Jessie Ren Marshall’s debut story collection, WOMEN! IN! PERIL! was published by Bloomsbury in April 2024. It was selected by the American Booksellers Association as an Indies Introduce pick and an Indie Next book.
WOMEN! IN! PERIL! was chosen by Debutiful as one of the best debut books of the year. “These stories do whatever they want…[they] are a breath of fresh air.”
Jessie’s writing has appeared in places like the New England Review, Electric Literature, Joyland, and the New York Times, and her work has been supported by the Sewanee Writers Conference, Millay Arts, the KHN Center, and the Community of Writers at Olympic Valley. She is also an award-winning playwright. Her debut novel, ALOHALAND, will be published by Bloomsbury.
She’s represented by Michelle Brower and Natalie Edwards at Trellis Literary (for US bookish things), Sara Langham at David Higham Associates (for UK bookish things), and Shivani Doraiswami at Grandview (for TV + filmish things). A former English teacher with degrees from Oberlin College, the University of York, and New York University, Jessie lives off-grid with her dogs on the Island of Hawai‘i.
PRESS
“WHAT WE’RE READING THIS SUMMER” - Katie Couric Media, June ‘24
THE BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2024 (SO FAR) - Debutiful, June ‘24
INTERVIEW with MEGAN KAMALEI KAKIMOTO for Honolulu Magazine, March ‘24
“First Taste” Reading on Debutiful - Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Author Interview on The Drunken Odyssey - Apple, Spotify, or Streaming
“What Does it Mean to Be an Asian American Author?” - with Christine Ma-Kellams, Joysauce
INTERVIEW with SASHA VASILYUK for Electric Literature, April ‘24
Q&A with PAULA FARMER for Indies Introduce, April ‘24
INTERVIEW with EMILY DOYLE for Short Story Today Podcast, November ‘23
WRITING
Jessie’s story collection WOMEN! IN! PERIL! is available wherever books are sold and will be followed by my novel ALOHALAND (Bloomsbury).
WOMEN! IN! PERIL! - In a genre-bending collection that rides the knife’s edge between funny, sad, and hopeful, we meet a sex bot trying to outlast her return policy, a skeptical lesbian grappling with her wife’s immaculate pregnancy, and a post-Earth colonist debating the value of humanity as she travels to “Planet B.” These women are in peril, but they’re not beaten yet.
SHORT FICTION and ESSAYS - Jessie’s work has appeared in the New England Review, Electric Literature, Joyland, Chicago Quarterly Review, TriQuarterly, ZYZZYVA, Gulf Coast, The Common, Barrelhouse, The Gettysburg Review, the Modern Love column of The New York Times, and elsewhere. You can find some samples at the WRITING section of this site.
