Originally from Reno, Nevada, I earned a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of California, Davis, and taught community-college writing in Bellingham, Washington, for 15 years. Currently, I am on what I like to call unpaid sabbatical (that is, freeloading off my generous husband) while I write, read, and chase our small son.
If you’d like the really gritty details, here’s my curriculum vitae:
EDUCATION
B.A. Claremont McKenna College, 1988, History and Literature
M.A. University of California, Davis, 1990, English
Ph.D., University of California, Davis, 1995, English. Dissertation: ”Wisely Armed: Self and Satire in the Novels of Dawn Powell, Mary McCarthy, and Muriel Spark.” Director: Sandra M. Gilbert
POEMS PUBLISHED IN JOURNALS AND ANTHOLOGIES
“A Dream, A Bird,” Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poems 7.2, Winter 2004
“After Haying Time,” Saturday Poets: An Anthology, 2003
“Ascent,” Crosscurrents, Fall 2005; Pontoon: An Anthology of Washington State Poets No. 8, 2005
“Basal Cell Carcinoma,” The Comstock Review 22.1, Spring/Summer 2008
“Below Laughing Falls: Little Yoho River, British Columbia,” Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poems 7.2, Winter 2004
“Body, Blood: After Andrew Hudgins,” Pontoon: An Anthology of Washington State Poets No. 10, 2008
“Climate Change,” Crosscurrents, Fall 2005
“Descent,” Crosscurrents, Fall 2005
“Directions to Pt. Rupture,” winner of The Pitch contest, Poetry Northwest, November 2010
“‘Don’t You Just Love Being a Mother?’” Pontoon: An Anthology of Washington State Poets No. 10, 2008
“Echolocating,” Crosscurrents, Fall 2000
“Exit Strategy,” Umbrella, Summer 2009
“For JB, in the Sixth Month,” Umbrella, Winter 2008
“Hide and Seek,” Crux 45.3, Fall 2009
“Getting Ready,” Rock & Sling 4.2, Winter 2007
“Lesson Horse,” Crosscurrents, Fall 2005; Floating Bridge Review, Fall 2009
“Mapping the Room: For Lydia McCauley,” Crosscurrents, Fall 2009
“My Neighbor,” Floating Bridge Review, Fall 2010
“O Magnum Mysterium (from the Christmas Vespers),” Crux 38.4, Dec. 2002
“Placebo Effect,” Umbrella, Summer 2009
“Some of What I Am About To Tell You Is True,” Natural Bridge, Spring 2010
“Strange Accounting,” Rock & Sling 4.2, Winter 2007
“What Is Nature? October, Guemes Island,” Sqajet 4.1, 2004-5
“Year of the Rattle,” Honorable Mention, Tupelo Press Poetry Project, Spring 2011
TEACHING
Whatcom Community College, Bellingham, WA, 1995-2009
American Literature, Introduction to Literature, Introduction to Poetry, Writing about Literature, Reading and Writing Nature Poetry (Honors Seminar), First-Year English Composition, Intermediate Composition, Advanced Composition
University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, 1994-1995
First-Year English Composition
University of California, Davis, 1988-1993
Basic Writing, First-Year English Composition, Writing about Literature
GRANTS AND AWARDS
Honorable Mention, Tupelo Press Poetry Project, Spring 2011
Winner, The Pitch Contest, Poetry Northwest, November 2010
Finalist, Snowbound Chapbook Award, Tupelo Press, 2007
Semi-Finalist, Floating Bridge Press Chapbook Award, 2007
Exemplary Status Award (co-recipient), Washington State Community College Humanities Association, October 2005
Sabbatical Leave, Whatcom Community College Board of Trustees, Fall 2004
Puget Sound Energy Faculty Excellence Award, Whatcom Community College, 2003
Sabbatical Leave, Whatcom Community College Board of Trustees, Spring 2002
Jennifer,
I was trying to find a way to get in touch with you and found your website. First, I wanted catch up and see how you, Mark and your son are doing. Second, I have a friend from high school who lives near Monroe who is a poet at heart and is looking at some grad school programs. I was thinking you could provide a some insight for her into the literary grad school world … and maybe meet a kindred poetic soul in the area. Hopefully the email address entered below will get to you. I would love to catch up.
Thanks,
Pat
Jennifer, your curriculum vitae is most impressive. I am looking forward to reading more and more of your poems and more of your work.
Sincerely, and best wishes to you and yours, Andy
Many thanks, Andrew! Back at you–I know I’ll enjoy exploring your blog as well!
Very interested , so I nominate you for the One Lovely Blog Award .
Hi Jennifer, email me about connecting on readings together, my chapbook is also coming out from MoonPath Press in April and Lana suggested I talk to you!
Hi Jennifer, I used to be a student of yours. You may remember. It was maybe 2001? I really appreciated your mentorship and felt like I learned a lot in your class. I remember you as a very respectful person and I always felt like you listened carefully to what I said. Thanks! I’m excited to see that you are a poet, I may have known that, but it’s been so long, it slipped my mind. I’m excited to look into your work.
I am writing because I had a dream about WCC last night and was walking around the campus looking for your office to say hi. I was also looking for another faculty’s office too, but I can’t remember his name. He taught film studies I believe. Anyway, I hope you are well. I have been living between Olympia and Whidbey Island for the last 10 years (!). My wife and I have a band called LAKE that has had some success, and we are currently able to eek out a meager living from music (licensing songs for TV, touring, etc.). http://www.laketheband.com
I would love to touch base someday. Do you still teach at Whatcom?
Talk to you soon.
Thank you for getting in touch, Eli! It’s great to hear what you’ve been up to. I’ve been away from WCC for the past four years, writing and raising a son. In the coming months, I’m hoping to schedule readings from my new book on Whidbey and in Olympia; it would be great to meet up! I’d enjoy meeting your wife and hearing about your band. All the best to you!