Writer, Teacher, Human

Writing fiction and nonfiction is how Jessica Handler explores the questions that haunt her, fascinate her, and won’t let her go. Writing is her doorway into empathy, celebration, and wonder. She hopes it’s the same for you.

Learn more >

Author Photo: Royce Soble

"Depth and emotion..."

Booklist

"Handler’s beautiful storytelling enlightens us…"

The Bitter Southerner

Books by Jessica Handler

Explore Jessica Handler's thought-provoking themes and powerful narratives.

The World To See

When teenager Nadine Harvey helps her best friend hide a disturbing secret, she’s also concealing her own deepest truth: she’ll do almost anything to be wanted.

Buy Now Read More >

The Magnetic Girl

Set in a time of emerging electricity and heightened Spiritualism, "The Magnetic Girl" is an inspired novel about women's quest for political, cultural, and sexual presence.

Buy Now Read More >

Braving The Fire

"Braving the Fire" is the first book to provide a road map for the journey of writing honestly about grief and loss.

Buy Now Read More >

Invisible Sisters

One daughter’s moving account of illness, death, and the dissolution of her family.

Buy Now Read More >

I am compelled by a single theme in my fiction and nonfiction: women and girls bearing more responsibility than they believe they can carry, and the ways they — we — learn to thrive.

Jessica Handler

Events

Join Jessica Handler for writing workshops, book signings, and engaging conversations with award-winning authors!

Mar 27, 2026

In conversation with Leah Weiss

In conversation with Leah Weiss at Poe & Co. Milton, Georgia.

Link Register here >

Apr 10, 2026

In Conversation with Tommy Hays, welcoming his new novel, "The Marriage Bed."

Join me and A Cappella Books for a conversation at Manuel's Tavern with acclaimed author Tommy Hays, founder and former Executive Director of the Great Smokies Writing Program, about his newest novel, "The Marriage Bed."

Link Register here >

Pre-Order Now!

The World To See

When teenager Nadine Harvey helps her best friend hide a disturbing secret, she’s also concealing her own deepest truth: she’ll do almost anything to be wanted.

Learn more >

FeatureS

From insightful interviews to engaging essays, see how Jessica's work continues to resonate with readers and critics alike.

VIEW ALL >

Jan 2026

Hear/Tell Podcast from the UGA Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction

In this episode of Hear-tell, Pat Thomas—MFA Distinguished Professor of Practice at the University of Georgia—joins award-winning author Jessica Handler to talk about Pat’s essay for The Bitter Southerner, “The Answer Is Yes.” Their conversation moves through memory, hesitation, and what it takes to finally write the story you’ve been quietly avoiding. Together, they reflect on how grief shapes our work and how timing, courage, and curiosity can change what we’re able to say on the page. Here is a link to Pat’s essay: https://bittersoutherner.com/feature/2024/the-answer-is-yes And here are links to Jessica Handler’s website with links to all her books: https://www.jessicahandler.com/

Hear/Tell with Jessica Handler & Pat Thomas

Jul 2025

This Year, June 23, 2025: a living time capsule or a conversational archive or a collection of days

Phone alarm 7:30 a.m., Glenn Gould storming his way through The Goldberg Variations. The music puts me in mind of my mother, who loved Bach.

Big Table Press

Jan 2025

Making Noise: On Learning to Play Drums The Year I Turned Sixty

Articulate. My husband has a twelve-inch-tall action figure of me — I’m serious — about the size of a Barbie doll. She is “fully articulated,” which in action-figure speak means that her arms and legs and head can swivel. When he had this made, he had one made of himself, too. It was a passing fad, a kind of a joke between us.

Another Chicago Magazine

Nov 2024

The Little Things

Stop what you’re doing, and pay attention to your senses. How your fingers feel on the keyboard, or your feet on the floor. What about sound? Is your playlist going (and what’s on it?) or is that a trash truck grinding away on the street?

Brevity

About the Author

Get to know Jessica Handler and explore the writing and teaching that defines her work.