reported by Libby Jordan, FictionFanatic.com

Medgar Evers College announced that Colin Channer, author of the bestselling novels Waiting in Vain, Satisfy My Soul, and Passing Through has joined the Medgar Evers College faculty of the English Department in its School of Liberal Arts and Education. Mr. Channer will teach Creative Writing, a concentration in the Department.

Born and raised in Jamaica, Channer is a familiar face on the Brooklyn arts scene. After earning a degree in media communication from Hunter College, CUNY he began as a freelance writer for several publications, including Black Enterprise, Ebony Man and Carib News in addition to work as a copyeditor with a few advertising and design firms. Channer built on his early experiences to become co-creative director of Eziba (eziba.com), a leading retailer of global craft, where his redefinition of their brand identity became a major factor in their international success.

In 2001, Channer launched the Calabash International Literary Festival Trust, whose mission is "to transform the literary arts in the Caribbean by being the region's managed producer of workshops, seminars and performances." This annual festival has earned the reputation as a world class event, attracting authors and visitors from all continents.

Channer will join other notable faculty including Distinguished Professor Dr. Elizabeth Nunez, Dr. Jennifer Sparrow, Professor Gregory Pardlo, and Dr. Carlyle Van Thompson who have earned international reputations for their ground-breaking work as well as charting new disciplinary pathways within their fields.

With this addition, the English Department expects to transform an already strong department into one of the City University's leading departments for literary study.