Writing - Jennifer Sky

12th Street

The Tattoo Artist

Download this story as a PDF.

Jordan sat facing the man. On the floor was a subtly bright Indian-looking rug; it made her think of longhaired white kids with B.O. and dream catchers. A sound machine sat in the corner spewing white noise she figured to both calm the patients and drown out the crying.

The Rumpus

Dear HPV

Read this article.

Blood is a fascinating substance. It feeds our bodies’ cells with both nutrients and oxygen, then transports away the waste products of those same cells. It contains proteins, mineral ions and carbon dioxide. It is mostly water by volume, over ninety percent. They say the closest thing to blood on earth is the sea.

Interview Magazine

How Cheryl Strayed Found Her Path

Read this article.

After years of grasping to come to terms with her mother's death, Cheryl Strayed found a book on hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. She quickly decided to attempt it. The thing was, she had never backpacked before and was set on going out alone—a beautiful blonde woman determined to hike ice, rock, and snow for over a thousand miles. Her new memoir, Wild, is a tale of facing those things that may just break us.

Interview Magazine

Stephen Elliott's New Direction

Read this article.

Stephen Elliott is a man who likes clean white T-shirts and new socks—simple things, easy to pack or replace. He is often on the move from his base in San Francisco to Los Angeles, to New York, to Berlin and back again in the span of weeks. He finds home in the rooms of friends, friends of friends, or in short-term rentals. Home is a tenuous thing.

TinHouse.com

The Birthmark

Read this article.

As a model and actress, Jennifer Sky has lived under the public eye. (Perhaps you recognize her from here?) Now as a writer, she turns her gaze back on the world of fashion and celebrity and tells us what we haven’t been seeing, in this web extra for our fiftieth issue: Beauty.

Love Magick Anthology

Between the Folds of Clover

E-book edition now available on

Amazon Kindle, Google Books, Indigo/Chapters Kobo, and Barnes & Noble Nook.

Electric Literature

Dear Lad Mags: Sex Sells, But At What Cost?

Read this article.

As a woman who has appeared on the cover of Maxim, been in FHM, Loaded, Stuff, and Gear, I am not ashamed of my body. But British “lad mags” have made me think twice about the consequences.

Freerange Nonfiction

Open Letter to Mayer’s Head: In response to "John Mayer reviews The Marriage Plot"

Read this article.

You won’t remember me. I am insignificant. Like the girl who recommended Jeffery Eugenides’ book. He also wrote The Virgin Suicides. Sofia Coppola made that into a movie, perhaps you saw that?

12thStreetOnline.com

Grrrl in Ballet Flats - experimental fiction

Read this article.

The girl with scratched pink ballet flats sat carefully counting her change. Piled on her lap: nickel, quarter, penny, dollar at a time, disappeared into the pocket of a black jacket.

The Rumpus.net

Interview with Adam, an Occupy Medic.

Read this article.

"Can you tell us what happened to the medic tent that was taken down in Zuccotti Park?"

Interview Magazine

Interview with Colson Whitehead : in which we discuss his brains, and new zombie-novel "Zone One".

Read this article.

We can't seem to outrun them. We have zombies on our big screens, our small screens, our streaming devices and cable.

TheRumpus.net

Interview with Pulitzer Prize Nominee Jonathan Dee

Read this article.

Google tells me there are many Jonathan Dees. One is an “authority” on practical astrology, color therapy and Feng Shui for the garden. Another was a doctor, an alchemist, had the largest library in England, came up with the idea of the British Empire, and was Queen Elizabeth’s advisor. But the Jonathan Dee who sits across from me is the author of a novel, The Privileges, for which he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Interview Magazine

This Ames is True

Read this article.

Jonathan Ames on Bored to Death, crying, and his hobbies: "Going to the Russian Baths, sports on TV, & reading books."

The Devil In Mix

Listen to the mix.

