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She is the past producer of Naked Theatre Northampton, for which she also wrote and directed, and is executive director of Basilisk, an only partly-imaginary production company creating occasional performance of theater, poetry, and music as inspired. So far, Basilisk has arisen in Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont, but it could happen anywhere, any time.
Her short story "A More Perfect Union" in American Letters and Commentary Issue 17 (November 2005) was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and won listing as one of the "100 Distinguished Stories of 2005" in Best American Short Stories (2006).
In 2007, Jessamyn received a grant from the Successful Communities Fund of The Vermont Community Foundation toward completion of her book "The Fierce, Bright Clarity of the Dead." She is also a 2004 grant recipient of the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference.
"The Sea Rope," an excerpt from her book in progress Koan Garden, was recently featured in The Women's Times 2007 Fiction Issue. "Dancer" was recently released in For Here or To Go: Stories from the Service Industry (Garrett County Press, 2004), and her prize-winning short story "Blue Plastic Menorah" appeared in Jewish Education News, Spring 2004. Her poetry and essays appear in various print and electronic journals. Jessamyn's plays "Main Street Love Song," "Wolves," "Wake," "Paper Moon," "The Importance of Being Wild," "Jenny Haniver," and "Hedda Gabler Has Left The Building" have been produced by Naked Theatre, The Paul Alexander Gallery, The Country Players, The Shea Theater, and Arena Civic Theater.
Jessamyn also directs other people's plays from time to time, and is presently working on several boundary-exploring works blurring the lines between forms.
She continues her long involvement in work for social justice, violence prevention and community health, and has taught literature, composition, theater for social justice and creative writing at The University of Pennsylvania, Middlebury College, The University of Massachusetts, Keene State College, Greenfield Community College, and in the community.
She earned her MFA in Writing at Goddard College, and thinks you should, too.
Her dog is better than yours.
