John Florio

HE | HIM | HIS

  • Stonecoast MFA Faculty

Education

  • MFA in Creative Writing, University of Southern Maine
  • MA in Liberal Studies, New York University
  • MBA in Marketing Management, St. John's University
  • BS in Business Administration, Fordham University

John Florio is a freelance writer in Brooklyn, NY. As a journalist, he examines the intersection of race, politics, and sports, and contributes to The New York TimesThe New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Nation, and ESPN. He is the author of the nonfiction books One Nation Under Baseball and One Punch from the Promised Land, as well as two books for young readers: War in the Ring, and Doomed

John is also a crime novelist. His debut novel, Sugar Pop Moon, received a starred review from the Library Journal, was an editor’s choice for the Historical Novel Society, a Best Mystery and Thriller on iTunes, and a mystery pick on the Barnes & Noble website. His follow-up, Blind Moon Alley, received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly.

John earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine (Stonecoast), where he dual-majored in pop fiction and fiction, and was awarded the Cultural Diversity Scholarship. He has taught writing at SUNY/Fashion Institute of Technology, Ramapo College of New Jersey, and St. John’s University. Visit his website.

Selected Publications

  • Doomed: Sacco, Vanzetti & the End of the American Dream (2023) 
  • War in the Ring: Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, and the Fight Between America and Hitler (2019)
  • One Nation Under Baseball: How the 1960s Collided with the National Pastime (2017)
  • Blind Moon Alley (2014)
  • One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, and the Myth of the Heavyweight Title (2013)
  • Sugar Pop Moon (2013)

Education

  • MFA in Creative Writing, University of Southern Maine
  • MA in Liberal Studies, New York University
  • MBA in Marketing Management, St. John's University
  • BS in Business Administration, Fordham University