Date: November 01, 2012
Author: Johnathan McGinty, jmcginty@jacksonspalding.com
Contact: Parker Middleton, jparkerm@uga.edu

Event is part of the college’s All Fellows Day

Athens, Ga. – Four prominent writers, all alumni of the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, will share the stage as well as their thoughts and perspectives on the craft of storytelling as part of All Fellows Day Nov. 15 at noon in UGA’s Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries Building. The event is free and open to the public.

The panel discussion, which also includes a complimentary lunch hosted by the Grady College, will feature Chris Dixon, Glen Finland, Mark Schlabach and Steve Sears. Two Grady College faculty members—Valerie Boyd, a Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer-in-Residence, and Vicki Michaelis, the Carmical Distinguished Professor of Sports Journalism—will moderate the panel.

“As we continue to celebrate the ‘Year of the Story’ at Grady, it is necessary and appropriate for us to bring our own story full circle by having these alumni share their expertise and wisdom as part of All Fellows Day,” said E. Culpepper Clark, dean of the Grady College. “These successful authors are part of the rich tradition of Grady storytellers, and their professional insights on the process of writing will be invaluable for our students, our faculty and our alumni.”

Dixon (A.B.J. ’89, M.A. ’92) is the author of Ghost Wave: The Story of the Cortes Bank and the Biggest Wave on Earth. The founding online editor of Surfer, Dixon has written for various publications, including The New York Times, Outside and Men’s Journal. He also serves as a consultant and contractor for Jimmy Buffett on green fuel and environmental projects, and he worked as a project manager for the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League.

Finland (A.B.J. ’74), a 2012 inductee into the Grady Fellowship, is the author of the acclaimed family memoir Next Stop and a prominent autism advocate. A former TV news reporter, she is a freelance writer for multiple publications, including The Washington Post and Family Circle. In 2004 and 2011, she earned the Best Fiction award from the Southeastern Writers Association, and she was designated as a Noted Writer for the 2005 and 2006 Boston Fiction Festivals.

Schlabach (A.B.J. ’96) is the lead college football reporter with ESPN.com, as well as an accomplished sports biographical author. He spent nine years covering UGA athletics, the National Football League and NASCAR at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before covering college athletics at The Washington Post. His most recent books include The Duck Commander Family: How Faith, Family and Ducks Built a Dynasty and Heisman, The Man Behind the Trophy, both of which were published in October.

Sears (A.B.J. ’90) is senior editor and columnist with Barron’s and Barrons.com, as well as the author of The Indomitable Investor: Why a Few Succeed in the Stock Market When Everyone Else Fails. He pens the “Striking Price” column, which focuses on options trading and investment trends. A member of the Economic Club of New York, Sears is a recipient of a Dow Jones Newswire Award for distinguished real-time journalism for his reporting on the impact of mutual fund inflows on the stock market.

All Fellows Day is a celebration of the induction of the latest members of the Grady Fellowship, culminating with the Grady Fellowship Tribute Evening V induction ceremony that evening at the UGA Hotel and Conference Center. The tribute gala begins with a 6 p.m. reception and the dinner ceremony will follow at 7 p.m. Tickets for the tribute are $75 and can be purchased at www.grady.uga.edu/tribute.

UGA Grady College
Established in 1915, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication offers undergraduate majors in Advertising, Public Relations, Journalism, Digital and Broadcast Journalism, and Mass Media Arts. The college offers two graduate degrees and is home to the New Media Institute and the Peabody Awards, internationally recognized as the most prestigious prize for excellence in electronic media. For more information, see www.grady.uga.edu or follow the Grady College on Facebook and @UGAGrady on Twitter.