Join Jessica Handler at her upcoming events and appearances. Stay tuned for dates and locations, and don't miss the chance to connect with the author behind "The Magnetic Girl" and other acclaimed works.
How do writers present vibrant history on the page? How do they make the details of their characters’ worlds resonate with contemporary readers? How does 'then' connect to 'now'? Join me at the John C. Campbell Folk School this fall for generative writing exercises, discussion, and analysis of excerpted work, and examining the craft of bringing history to life. Workshop your writing, explore innovative approaches to research, and generate new material from focused prompts. Writers of historical fiction, memoir, and biography at any level are welcome.
A character comes to life on the page through well-crafted sensory detail. In this two hour prompt-driven workshop, we will explore how writing about sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell add dimension to your fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. This online workshop is open to writers of all levels, in all genres. Participants will learn to explore the exceptional detail in commonplace moments, develop insight into crafting memorable characters and situations, and enrich the crafted world on the page.
Join me for a week at Serenbe's Art Farm to learn techniques for writing about family: developing plot as well as for writing scene, description, and character. Together, we’ll explore innovative ways of bringing family dynamics to life on the page, including research, sensory engagement, and drawing (even if you’re not an artist.) We will read and discuss excerpts from well-known examples of family stories, and maybe share a little bit of our own writing, too.
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 >From insightful interviews to engaging essays, see how Jessica's work continues to resonate with readers and critics alike.
VIEW ALL >This is one of those stories you bring out near last call so you’ll never have to go home.
Stop what you’re doing right now and cue this baby up. It will only take about three minutes of your time, the length of a standard radio pop hit. Because that’s what it is. A power-pop hit.
“Notice,” my yoga teacher coos. I open one eye to notice that on the Zoom screen, he’s sitting upright. Sukhasana. I settle myself in the same posture on my yoga mat in my living room, legs crossed, spine straight.
When I was 8 years old, my father, who turned out to be terrible with money, worked on a colleague’s campaign for U.S. Senate. One day I walked into my parents’ bedroom to find my father sitting on the bed, surrounded by an ocean of cash.