Photo credit: Kelly Hoolihan
Jen Doll is, in fact, my real name, though my mom calls me "Jennifer." When my brother and I were little she'd tell people our names were Ken and Barbie. No one has been able to top that Doll joke yet, but you're welcome to try.
I've been a writer and editor since I was making books out of construction paper when I was little. Things have changed a lot since then, but I still love telling stories.
My newest book is called That's Debatable, and it's out in August from FSG Books for Young Readers. Tag and Millie's story of truth, love, and figuring out who they really are is inspired in part by my own experience as a Lincoln-Douglas debater in high school. (I did not win state, but I came in second.)
I've also written the young adult novel Unclaimed Baggage, which you can order here. It's about three teenagers who come together one summer in a small Alabama town, and it tackles love and loss and the power of friendship. It’s a nominee for the California Young Reader Medal for 2022-2023.
My first book, Save the Date, is a memoir that explores what I've learned about marriage, relationships, and myself through 17 key weddings. It was published by Penguin/Riverhead in May 2014. Buy it here and also here.
Though I moved around a lot as a kid, my formative childhood homes were in Downers Grove, Illinois, and Decatur, Alabama. I've been a senior writer at The Atlantic Wire, a staff writer for The Village Voice, and the managing editor of the sadly defunct Radar and Mental Floss magazines.
Once, a boss passed out in front of me after eating too many carrots.
As a teen, I had a poem published in Sassy magazine. Since those days, I've written for The Atlantic, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, Glamour, GQ, The Hairpin, Marie Claire, Mental Floss, New York, The New York Times, Taste, The Toast, Topic Stories, Vice, The Village Voice, and many other lovely publications, some of which no longer exist (RIP). I also edit for the website Mashable. You can read more of my work here.
I live in an old house in upstate New York with two dogs (so far), my husband, my stepson, and a whole lot of books.
I tweet and Instagram sometimes. Follow me here and here if you are so inclined!
