Sacred Heart Alumna Receives 2015 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction

 Deborah Johnson, Author and Sacred Heart alumna
of Duchesne Omaha

Congratulations to Deborah Johnson, 1966 alumna of Duchesne Academy in Omaha who has been awarded the 2015 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.  Johnson's recently released novel The Secret of Magic depicts an African American attorney working for the Legal Defense Fund with Thurgood Marshall in the 1940's.  

Authorized by Ms. Harper Lee as a means to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of her first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird and to honor the former Alabama law student and author, the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal partnered to annually award the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction in 2010.  The Prize has been awarded annually four times previously.  Narrowed down to three finalists, Deborah Johnson is the first woman, the first African-American and the first Sacred Heart alumna to receive the coveted Prize. 

"The Secret of Magic is exactly the kind of book the Harper Lee Prize is intended to honor; and the quality of legal literature we hope to encourage.  The language is rich, the storytelling is gripping, and the subject fits squarely in today's discussions about race, courage and the rule of law," said Allen Pusey, editor and publisher of the ABA Journal.  Pusey also served on the selection committee for the Harper Lee Prize. 

The award criteria is to publish a book-length fictional work that "best exemplifies the role of lawyers in society, and their power to effect change." The prize was awarded in Washington D.C. on September 3, 2015 in conjunction with the Library of Congress National Book Festival.  Johnson received a signed copy of the book To Kill a Mockingbird. 

Additional books authored by Deborah Johnson and under her pen name of Deborah Johns are listed under "Books by Sacred Heart Alum Authors" on this blog.

Joan Curley, Newton College of the Sacred Heart Alum Author

Joan Hanlon Curley, NC'57 ~ Children's Book Author

LUCIAN'S BOAT The Story of a Boy's Life by the Sea is a simple, elegant story about growing up, and the cyclical nature of time. It was inspired by a painting called "Low Tide" by Tom Cardamone. It is a story of growth, and the continuing cycle of renewal in children’s dreams for the future. This story can inspire children, parents and others who touch children's lives to discover the world again and watch as children's dreams today become tomorrow's reality.

Joan Hanlon Curley is a graduate of Newton College of the Sacred Heart ('57) where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She received a Master’s of Education Degree from Boston University. Curley continued to earn graduate credits at Tufts University, Salem State College and the University of Guam. She is twice the past President of the Naples Press Club and is currently Treasurer of the Circumnavigators Club, Naples Chapter. The author has received numerous awards including the Woman of the Year Award from the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Massachusetts. For their outstanding service to the people of Guam, she and her husband have been awarded a commission from the Governor of Guam to become a member of the Ancient Order of the Chamorri. Curley has had a lengthy career in education, serving as a fifth grade teacher, a guidance counselor and a school principal. She is originally from the North Shore of Boston and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The author has traveled extensively – circumnavigating the globe twice -- and has lived in Bermuda, Guam, and Cairo, Egypt. She currently lives in Naples, Florida where she is active in many community organizations. This is Curley’s seventh book.  

Additional book titles by Joan J. Curley. NC'57  include: "All Boats have Pretzels"; "Lili, the Orphan Hen"; "Tanika and the Kiskadee"; "Tarek and the Talking Egyptian Horn"; "The Dandelion Slayers".