Jarred McGinnis

Jarred McGinnis
McGinnis in April 2020
Born	1976 or 1977 (age 47–48) New Mexico
Education	University of Texas at Austin University of Edinburgh (PhD, 2006)
Notable works	The Coward (2021)
Notable awards	Prix du Premier Roman Etranger (2022) Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer's Award (2023)
Spouse	Sarah McGinnis
Children	2 daughters
Website
JarredMcGinnis.com

Jarred P. McGinnis (born 1976 or 1977) is an American-born writer based in the United Kingdom. In 2021, he was named as one of the best 10 emerging writers from the UK by The Guardian.^[1]

Early life and education

McGinnis grew up in Siesta Key, Florida, United States.^[2] While studying at the University of Texas at Austin, he had a car accident the day before his 21st birthday,^[2] causing a spinal cord injury, resulting in paraplegia^[3] and the loss of the use of his legs.

Before the accident McGinnis wanted to study screenwriting,^[4] but he turned to computer science when he realized the need for a job and health insurance due to his disability.^[2] After graduating from the UT, McGinnis enrolled for the PhD program at the University of Edinburgh, and worked under Professor Dave Robertson and earned his PhD in Computer Science on Artificial Intelligence.^[2][5] The title of his doctoral thesis was: On the Mutability of Protocols.^[5]

Writing career

His debut novel The Coward^[2][6][7] was selected for BBC Two's Between The Covers^[8] and BBC Radio 2's Book Club programs and was long-listed for the Barbellion Prize.^[9] Translated into French as Le Lâche^[10] it won the "foreign books" category of the Prix du Premier Roman (First Novel prize).^[11] and was nominated^[12] for the prestigious Femina prize. The Coward is an autofiction that blends his own experiences,^[13][14] although he has said that he has "tried not to use the term auto-fiction",^[6] and has used the term "livre vecu".^[15]

His next writing project is The Mountain Weight, which "mines his family’s history, from the American Civil War to the present day, to examine themes of masculinity, family and migration" and for which he was awarded the 2023 Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer's Award.^[16]

Selected publications

Books

• The Coward. Canongate. 2021. ISBN 978-1838851545.

Short stories

• McGinnis, Jarred (2018). "Rough Beasts". In Oldfield, Simon (ed.). A Short Affair. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1471147326.
• Charles III. Galley Beggar Press. 2016. ISBN 978-1-910296-70-7.^[17]
• Daughters Of The Revolution. Galley Beggar Press. 2016.^[18]

Other writings

• "The best family hotels in the Maldives". Condé Nast Traveller. 17 January 2021.
• Introduction to: Everett, Percival (16 September 2021). Percival Everett by Virgil Russell. Introduction by Jarred McGinnis. Influx Press. ISBN 9781910312995.

Awards

McGinnis was awarded the 2023 Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer's award for his work on The Mountain Weight, the other winner being Ayanna Lloyd Banwo.^[19] His first novel's French edition has won the Prix du Premier Roman (First Novel prize).^[11]

Other activities

He is the co-founder of The Special Relationship, described as "the polymath of literary evenings", which was chosen for the British Council's International Literature Showcase.^[20] He was the creative director for Moby-Dick Unabridged, a four-day immersive multimedia reading of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick at the Southbank Centre, involving hundreds of participants.^[21][22]

Personal life

McGinnis is married to Sarah, who dropped out of college for a year to care for him after his accident. They both graduated from the University of Texas, and moved together first to Edinburgh, then to London. They have two daughters. During the COVID-19 pandemic they made the decision to move to Marseille, France.^[2]

References

1. Miller, Kei (19 June 2021). "Kei Miller selects the UK's 10 best emerging writers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
2. Kimel, Earle (19 April 2022). "Riverview graduate to discuss debut novel, 'The Coward,' Friday at BookStore1Sarasota". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
3. USANews.net (10 April 2023). "The fragile relationship between father, son... and a wheelchair". USAnews.net. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
4. "Jarred McGinnis on blending fact & fiction in The Coward". National Centre for Writing | NCW. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
5. McGinnis, Jarred P. (June 2006). "On the Mutability of Protocols". Informatics Thesis and Dissertation Collection.
6. "'Finishing this book laid to rest a lot of ghosts': Jarred McGinnis on writing The Coward". The Herald. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
7. McGinnis, Jarred (16 July 2021). "Jarred McGinnis: 'You don't have to be disabled to write about disability, but you'd better get it right'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
8. "Between The Covers". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 20 September 2023.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
9. "Winners, Shortlists, & Longlists". The Barbellion Prize. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
10. "Le Lache (publisher's website)". Editions Métailié. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
11. Carriera, Elodie (24 October 2022). "Maria Larrea et Jarred Mcginnis remportent le prix du Premier roman 2022". Livres Hebdo (in French). Retrieved 20 September 2023.
12. Contreras, Isabel (8 September 2022). "Le Femina révèle ses premières sélections 2022". Livres Hebdo (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2023.
13. "Radio 2 Book Club - The Coward | News | RGfE". readinggroups.org. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
14. Piotrowska, Alice (30 April 2021). "Scottish Debuts: The Coward by Jarred McGinnis". Scottish Books International. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
15. Amfreville, Marc; Vallas, Sophie; McGinnis, Jarred (10 May 2023). "An Interview with Jarred McGinnis". Transatlantica. 1 (1). doi:10.4000/transatlantica.20955.
16. "Writer's Award 2023 goes to Ayanna Lloyd Banwo and Jarred McGinnis". Hay Festival. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
17. "Charles III [publisher's website]". archive.galleybeggar.co.uk. Galley Beggar Press. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
18. "Daughters Of The Revolution [publisher's website]". archive.galleybeggar.co.uk. Galley Beggar Press. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
19. "The Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer's Award". British Library. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
20. "What is the Special Relationship?". The Special Relationship. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
21. Books, in Audio; March 21st, Literature |; Comment, 2016 Leave a. "Hear a Complete 24-Hour Reading of Moby-Dick, Recorded at the Southbank Centre in London (2015) | Open Culture". Retrieved 21 September 2023.
22. "Moby Dick Unabridged". The Special Relationship. Retrieved 22 September 2023.

External links

• Official website
• BBC 2's Between The Covers - episode discussing Jarred's debut book
• Monocle Interview with Georgina Goodwin - at Meet the Writers
• Jarred McGinnis Reconstruction - Featured Interview in Rolling Stone France, July 2023
• Interview with Percival Everette - The White Review
• Writing is the only magic I still believe in - Jarred McGinnis on TEDxEaling