John Michael Cummings

Hello. My name is John Michael Cummings.

I have thirty years of experience in writing and teaching.

My lifelong love of language creates a dynamic learning environment.

I taught English grammar and composition at Seminole State College of Florida and tutored essay writing online for SMARTHINKING, Inc.

I’ve written and edited news and essays for The Newark Star-Ledger, The Providence Journal, Orlando Sentinel, New York Daily News, Fairfax Times, Twin Cities Business Monthly, Utne Reader, and Charleston Gazette-Mail.

I’ve published more than a hundred short stories and essays in literary journals, including the North American Review, The Kenyon Review, and The Iowa Review. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize, "The Scratchboard Project" won an honorable mention in The Best American Short Stories series (2007).

In addition, I've authored four literary novels, including a children’s book. The Night I Freed John Brown (Penguin 2008) won the 2009 Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers and was shortlisted for Black History Month by USA Today.

Finally, I have a lifelong love of dictionaries. I studied lexicography at Marymount Manhattan College, and when I taught at Seminole State College of Florida, I made the dictionary required reading.

I hold a BA in fine arts from George Mason University and an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Central Florida.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Thank you kindly,

John