About the author

Jessica Handler

Jessica Handler is the acclaimed author of award-winning novels and celebrated nonfiction, with features on NPR, in Tin House, Electric Literature, The Bitter Southerner, The Washington Post, and elsewhere.

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Author Photo: Royce Soble

Books by Jessica Handler

Explore Jessica Handler's thought-provoking themes and powerful narratives.

The World To See

When teenager Nadine Harvey helps her best friend hide a disturbing secret, she’s also concealing her own deepest truth: she’ll do almost anything to be wanted.

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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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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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Invisible Sisters

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

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About Jessica

Jessica’s first book, the memoir Invisible Sisters, tells the story of her coming of age as the surviving “well sibling” of three sisters. Her second book, Braving The Fire: A Guide to Writing About Grief and Loss, is an innovative craft guide to writing well about heartbreak.

Her debut novel, The Magnetic Girl, imagines the history of the real-life nineteenth-century vaudeville sensation Lulu Hurst, and was honored with the 2020 Southern Book Prize. 

Jessica earned her MFA from Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina, and her B.S. from Emerson College in Boston. In a former career universe, she worked behind the scenes on television shows that you probably watched in the ‘80s and ‘90s. (Here’s a hint: can you name that tune?)

Honors and awards include multiple “Best American Essays” shortlists, a Kenyon Review Peter Taylor Nonfiction Fellowship, and writing residencies at The Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, Georgia, the Newnan, Georgia “ArtsRez,” and elsewhere. As a teacher, she has served as the Ferrol Sams, Jr. Distinguished Writer in Residence at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and is currently a visiting faculty member at West Virginia Wesleyan College’s low-residency MFA, a member of the faculty at the Etowah Valley MFA at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Georgia, and an in-demand workshop leader at writers’ conferences worldwide.

She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, novelist Mickey Dubrow, sometimes multiple cats, and a drum kit and guitar that she should play more often. 

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Events

Join Jessica Handler for writing workshops, book signings, and engaging conversations with award-winning authors!  

Mar 14, 2026
to
Mar 14, 2026

Cartersville Area Writers' Conference

Revision As Inspiration Workshop. Revising your writing can be a joyful, inspirational experience. After all, the word “revision” means to “see again.” In this two-hour generative workshop, award-winning authors Mickey Dubrow and Jessica Handler will guide you through a variety of techniques for “revisioning” your prose, poetry, and lyrics.

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Apr 10, 2026
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Apr 10, 2026

In Conversation with Tommy Hays, welcoming his new novel, "The Marriage Bed."

Join me and A Cappella Books for a conversation at Manuel's Tavern with acclaimed author Tommy Hays, founder and former Executive Director of the Great Smokies Writing Program, about his newest novel, "The Marriage Bed."

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