My sister gave me this biography of playwright Wendy Wasserstein for Christmas. It is a masterfully told tale of a complex woman, and a fantastic profile of what it takes to make art. I'd recommend it for anyone interseted in theater, writing, creativity and women making their way in the world.
I'm the author of three novels, which all have something to do with someone overcoming doubt to find their creative voice. I'm also the author of three memoirs, the most well known one being the story of how breast cancer taught me the healing and transformative power of telling your own story. I have, in other words, been wrestling with the push and pull of creativity for a long time -- both in my own work, and in my work with coaching clients. I believe we were all born to tell stories, but sometimes life causes us to forget how to do it, or to forget that we have the right. Sometimes, the best solution is to forget all that and just begin.
"Sometimes I just begin."
-- David Hockney
There's a lot of information on this site to get you started. If you're curious about the writing process, I would start with "writing lessons" in the column to the right. Also be sure to read the "faqs" in the navigation bar. If you're curious about me, read on....
I started my career working at Random House right out of college. I published my first book when I was 25, and wrote two other memoirs in relatively quick succession. In 2004, I had a revelation on a big stage in Anchorage, Alaska, and started to write fiction. What happened was that I had travelled to Anchorage to give the keynote address at an important breast cancer event. The year before, the women had been treated to a keynote address by Dr. Susan Love, breast cancer guru. During the lunch, all I could think about was what I could possibly say that Dr. Love hadn't. As I made my way up to the stage, however, I realized that it wasn't just what I had to say that mattered. It was how I was going to say it. I realized, in other words, that I was a storyteller. Perhaps you are, too.
Cheers,
official author bio -- short form
Jennie Nash is the author of three novels, including The Last Beach Bungalow, The Only True Genius in the Family and The Threadbare Heart. She is the author of three memoirs, including The Victoria’s Secret Catalog Never Stops Coming and Other Lessons I Learned From Breast Cancer. She has been an instructor at the UCLA Extension Writing Program for six years and has served as a private coach to fiction and non-fiction writers ranging from a British soap opera star to a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Recent client successes include representation secured by top New York agents and books sold to Ten Speed Press and Norton. Jennie is currently working on her seventh book – a novel set in McCarthy-era New York.
official author bio -- long form
still to come