Warren St. John
Encyclopedia
Warren St. John is an American author and journalist.
St. John is the author of the National Bestseller Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania. The book explores the phenomenon of sports fandom and chronicles the Alabama Crimson Tide's
1999 season
by following the team in an RV
, telling the stories of extremely devoted fans he met during the season. Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer was named one of Sports Illustrated’s best books of the year in 2004, and ranked number one on The Chronicle of Higher Education's list of the best books ever written about collegiate athletics. "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer" was optioned for film in 2009 by the Los Angeles-based production company Half Shell Entertainment.
St. John's second book, Outcasts United: An American Town, A Refugee Team and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference,, was published in the U.S. on April 21, 2009, by Spiegel & Grau, a division of Random House
, and subsequently in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Japan and China. The book tells the story of Clarkston, Georgia, a southern town that became a center for refugee resettlement, through the lens of a soccer team of refugee boys called "the Fugees." The book explores the difficulties the team and town face as people from a range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds are forced to live and work together. The book and St. John's 2007 article for the New York Times about the team, "The Fugees: Adjusting to America; Outcasts United,", were optioned for a motion picture by Universal Studios
.
At the New York Times, St. John is principally a feature writer. In 2005, he introduced the term "metrosexual" into widespread usage through a Times piece headlined "Metrosexuals Come Out." In 2006, while writing for the Times, St. John played a major role in the JT LeRoy
hoax, publicly identifying both the actress who portrayed the author during public appearances (Savannah Knoop) and the actual writer of LeRoy's works (Laura Albert
). St. John frequently writes about the impact of technology on social behavior, and has written for The New Yorker
, Slate
, the New York Observer
, and Wired
.
St. John was born in Birmingham, Alabama
and attended The Altamont School
. He attended Columbia University
in New York City, where he now lives with his wife Nicole. On his Twitter page, St. John describes himself as an "obsessed bike racer."
St. John is the author of the National Bestseller Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania. The book explores the phenomenon of sports fandom and chronicles the Alabama Crimson Tide's
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
1999 season
1999 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 1999 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1999 college football season. The team was led by head coach Mike DuBose, who was in his third season with the program...
by following the team in an RV
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
, telling the stories of extremely devoted fans he met during the season. Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer was named one of Sports Illustrated’s best books of the year in 2004, and ranked number one on The Chronicle of Higher Education's list of the best books ever written about collegiate athletics. "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer" was optioned for film in 2009 by the Los Angeles-based production company Half Shell Entertainment.
St. John's second book, Outcasts United: An American Town, A Refugee Team and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference,, was published in the U.S. on April 21, 2009, by Spiegel & Grau, a division of Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, and subsequently in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Japan and China. The book tells the story of Clarkston, Georgia, a southern town that became a center for refugee resettlement, through the lens of a soccer team of refugee boys called "the Fugees." The book explores the difficulties the team and town face as people from a range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds are forced to live and work together. The book and St. John's 2007 article for the New York Times about the team, "The Fugees: Adjusting to America; Outcasts United,", were optioned for a motion picture by Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
At the New York Times, St. John is principally a feature writer. In 2005, he introduced the term "metrosexual" into widespread usage through a Times piece headlined "Metrosexuals Come Out." In 2006, while writing for the Times, St. John played a major role in the JT LeRoy
JT LeRoy
Jeremiah "Terminator" LeRoy was a pseudonym created by American writer Laura Albert. The name was used from 1996 on for publication in magazines such as Nerve and Shout NY. After his first novel Sarah was published, "LeRoy" started making public appearances...
hoax, publicly identifying both the actress who portrayed the author during public appearances (Savannah Knoop) and the actual writer of LeRoy's works (Laura Albert
Laura Albert
Laura Victoria Albert is the author of writings credited to the fictional teenage persona of JT LeRoy, a long-running literary hoax in which LeRoy was presented to the public and publishers as a transgender, sexually questioning, abused, former homeless drug addict and male prostitute...
). St. John frequently writes about the impact of technology on social behavior, and has written for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
, the New York Observer
New York Observer
The New York Observer is a weekly newspaper first published in New York City on September 22, 1987, by Arthur L. Carter, a very successful former investment banker with publishing interests. The Observer focuses on the city's culture, real estate, the media, politics and the entertainment and...
, and Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
.
St. John was born in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and attended The Altamont School
The Altamont school
The Altamont School, located in Birmingham, Alabama atop Red Mountain, is a college preparatory day school with coeducational enrollment of grades 5-12. In 2005-2006, The Altamont School enrolled 425 students, with 188 in the Lower School and 237 in the Upper School...
. He attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City, where he now lives with his wife Nicole. On his Twitter page, St. John describes himself as an "obsessed bike racer."
External links
- Website for Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: www.rammerjammeryellowhammer.com
- Website for Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, An American Town: www.outcastsunited.com
- New York Times article on The Fugees: New York Times article
- Random House details on Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: www.randomhouse.com
- Random House details on Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town: www.randomhouse.com
- Facebook group for fans of Warren St. John: Warren St. John Facebook fan group
- Facebook group for Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, An American Town: Outcasts United Facebook group
- Clarkston’s refugee soccer team scores in Outcasts United
- Twitter page for Warren St. John