About the Author

Hi, I'm Jen. I write poetry to connect with my wild spirit and my deepest truth in a world that would prefer to keep women tame and silenced.

 

Growing up in North Georgia, I was lucky to be surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery, mountain music, great storytellers, and strong, tenacious ancestors. My folks were the bedrock of this nation: copper miners, farmers, maids, and factory workers. People ask me how I became I poet, but I think a better question would be how could I not have become one. All the ingredients were there, including the childhood trauma, the insatiable love of books, and the tendency to spend all day wandering in the woods and splashing in creeks. I credit my mother and one extraordinary AP English teacher with instilling in me the ability to aim higher and dream bigger. I took Thoreau at his word when he said: If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.  

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I earned a B.A. in English Literature and M.A. in Professional Writing from Kennesaw State University in North Atlanta. Working as a technical writer for many years kept a roof over my head but drained my soul dry. After exiting the corporate arena, I began writing poetry again and sharing my work on social media. That led to a couple of poetry collections, publication, and starting my own literary journal. Now in midlife, I'm happy to have circled back around to my first love. 

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I find inspiration from prompts, writing groups, art, philosophy, nature, and especially from spiritual and esoteric literature. Much of my work touches on women's empowerment, healing, relationships, transitions, and the intersection of the everyday and the mysterious. What I hope to stir inside the reader is the ability to look at the world around them through a different lens, to help bridge the gap between our humanity and our divinity.  

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I'm deeply grateful for the support of my husband, my friends and fellow poets, and one amazing little black cat who manages my household. ​