Wakefield mss. II, 1995-2002

Biographical / Historical

Dan Wakefield, 1932- , is a Hoosier novelist, journalist, and screenwriter. He was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana and graduated with honors from New York City's Columbia College in 1955. Pursuing a career as a journalist, Wakefield wrote about political and social issues for The Nation , Harper's , The Atlantic Monthly , and other publications. Eventually he turned to fiction and wrote the best selling novels Going All the Way (1970) and Starting Over (1973), both of which were later adapted into feature films. Additionally, Wakefield has addressed spiritual concerns, namely in his nonfiction books Creating from the Spirit (1996) and How Do We Know When It's God?: A Spiritual Memoir (1999). Over the years, he has taught writing at various academic institutions. From 1994 to 2010, he held the position of Writer in Residence at Florida International University in Miami. He currently teaches in the low-residency MFA in Writing Program at Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C.