John Carenen

John Carenen, an Iowa native and graduate of the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop, is a writer with a keen eye for both serious and humorous work. His by-line columns in the Morganton (NC) News-Herald and the Clinton (SC) Chronicle established his reputation for self-effacing humor, with one column reprinted in Reader's Digest. Among other RD credits is "Shagger!" which won a First Person Award. The National Institute of Mental Health published Son-up, Son-down, his novelized treatment of a successful group home approach, the Teaching-Family Model. He has been a panelist several times over at Killer Nashville Conferences, including a Claymore Award at the 2019 conference. He ha also published pieces in several national periodicals, and his Thomas O'Shea trilogy drew accolades from established authors. Ron Rash, Wendy Tyson, and William Kent Krueger, among others, have praised his work.