Hi, I’m Jessie!

I’m a queer writer and editor who grew up on a farm in the borderlands of New Mexico. In 2011, I received my master’s degree in writing with an emphasis in book publishing and editing from Portland State University (PSU). Before that, I received bachelor’s degrees in philosophy (with an emphasis in environmental ethics) and English from the University of New Mexico in 2007.

My short stories and poems have appeared in various literary journals and the anthology Love Is the Drug & Other Dark Poems, and I co-authored the 2011 book Rethinking Paper & Ink: The Sustainable Publishing Revolution. My short story “[SILENCE]” was the grand prize winner of the 2024 Phyllis Grant Zellmer Prize for Fiction.

As a freelance editor, I copyedited Bitch magazine for nearly ten years and I’ve edited many books over the years, including two Lambda Literary Award finalists, an Oregon Book Awards finalist, and a book by a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Until recently, I taught copyediting in PSU’s graduate writing/book publishing program, after teaching undergraduate writing. I was honored to be a runner-up for PSU’s 2021 Adjunct Excellence Award for Instruction.

I’m also the managing editor of marketing at Certified Languages International, one of the largest interpreting services companies in the country. Ask me anything about equitable language access as a human right! I spend my days thinking and writing about it. I’ve worked in the language services industry for more than a dozen years, and it’s a subject I’m very passionate about.

I currently live nestled along the Willamette River in St. Johns (Portland) with my partner, Justin, and our dog, Zoey.

Author Bio

Jessie Carver is a queer writer and editor who lives in Portland, Oregon, but grew up on a farm in the borderlands of New Mexico. Jessie’s short stories and poems have appeared in various literary journals and the anthology Love Is the Drug & Other Dark Poems, and she co-authored the nonfiction book Rethinking Paper & Ink: The Sustainable Publishing Revolution. She won the 2024 Phyllis Grant Zellmer Prize for Fiction. You can find her online at www.jessiecarver.com.