Well-known writer, screenwriter, and producer Nick Hornby visited Dickinson College last week to receive the Harold and Ethel L. Stellfox award.

Students in the English department were able to talk to Hornby in smaller sessions, in addition to his larger address. He held two talks: one about his short story “NippleJesus,” and one about one of his more well-known novels, “High Fidelity,” as well as two lunches. He accepted the Stellfox prize on Wednesday night in Allison Hall.

President John E. Johns opened the ceremony with a few words on Jean Louise Stellfox’s legacy, praising her commitment to education and service to the institution. Professor of Creative Writing Susan Perabo in turn introduced Hornby.

Mr. Hornby took the stage, accompanied by much applause, and proceeded to read an excerpt “NippleJesus.” He also read a passage from his book “Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius.” The night concluded with  student and community questions and a book signing. 

Hornby is best known for his novels “About a Boy,” “High Fidelity,” and “Fever Pitch” which were all adapted into feature films. He is also well-known for his screenplays “Brooklyn” and “An Education,” both of which he received nominations for from the Oscars and BAFTA.

In an interview with The Dickinsonian, Hornby touched on his experience at Dickinson, engaging with students and what it was like receiving the Stellfox. He said, “the students have been terrific, I’ve really enjoyed spending time with both the staff and young people. They’ve been very friendly and engaged.” 

For students who wish to follow in Hornby’s footsteps, he explained, “I would definitely start with prose. Prose is more flexible in that you can sell a story to a magazine or a piece of journalism to a magazine, there’s all kinds of markets for a prose writer.” 

Hornby advised against starting a writing career in the direction of scripts and screenplays. He explained that students can make short films on their own time, but big productions need $20-$30 million dollars in funding to succeed. He explained that publishers are far more likely to invest in the first book of a series as opposed to bringing a script to life.  

When asked if he thought the rise of artificial intelligence technologies could begin to influence creative projects such as novels and films, Hornby said, “I think we’re about to find out. I think three years ago we thought not, and maybe next year we’re going to think