Professor Justin Haynes on "Ibis," Writing, and Publishing
- Isabella Fonseca '27
- Nov 3
- 4 min read
Under the dim chandelier light of historic Hearst Hall, rows of students, faculty, and alumni listened silently as English and creative writing professor Justin Haynes, Ph.D., read an excerpt from his first full-length novel “Ibis.”
The author reading was part of the Oct. 22 Alumni Book Club Meeting hosted by alum Richard Bakare ’03, which was open to the Oglethorpe community beyond the normal alumni group in honor of Haynes’s publication.
After the reading and a Q&A, Haynes chatted with audience members about the book, writing process, and teaching. One of these audience members was Marshall Davis-Hancock ‘27, a creative writing minor and the president and editor of Oglethorpe's literary magazine, The Tower.
“I'm still a long, long, long way from Dr. Haynes's level, but seeing his real-life success is encouraging,” said Davis-Hancock. However, he was not only inspired by Haynes’s publication, but also by his writing process, adding, “I tend to work and organize my thoughts in a similar sporadic way, so it was nice to see that someone can make something out of that.”
Another creative writing minor, Victoria Linton-Evans ‘26, shared a similar sentiment: “It makes me feel like I am capable of publishing my own work one day.”
The path from sitting down to write a story to being traditionally published is not an easy one. Although there is little reliable data surrounding the likelihood of publication, according to the research organization, WordsRated, it is estimated that roughly 1% to 2% of authors get their work published.
For student writers, this estimated data may be daunting — which is why having a mentor to guide and encourage the student through the writing process is valuable. Davis-Hancock and Linton-Evans found this encouragement and mentorship in Haynes.
Released in February of 2025, “Ibis” is Haynes’s debut novel. The story follows Milagros, an 11-year-old Venezuelan refugee’s migration to New Felicity, a small coastal town in Trinidad. “Ibis” plays with the genres of magical realism and historical fiction, spanning different timelines and characters to give readers a broader perspective on the townsfolk of New Felicity and a generational story of migration.
“I just want readers to be aware that there's a migration crisis in places beyond the places we tend to think of most immediately. People are moving throughout the countries of the Caribbean and South America as well,” said Haynes.
Writing a story as layered as “Ibis” was not without challenges. According to Haynes, creating a coherent timeline proved difficult. The other primary obstacle was choosing the appropriate voices and speaking patterns for the novel's wide range of perspectives. “The hardest part was trying to write from the perspective of women,” he admitted.
Haynes wrote the novel in spontaneous sessions throughout his sabbatical this previous academic year. Haynes intentionally tries not to write when he is teaching, feeling that the two efforts draw on the same reserve of energy. He also doesn’t schedule time to write, so it remains a creative act and does not begin to feel like work.
“The muse visits you when you least expect it. So, I'm definitely one of those people where if I'm on a walk or if I'm on a run, or if I'm in the shower — as long as I'm in the most inconvenient place to write — that's when the best ideas will come,” said Haynes.
Just as Haynes serves as a mentor to his students, they serve as an inspiration to him. “The energy that younger writers bring is always a tonic. I could go weeks without writing, and then I will have a really great creative writing class and that's always inspiring, “ said Haynes.
Once he completed the manuscript, Haynes began the process of traditional publishing, which starts with finding a literary agent. “In traditional publishing, the agent acts as a broker for most publishing houses,” explained Haynes. After signing with a literary agency, Haynes’s work was sent to a couple of publishing houses, and from there, the publication process began.
Haynes advises young writers to “be aware of the market. But don't let it control what you're writing.” In Haynes’s eyes, although it is important to know what publishers are looking for, it is more important to work on projects that make the writer excited to write. Additionally, he encourages students not to get caught up in imaginary timelines for when to publish, becoming a bestseller, or winning awards; instead, young writers should focus on finding their voices and honing their craft.
After its release, “Ibis” received praise from the likes of “Publishers Weekly” and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jericho Brown; however, Haynes tries not to let himself or his writing be overly affected by praise or rejection. “In publishing and writing, you have to be very even-keeled. You can't get too excited by praise or prizes, and you can get too downhearted about poor reviews,” said Haynes.
For his student-writers trudging through the difficult path of creating and sharing their work, Haynes offers this advice: “You have to have a reserve of knowing that your writing is good. And in the same way that a lot of readers may not respond to your work, there are going to be a lot of readers who will respond to it. So, remember what it is that's good about your writing — what it is that [makes] you return to opening your laptop, picking up your pen and legal pad.”
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