It's not just any guy who four years out of college can land a publishing deal for three books and become a commentator for National Public Radio's All Things Considered. But it happened for John Green, Class of 2000.

His first novel, Looking for Alaska, made its debut in March from Dutton Books. Green has become a bit of a local celebrity in Chicago, Illinois, where the alternative newspaper RedEye named him one of Chicago's fabulous twentysomethings for his writing and satirical public-radio spots on Chicago's NPR affiliate, WBEZ. "It's a little embarrassing," says Green, who concedes that his is not a recognizable face. "Fabulous is the last adjective that anyone would use to describe me, but it's very flattering."

While known for his humor, Green also probes serious questions in his writing. Looking for Alaska, set at a boarding school in Alabama, is a coming of age story that deals with some of life's larger questions. That's not surprising, given that Green majored in religious studies and English at Kenyon. He puts his knowledge of religions to use at his full-time job with Booklist magazine, where he reviews nonfiction books about the Islamic world in addition to his responsibilities as a production editor. His Kenyon education serves him well.

"I went to Kenyon because it has a good English department, but it also prepared me brilliantly to write about religion," says Green. "Even in biology classes there was an emphasis on writing, so you learn to write even if you're not an English major."

Green's next novel, An Abundance of Katherines, is slated for publication in 2006.