Volume 7, Number 22 > Focus on Faculty and Staff

Faculty and staff in print

Professor J.J. Colagrande

J.J. Colagrande, adjunct English professor and Writing Center coordinator at Wolfson Campus, has published his first book. Titled Headz (BlazeVox Books), Professor Colagrande's debut novel is described as a literary journey through music festivals.

Headz follows Thelonious and a group of independent, left-of-center characters from New York City, Miami and San Francisco, as they converge at the Chicago music festival for a summer event that none of them will soon forget -- and a show few will get to see. 

"Headz documents a generation and a counterculture in a unique and musical setting that has not been done yet in fiction, " said Professor Colagrande. "The story needed to be told."

David Amram, author of Offbeat: Collaborating with Kerouac, called Professor Colagrande's first novel a cause for rejoicing. "J.J. is a natural writer and will be an inspiration for other young writers to tell their stories as well as he tells his. He knows about the contemporary music scene because he is part of it. He has the rare combination of being an informed and perceptive listener and a brilliant writer."

Professor Colagrande has been a contributing writer for the Miami Herald, Miami New Times, 944, Closer and the Sun-Sentinel, and his stories have appeared in Carve, Big Bridge and Mary, among others. He was born and raised in New York City and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Florida International University.

For more information about Headz, visit http://headzthenovel.com/.

To be considered for "In Print," please send an e-mail to News & Notes, including the following information: publication title, publication date, name and summary of the written work. A short biography and author photo are encouraged.