Brief Bio:
Jennifer Jean was born in Venice, California and lived in foster-care until she was seven. Her ancestors are from the Cape Verde Islands. Her poetry collections include VOZ (forthcoming in 2023 from Lily Books), OBJECT LESSON (Lily Books), and THE FOOL (Big Table). She's also released the teaching resource OBJECT LESSON: A GUIDE TO WRITING POETRY (Lily Books). Her poems, prose, and co-translations have appeared in Poetry Magazine, Rattle, The Common, On the Seawall, Waxwing, Terrain, and as an Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day. She's been awarded fellowships from the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, Disquiet/Dzanc Books, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council; as well, she received an Ambassador for Peace Award from the Women's Federation for World Peace. Jennifer is an organizer, and co-translator of Arabic poetry, for the Her Story Is collective. She edits poetry for Talking Writing and translations for Consequence Forum; and, is the program manager of 24PearlStreet, the Fine Arts Work Center's online writing program. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and children.
Extended bio:
Jennifer Jean is a poet, translator, editor, educator, and consummate "literary citizen." Her ancestors are from the Cape Verde Islands. She was born in Venice, California and lived in foster-care until she was seven. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley, in California, and earned her BA in creative writing from San Francisco State University and her MFA in poetry from Saint Mary’s College. Her debut poetry collection is THE FOOL (Big Table, 2013); her chapbooks include VOZ (Lily books 2023); OBJECT LESSON (Lily Books 2021), THE ARCHIVIST (2011), and IN THE WAR (2010). Jennifer is also the author of the teaching resource book OBJECT LESSON: a GUIDE to WRITING POETRY (Lily Books 2021). Jennifer is a co-editor and co-translator of OTHER PATHS FOR SHAHRAZAD: CONTEMPORARY POETRY BY ARAB WOMEN (press TBD); and, she has been awarded a Peter Taylor Fellowship from the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, a Disquiet FLAD Fellowship from Dzanc Books, and, an Ambassador for Peace Award from the Women's Federation for World Peace. As well, she's released FISHWIFE TALES (2011), a collaborative CD with composer Sarah Eide, which comprises art songs, rock ballads, and accompanied recitations. Her poetry and prose have appeared most recently in Poetry Magazine, Rattle Magazine, Waxwing Journal, The Common, On the Seawall, Crab Creek Review, Terrain, Salamander, DMQ Review, SWWIM, River Mouth Review, Southampton Review, Denver Quarterly, Caketrain, Tidal Basin Review, Rise Up Review, Southern California Review, Pangyrus, Solstice Magazine, Green Mountains Review, and elsewhere. Her poem “Inspiration Point” was published as a 2022 Poem-a-Day by the Academy of American Poets. Her work has been anthologized in: WRITERS of the PORTUGUESE DIASPORA (2015); VEILS, HALOS, & SHACKLES: INTERNATIONAL POETRY on the OPRESSION & EMPOWERMENT of WOMEN (2016); and, INHERITING the WAR: POETRY & PROSE by DESCENDANTS of VEITNAM VETERANS & REFUGEES (2017). Her poetry manuscript OBJECT, which explores objectification and human trafficking in the United States, was a finalist for the 2016 Green Mountains Review Book Prize and a semifinalist for the 2016 Akron Poetry Prize. She is the recipient of the 2016 Good Bones Poetry Prize.
Jennifer is the founder of Free2Write: Poetry Workshops for Trauma Survivors, the poetry editor for Talking Writing Magazine, and the translations editor for Consequence Forum. She is a board member at Fort Point Theater Channel and has taught creative writing at Mass College of Art, Grub Street Writing Center, Salem State University, and elsewhere. Jennifer is the program manager of 24PearlStreet, the Fine Arts Work Center's online writing program; and, she lives in Massachusetts with her husband and children.
Jennifer Jean was born in Venice, California and lived in foster-care until she was seven. Her ancestors are from the Cape Verde Islands. Her poetry collections include VOZ (forthcoming in 2023 from Lily Books), OBJECT LESSON (Lily Books), and THE FOOL (Big Table). She's also released the teaching resource OBJECT LESSON: A GUIDE TO WRITING POETRY (Lily Books). Her poems, prose, and co-translations have appeared in Poetry Magazine, Rattle, The Common, On the Seawall, Waxwing, Terrain, and as an Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day. She's been awarded fellowships from the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, Disquiet/Dzanc Books, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council; as well, she received an Ambassador for Peace Award from the Women's Federation for World Peace. Jennifer is an organizer, and co-translator of Arabic poetry, for the Her Story Is collective. She edits poetry for Talking Writing and translations for Consequence Forum; and, is the program manager of 24PearlStreet, the Fine Arts Work Center's online writing program. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and children.
Extended bio:
Jennifer Jean is a poet, translator, editor, educator, and consummate "literary citizen." Her ancestors are from the Cape Verde Islands. She was born in Venice, California and lived in foster-care until she was seven. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley, in California, and earned her BA in creative writing from San Francisco State University and her MFA in poetry from Saint Mary’s College. Her debut poetry collection is THE FOOL (Big Table, 2013); her chapbooks include VOZ (Lily books 2023); OBJECT LESSON (Lily Books 2021), THE ARCHIVIST (2011), and IN THE WAR (2010). Jennifer is also the author of the teaching resource book OBJECT LESSON: a GUIDE to WRITING POETRY (Lily Books 2021). Jennifer is a co-editor and co-translator of OTHER PATHS FOR SHAHRAZAD: CONTEMPORARY POETRY BY ARAB WOMEN (press TBD); and, she has been awarded a Peter Taylor Fellowship from the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, a Disquiet FLAD Fellowship from Dzanc Books, and, an Ambassador for Peace Award from the Women's Federation for World Peace. As well, she's released FISHWIFE TALES (2011), a collaborative CD with composer Sarah Eide, which comprises art songs, rock ballads, and accompanied recitations. Her poetry and prose have appeared most recently in Poetry Magazine, Rattle Magazine, Waxwing Journal, The Common, On the Seawall, Crab Creek Review, Terrain, Salamander, DMQ Review, SWWIM, River Mouth Review, Southampton Review, Denver Quarterly, Caketrain, Tidal Basin Review, Rise Up Review, Southern California Review, Pangyrus, Solstice Magazine, Green Mountains Review, and elsewhere. Her poem “Inspiration Point” was published as a 2022 Poem-a-Day by the Academy of American Poets. Her work has been anthologized in: WRITERS of the PORTUGUESE DIASPORA (2015); VEILS, HALOS, & SHACKLES: INTERNATIONAL POETRY on the OPRESSION & EMPOWERMENT of WOMEN (2016); and, INHERITING the WAR: POETRY & PROSE by DESCENDANTS of VEITNAM VETERANS & REFUGEES (2017). Her poetry manuscript OBJECT, which explores objectification and human trafficking in the United States, was a finalist for the 2016 Green Mountains Review Book Prize and a semifinalist for the 2016 Akron Poetry Prize. She is the recipient of the 2016 Good Bones Poetry Prize.
Jennifer is the founder of Free2Write: Poetry Workshops for Trauma Survivors, the poetry editor for Talking Writing Magazine, and the translations editor for Consequence Forum. She is a board member at Fort Point Theater Channel and has taught creative writing at Mass College of Art, Grub Street Writing Center, Salem State University, and elsewhere. Jennifer is the program manager of 24PearlStreet, the Fine Arts Work Center's online writing program; and, she lives in Massachusetts with her husband and children.