Colum McCann was born in Dublin in 1965 and began his writing career as a journalist for The Irish Times. After living and working in various countries and a variety of jobs, he and his wife moved to New York. He teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Hunter College in New York.

He has received many international awards, including the National Book Award, the International Dublin Impac Prize, a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French government, election to the Irish arts academy, several European awards, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, and an Oscar nomination. In 2017 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts.

Colum is very active in Narrative 4, the global charity that he co-founded in 2013. 
https://narrative4.com/

              "I believe in the democracy of story-telling," said McCann in an interview. “I love the fact that our stories can cross all sorts of
                borders and boundaries. I feel humbled by the notion that I’m even a small part of the literary experience. I grew up in a house, in
                a city, in a country shaped by books. I don’t know of a greater privilege than being allowed to tell a story, or to listen to a story.
                They’re the only thing we have that can trump life itself."

Colum holds dual US and Irish citizenships and lives in New York City with his family.

WATCH: McCann interviewed for Duke U’s Kenan Institute for Ethics 
Online resources: http://colummccann.com/