College's award-winning student newspaper, The Collegian, and literary magazine, The Lyre. Johns received his B.A. from St. Andrews Presbyterian College (now University), his M.F.A. from Georgia State University, and his Ph.D. from Florida State University. He joined the faculty in 2007. Greensboro College, an independent, coeducational college affiliated with the United Methodist Church, is an academic and social community that unites the liberal arts and Judeo-Christian values in an atmosphere of diversity and mutual respect. Founded in 1838 and located near downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,250 students from 32 states, the District of Columbia and 24 nations in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and four master's degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 16-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities.