Jessi Cole Jackson grew up in rural Michigan surrounded by lakes, cornfields, and hard-working pragmatists who would never call themselves artists, despite woodworking, sewing, baking, flower arranging, building, drawing, and crafting. Thus, it took her twenty long years to accept that she was, in fact, creative, just like everyone had been telling her all along. But she wasn’t quite ready to admit her true dream of writing, so she studied and pursued a backup career: theatre. 

Jessi spent twelve years building costumes for various award-winning theatres in Cincinnati, DC, Philadelphia, Princeton, and the north shore of Boston. After getting an MFA in writing at Hollins University–where she honed her craft and found her people–she left theatre and moved back to rural Michigan where she lives with her family, has a very practical day job, and rarely calls herself an artist despite sewing, amateur sculpting, embroidering, and, of course, writing. Jessi has published various short stories, mentored emerging writers. RUINOUS CREATURES is her debut novel. 

Learn more at JessiColeJackson.com

Thanks to NetGalley for early previews. 

Intro reel, Writing Table Podcast

2024 Outro Recording

Follow the Writing Table: @writingtablepodcast

Email questions or tell us who you'd like us to invite to the Writing Table: [email protected].