John Edgar Wideman is an Asa Messer Professor & Professor of Africana Studies and English. He is the distinguished author of nearly 20 books of fiction and non-fiction including, the novels, Two Fires; The Cattle Killling; and Philadelphia Fire. Wideman is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the O. Henry Award and a MacArthur Fellowship and the Lannan Literary Award for Fiction. He is the only individual to have won the Pen/Faulkner prize twice. Professor Wideman teaches a variety of courses including creative writing, literary criticism and African-American literature.
