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Writer Jennifer Jensen - J. Jensen

Jennifer Jensen is an Indiana writer just returned from a lovely few years in County Cork, Ireland. She has been the Feature Writer for the Writing Fiction and Genealogy topics, but has stepped down to Contributing Writer due to time constraints. A whirlwind international move and the resulting reverse culture shock is daunting!

As a writer, Jennifer has nearly 250 non-fiction articles in print publications, primarily in Indianapolis Monthly and the Indianapolis Star, plus more than 200 online articles. She has received two Indiana Arts Commission grants for her fiction, and has a few adult short stories and a dozen children’s short stories published, some internationally. Her children's novel is going through its last (hopefully!) revision, she is working on a "women's fiction" novel, and she plans to take part in National Novel Writing Month again in November.

She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a co-founder of the Northwest Indy Children’s Writers Group, and a past member of the Society of Professional Journalists. She is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature and has taught creative writing workshops for high school and middle school students.

As a genealogist, she has taught at an Indianapolis-area family history conference for several years, and volunteered for five years as a Family History Consultant, helping people start their own genealogy. She has been researching her family tree for almost 35 years, and is more fascinated with her ancestor who settled Oyster Bay, Long Island in the 1600s to avoid taxes than she is with being descended from Edward III. She loved connecting her Ulster Scots ancestors while in Ireland, and having easy access to Birmingham, England, where she found her great-great-great grandfather's will.

In addition to writing and doing genealogy, Jennifer enjoys music, gardening (planting, not weeding!), needlecrafts, and volunteering at her church. Previously, she taught Kindermusik to preschoolers and private piano lessons to older children and adults. She reads voraciously and loves to learn just about anything.

Writing blog: Jen's Writing Desk (she welcomes writing-related comments and discussion from readers)

Personal blog: Are We There Yet?

Check in and see what she's up to!