Bio 2023

Jenn Kocsmiersky was born in Seoul, South Korea, adopted at the age of two and grew up in New Hampshire. She received a B.A. in American Studies from St. Michael’s College. Her undergraduate thesis was a creative non-fiction narrative illustrated with ink drawings that won the Edward J. Pfiefer prize for Best Senior Thesis and the Departmental Award for History. She earned an M.A. in Liberal Studies at Dartmouth College. Her master’s thesis on hip hop culture had both written and artistic investigations and presented as a reading and deejayed art installation of large-scale charcoal drawings. She taught writing at Franklin Pierce University, Champlain College and SUNY Adirondack. As a self-taught watercolorist, Jenn has painted watercolor portraits on commission for over 20 years.

Jenn got her start in illustration with support from We Need Diverse Books, winning the Walter Dean Myers Grant (2016-17) and Mentorship for Illustration (2018). Her illustration philosophy is much influenced by WNDB’s efforts to increase representation in children’s publishing. She joined the Society for Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators in 2014, attended several conferences and saw her artwork featured often. She was a Featured Illustrator for the “Artist in Action” program at Saratoga Springs Public Library and was ceremony speaker for Talent Unlimited to recognize student artists. She has illustrated several picture books, including Paul and His Ukulele written by Rob Broder and published by Ripple Grove Press (now Chicago Review Press) and My Name is Helen Keller written by Myron Uhlberg and published by Albert Whitman. Most recently she has illustrated the Nina Soni books, a middle grade series written by Kashmira Sheth and published by Peachtree Publishing. She has done considerable collaborative work with HITRECORD as Key Illustrator for an animated series, USAI and Featured Curator for Image.

She is presently writing a graphic novel that combines memoir and fiction about middle school, small town life and transracial adoption in 1980s America. She will also be visiting speaker and illustrator for a course called Indigenous Narratives at Amherst College spring 2023. Jenn is mom to two children and lives and works in upstate New York.