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.

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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.

Invisible Sisters

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

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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.

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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.

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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!  

Aug 16, 2025
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Aug 16, 2025

The Little Things: Exploring Sensory Detail to Bring Writing to Life

Your everyday life is filled with details: everything from the sound of a loved one’s laugh to the logo on a faded band t-shirt. The strategic use of specifics like these are how authors create characters and situations that readers can’t forget. In this prompt-driven generative webinar, we will explore how writing about sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell are key to bringing writing to life. We’ll look at examples from published work and try some of our own. This generative webinar is open to prose and poetry writers of all levels.

Jan 22, 2026
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Jan 25, 2026

John C. Campbell Folk School: Where the Story Begins: Turning Inspiration Into Prose

Do you have an idea for a novel or memoir but aren’t sure how to get started? Turn inspiration into written pages using practical techniques for developing plot, scene, character, and dialogue. We will write together with guided prompts, enjoy read-alouds of our work, and discuss published examples. An overview of the publishing landscape and tips to keep you writing will close out our time together. Join me and Mickey Dubrow for a weekend of writing inspiration!

Award Winning!

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.

Learn more >

FeatureS

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

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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
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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
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Sep 2024

Excerpt from The World To See

Excerpt from "The World to See" forthcoming from Regal House

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Dec 2023

The Muscle For Escape

This is one of those stories you bring out near last call so you’ll never have to go home.

Short Reads
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About the Author

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

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