Jennifer Brown-Banks is a gifted writer and poet who has been writing all of her life. It was not until she began writing as a requirement for a gifted student program in her teens that she realized that writing was not only a gift; it was also a passion. She didn’t fully embrace her talents until her mother “guilted” her into doing so. After finding and reading some of Jennifer’s writings, her mother told her that “it would be a sin for her not to share [her gift of writing].” Jennifer is very grateful to her mom for helping her to realize the treasures hidden within. She now shares her passion with others through journalism, poetry, and teaching.
Jennifer’s journalism career started in 1991 when one of her writings appeared in a major women’s magazine. Prior to that achievement, she had many literary pieces published in smaller publications and community newspapers. But seeing her work and name in print on such a large scale sealed her fate as a “professional journalist.” Although she is well-versed in many topics, she says that she “loves to write about love, time management, and money management.” Topics on education and review writing are also favorites.
She has experienced great success in her career. Some of her proudest accomplishments include being a columnist for Being Single Magazine for 15 years; writing a relationship column for Online Dating Magazine; and serving as Senior Editor at Mahogany Magazine. The next steps for Jennifer?? She’s working on securing a space in Chicken Soup and has a self-help relationship book in the making. Expect both in the near future.
Poetry is another one of Jennifer’s gifts. Writing poetry and short essays was a form of therapy for her during her adolescent years. It helped her to deal with the teen and worldly issues that engulfed her at that time. Using poetry as a creative release and coping mechanism has paid off for Jennifer. Her poetic pieces appear in eight anthologies. Additionally, she has five self-published poetry books to her credit: I Miss Quiet Hours; Meet Me in the Middle; You Got a Tab With God; A Paradox in Pink; and The Leather Pants and Other Provocative Pieces. They can be purchased from Amazon.com.
Jennifer also “loves teaching people and sharing stuff with others.” She shares her knowledge as a substitute teacher; a writing consultant; and the instructor of online and traditional classes. Currently, she teaches an online class on how to become a paid columnist through coffeehouseforwriters.com.
Her creativity is not limited to writing and poetry. She enjoys watching cooking shows and preparing culinary delights. She most recently added creating gift baskets to her endeavors. This “accidental” venture grew from a donated gift for a creative contest sponsored by The Chicago Writers Association where she serves on the Board of Directors. She later put a few baskets together for a meeting of poets at a local library. To her surprise, they were all purchased immediately.
Jennifer Brown-Banks is a passionate writer, poet and teacher. She says that she feels “so blessed and fortunate to have such enriching experiences.” She hopes her success serves as a motivator to other women. Indeed they can. To get a feel for Jennifer’s passion as a writer, check out http://writergazette.com/jenniferbrownbanks.shtml and http://www.onlinedatingmagazine.com/columns/jennifersgems.html. Her poetry can be experienced from her books that are available through Amazon.com.
Thanks Marcie for this great coverage!
Much continued success…
Jennifer
It was my pleasure. I hope this brings you more writing and editing projects.