Rebecca Johns
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Johns is an author and educator. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri
's School of Journalism and the Iowa Writers' Workshop
. She is the author of Icebergs and, coming in October 2010, The Countess. Johns will become a member of the DePaul University
English Department in the fall of 2010.
and attended Antioch Community High School. She then attended University of Missouri
at Columbia, where she majored in Journalism and English (1993). Johns has written for several notable publications, including Women's Day, Self (magazine)
, Cosmopolitan (magazine)
, Chicago Tribune
, Ladies' Home Journal
, Harvard Review
, and Madamoiselle.
(Erzsebet Báthory), the "Blood Countess" who is widely accreditted with being one of the historical figures that inspired the fictional Dracula
.
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
's School of Journalism and the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
. She is the author of Icebergs and, coming in October 2010, The Countess. Johns will become a member of the DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
English Department in the fall of 2010.
Early career
Rebecca Johns grew up in northern IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and attended Antioch Community High School. She then attended University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
at Columbia, where she majored in Journalism and English (1993). Johns has written for several notable publications, including Women's Day, Self (magazine)
Self (magazine)
Self magazine is an American magazine for women that specializes in health, fitness, nutrition, beauty and happiness. Published by Condé Nast Publications 12 times a year, it has a circulation of 1,486,992 and a total audience of 5,541,000 readers, according to its corporate media kit. The...
, Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
, Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
, Harvard Review
Harvard Review
The Harvard Review is a literary magazine published by the Harvard University library system.Its origins can be dated to 1986, when Stratis Haviaras, the curator of the libraries' poetry room founded a magazine called Erato to publicize poetry room authors.The first issue included a poem by Seamus...
, and Madamoiselle.
Icebergs
Ms. Johns is the author of Icebergs (2006), for which she received the Michener - Copernicus Award. Icebergs opens in Canada during World War II with a harrowing plane crash. Crewmember Walt Dunmore returns home, but his life and those of his family are forever altered by the damage the tragedy causes. Icebergs follows Walt and his family from Canada to the United States through multiple generations, with the past casting a shadow over their lives. Icebergs was a finalist for the 2007 Hemingway Foundation / PEN Award for first fiction.The Countess
The Countess is Ms. Johns' newest work (October 2010). The novel follows the life of Elizabeth BáthoryElizabeth Báthory
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...
(Erzsebet Báthory), the "Blood Countess" who is widely accreditted with being one of the historical figures that inspired the fictional Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
.