John A. McCluskey Jr.'s research and creative activity include fiction, creative non-fiction, modern African American fiction and comparative black world fiction.
BLOOMINGTON, IN, May 01, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present John A. McCluskey Jr. with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. McCluskey celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Having earned distinction as a professor emeritus in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University (IU), Mr. McCluskey garnered a laudable reputation teaching fiction writing and contemporary African American literature. Active on campus from 1977 until 2008, he served as the associate dean of the graduate school and chaired Afro-American studies. He was also instrumental as Director of the Graduate Minorities Fellowship Program for the Committee of Institutional Cooperation (CIC) between 1983 and 1988. Mr. McCluskey previously held teaching appointments at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, at Valparaiso University in Indiana and at Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama, for 10 years before his appointment at IU.
A luminary in the field of literature, Mr. McCluskey's research and creative activity include fiction, creative non-fiction, modern African American fiction and comparative black world fiction. The author of two novels, he released "Look What They Done to My Song" in 1974 and "Mr. America's Last Season Blues" in 1983. He later edited "City of Refuge: The Collected Stories of Rudolph Fisher" in 1987 and co-edited "Black Men Speaking," a collection of voices, stories and poems, with Charles Johnson in 1997. In 2012, Mr. McCluskey co-edited "Black Chicago Renaissance," where he and other contributors analyze the cultural revolution that took place between the 1930s and 1950s, which included music, performance art, visual and other artistic expressions. Meanwhile, many of his short stories have been published in various journals and other collections, including Best American Short Stories.
A prolific advocate for his community, Mr. McCluskey has served on various boards, including on the Board of Bloomington Playwrights Project, the Board of Public Safety in Bloomington and the Toni Morrison Society. He was also a member of the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Black Men. Additionally, Mr. McCluskey coached various local youth basketball and soccer teams in his area.
Mr. McCluskey received a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations, cum laude, at Harvard University in 1966. While studying during his junior year, he undertook a creative writing course, which he found inspiring. Shortly thereafter, Mr. McCluskey applied to Stanford University, where he pursued additional coursework and attained a Master of Arts in English in 1972.
To remain aware of developments in his field, Mr. McCluskey has been an active member of the Modern Language Association, the American Studies Association and the American Historical Association. He is a lifetime member of Monroe County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Named as one of the Outstanding Educators of America in 1976, Mr. McCluskey also received a Yaddo fellowship in 1984 and 1986. A celebrated Marquis listee, he has been featured in the 54th through 59th editions of Who's Who in America, the seventh and eighth editions of Who's Who in American Education and the 26th edition of Who's Who in the Midwest.
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