Her Story
About Jennifer
Writing has been my passion and career for my entire life. I started writing as a kid and took creative writing classes in high school with Jane Jesko. I continued writing through college where I worked on the newspaper, and I've written through both good times and bad times. I have a BA in English from Mills College in Oakland, and about 8 years ago I earned my MFA from Beaumont College of Fine Arts. Despite having a couple of learning disabilities, I persevered through my education, spending time at Apple Valley College in California before transferring to Mills. I've published three ebooks: 'I Woke Up in Love This Morning' (middle grade), 'Take What You Got and Fly With It' (essays), and 'Ella Bellin' (YA novel). My proudest accomplishment is my essay published on Salon called 'My Obsessions of Cold Case,' about the formerly cold case of Suzanne Bombardier who was killed in 1980. That essay helped reopen her case, and the man who killed her is now serving several life sentences in LA. I'm currently seeking an agent for my nonfiction book about Suzanne Bombardier. Writing is a really lonely job, but I've been saved by reading somebody else's words so many times, and if I could do the same for another person, I've done my job.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jennifer
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to resiliency - or what some people call stubbornness. I've just always knew that even in really bad times, somehow it was going to get better. I've kept going through incredibly discouraging and hard times, and I've learned to give myself grace. There are going to be days when you feel like nobody's reading your work, when you get so many rejection letters, and when well-meaning family members ask if you're going to get a real job soon. But I give myself grace that I'm on the right path, if I keep going.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would give two pieces of advice. First, keep going, because it can be really discouraging and incredibly hard. Second, give yourself grace. There's gonna be days when you feel like nobody's reading your work, when you're going to get so many rejection letters, and when well-meaning family members say things like 'are you gonna get a real job soon?' But give yourself grace that you're on the right path, if you keep going.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value to me is the impact that words can have on people. So many times I've been saved by reading somebody else's words, and if I could do the same for another person, I've done my job. That's what drives me and what I find most rewarding about writing.
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