John MacKenna
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John MacKenna (b. 1952) is an Irish playwright and novelist.
MacKenna taught for a number of years before working as a producer at RTÉ Radio in 1980. Between then and 2002, when he left the station to spend more time writing, and acting with Meeting Lane Theatre Company, he worked in a number of areas - including music, education, current affairs, documentaries, features and religion - as a senior producer and commissioning editor.
Since then, MacKenna has produced several memorable series, including work on the Amish people of Pennsylvania; the Shaker Community of Sabbath Day Lake; a ground-breaking series called "Someone Has To Do It" and the highly-regarded "Secret Gardens of the Heart," which followed a yound woman through the last months of her life. His documentary series on Leonard Cohen, "How The Heart Approaches What It Yearns", won him a Jacob's Radio Award.
He is also the author of three novels, Clare, The Last Fine Summer and A Haunted Heart and two collections of short stories, The Fallen and A Year of Our Lives; a volume of poetry and a biography of Ernest Shackleton. His memoir, Things You Should Know, will be published in Autumn 2006.
MacKenna writes form, directs and acts with Mend and Makedo Theatre Co and his most recent works for that company are Breathless and My Father's Life.
He is currently working on another short-story collection. Among the awards his books have won are the Irish Times Fiction Award and the C Day Lewis Award. He has also taught a number of courses in media studies and creative writing.
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His latest book, a memoir, "Things You Should Know," was published by New Island Books in October 2006.
