John Searles (MA ’94)
Current Gallatin students hoping to pursue careers in writing can find inspiration in the success of Gallatin alumnus and best-selling author John Searles (MA ’94). Since graduating from Gallatin’s master’s program with a concentration in Creative Writing, Searles has penned two books—the national bestseller Boy Still Missing and the critically praised Strange but True—and assumed the title of Deputy Editor at Cosmopolitan magazine.
Searles was the first person in his family to go to college, graduating from Connecticut State University in 1991 with a major in business. Though he had always wanted to become an author, he only took writing courses on the side. It was in his post-college life that he discovered a newfound determination to pursue his passion for writing, and thus applied to Gallatin.
Searles has fond memories of the Gallatin faculty and advisers who helped him toward his goal of becoming a professional writer. He credits his teachers with helping him to understand the principles of good storytelling and providing him with a positive support network as he navigated the publishing world. While he didn’t begin writing Boy Still Missing until after he graduated from Gallatin, Searles wrote his first book as part of his master’s thesis. “In fact,” he recalls, “a very early version of the first chapter won the school’s creative writing award. Looking back,” he continues, “I can see that I was working my way up to Boy Still Missing in the stories I wrote for my fiction classes and independent studies.”
“I can honestly say that going to Gallatin was one of the best experiences of my life,” he relates, “I learned so much from my professors and I formed close relationships with other students. It was the perfect program for someone like me—a young guy who had big dreams and a lot of different interests.”
Searles was included in Time magazine’s list of “People to Watch” in 2000. His work has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, Redbook, Maxim, Out, and other national magazines and newspapers. He has appeared on the Today Show Weekend Edition, CBS's The Early Show, CNN Weekend Edition, and Live with Regis and Kelly to discuss his favorite book
