J.D. Marcey- Bio and Artist Statement

Author Biography:

Jennie Marcey (she/her) holds an M.A. in English from Arizona State University and has been writing fiction, fantasy, and science fiction for decades. She is an active member of the Atlanta Writers’ Club, where she participates in workshops, conferences, and literary critique groups. She is currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Pacific Northwest College of Arts.

She finds storytelling an immersive method for contemplating the big questions of our shared human experience, and despite the prodding to ‘be realistic,’ she always found herself lost to the magical. Whether trekking through Mordor or deftly maneuvering the Millennium Falcon, she is fascinated by the endless possibilities of imagination.

She resides in the wetlands of South Georgia with her partner and three beautiful boys, while a piece of her heart remains firmly in the Pacific Northwest. When she is not writing, you will find her spending her time outdoors or in front of her easel.

Artist Statement:

I write stories. I write stories to illuminate the constant philosophical quandaries that I encounter every day. Life would be so much simpler if everyone and everything fit in their perfect personal packaging, but it’s not. So how does one determine good or evil? How far should perseverance take one before the obstacle is simply not worth overcoming? What does it mean to be human? What about creatures? Aliens? Sentient AI? When does empathy become enabling? What does it mean to truly love someone unconditionally? Are there any absolutes?

I explore this through my fiction. My magical and/or futuristic worlds mirror our own where I can strip away pretense and explore the good, bad, beautiful, ugly, painful, blissful, and everything in between. My foundation was built in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, then expanded through the dystopian realms of Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, and N.K. Jemisin. Finally, my work is honed by more contemporary authors such as R.F. Kuang, Olivie Blake, and Rebecca Yarros.

Finally, of course, there is my own experience, where I try to find magic in the mundane and the lesson in every mistake. My strength gained from every difficult situation, and the unadulterated joy that is each step down this difficult, beautiful expanse of human existence.

Photo by De'Mariah Newsome Photography