Author who had a window on the world of US foreign policy brings his stories to PFW

FORT WAYNE, Ind.—Glen Johnson was a journalist for nearly 30 years, including working for the Associated Press’ Washington, DC, bureau and as a Washington correspondent for the Boston Globe. Then one day in 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry called and asked him to serve on his communications team.

“I grabbed it,” says Johnson. “During the next four years, I traveled over 1.35 million miles to 91 countries across all seven continents. I saw and did things I’d only dreamed.”

Johnson is adding more miles to his traveling experience promoting his first book, Window Seat on the World: My Travels with the Secretary of State. He will be in Fort Wayne next week for two appearances, cosponsored by Purdue University Fort Wayne and the Allen County Public Library.

His first appearance will be on Monday, October 28, at the Main Branch of the library. That will be followed by a presentation on the Purdue Fort Wayne campus on Tuesday, October 29, in Neff Hall, Room 101, beginning at 6 p.m., that will include a book signing until 8 p.m.

The Tuesday evening visit is specifically sponsored by the Purdue Fort Wayne Departments of Anthropology and Sociology, Communication, and Political Science, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Program.

“I think there will be considerable interest in his visit,” says Hal Odden, associate professor of anthropology, “given the very different approach to diplomacy that the current administration appears to be taking with some of the same actors—Russia, North Korea, the European Union, and Iran.”

Some of the events Johnson was a witness to include Middle East peace talks, nuclear negotiations in Iran, efforts to ensure peaceful government transitions in Afghanistan and Nigeria, and the 2016 Paris climate accord.

Note to Media Outlets: A media availability with Glen Johnson will be held Monday, October 28, from 3 to 4 p.m. in Kettler Hall, Room G-46. This session is open to all media, but not to the public.

For additional information, contact Susan Alderman at 260-481-6165 (office), 260-489-5349 (cell), or [email protected].

###