A dimple on the chin, the devil within. Pope Paul V1. A mix for the season by J.P. Gilbert and Jennifer Sky

The Ballad of Miss Irene

a post hurricane soundtrack, southern gothic style

Listen to the soundtrack.

East-coasters and friends: As we deconstruct the true meaning of aftermath...here's a link to my first soundtrack/mix, presented by HolyDiver.net. It includes Precious Bryant, The Blue Oyster Cult, Gillian Welch, Metric, The Joy Formidable, The Stranglers, The National, Dolly Parton, The Stones, The Dixie Cups, Rihanna, Robert Johnson...to name a few.

"Keep ‘a chin up high and no swamp can get yaw down." - Hacksaw Jones

The Outlet: the Blog of Electric Literature

The Notebook: a rememberance of Peter Falk

Read this article.

The girl looked up and sniffed (careful to suppress the urge to wipe at her makeup), as Peter Falk’s afternoon cheese plate was “sent over” and offered to me. I had done well, it suggested.

12thStreetOnline.com

Smoothies with Granma

Read this article.

On Saturdays in June, Violet would take her Granma for fruit smoothies. She would find her Granma among the other patients, sit her in a wheelchair, sign her out for the hour and wheel her to the little car. The chemicals that balance emotion and reality were always mixing in Granma’s head, creating a “gifted” state, as her Mamma would say when Violet was little.

TheRumpus.net

Friendship of Letters: The Rumpus Interview with Sigrid Nunez

Read this article.

The photograph circulating of a young stunning Sigrid Nunez with long dark hair and a shining smile, sitting next to Susan Sontag, gives you the physical reminder of what caught David Reiff (Sontag’s son)’s attention. The Sigrid I have come to know has short-cropped hair and is often found in a tweed or houndstooth suit jacket, yet that smile is still at the ready, as she cuts straight to the problem in your prose. It is her caring as a teacher for the young writers at her table, to bring forth the best in our stories without even a hint of “you are just a student,” that has made me “fall” a bit myself.

Holy Diver

Beyond Adderall: The Stephen Elliott Interview

Read this article.

"I wanted to explore the idea of torture, and I think it’s a lot easier for people to understand torture when it happens to one of their own."

Anthology

MOPEs Musings Volume II

Purchase your copy.

MOPEs Musings is a collection of writings and doodles by select Pink Elephants, Jennifer Sky included. Each book is handcrafted, unique and a piece of artwork of it's own.

TheRumpus.net

National Donate Life Month

Read this article.

In honor of April being National Donate Life Month, here are some facts about organ donation:
According to WomensHealth.gov the number of people needing a transplant continues to rise faster than the number of donors. About 4,100 transplant candidates are added to the national waiting list each month.

TheRumpus.net

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Roundup

Read this article.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; as a person partaking in the national Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan that was implemented as part of the package, I see today as a day to celebrate.
So let’s take a closer look at the PPACA, shall we?

Lemondrop

'ObamaCare' Saved My Life – a Maxim Cover Girl Shares Her Story

Read this article.

When I applied to Blue Cross, I was promptly denied due to "pre-existing conditions."

By the way, having your chest cut open is not the only way to be determined un-insurable. Pregnant? That's a pre-existing condition. Ever seen a therapist and been prescribed antidepressants? You have one, too. Susceptible to chronic urinary tract infections or kidney stones? You guessed it. Asthma? Ditto.

A personal example of why Obamacare is benefiting Americans

Jennifer Sky Band, for the Stuart News
October 29, 2010

Read this article.

As a 34-year-old divorced media studies student, with little outside income and a pre-existing condition, I am the exact reason the new health care law is so important.

At 15, I began working as an actor; one of the perks was comprehensive insurance coverage through my union, the Screen Actors Guild. Until six years ago, I didn’t need it.

12thStreetOnline.com

Stephen Elliott Interview

Read this article.

Stephen Elliott, the author of seven books including The Adderall Diaries, and the Editor of the online literary site, The Rumpus http://therumpus.net, sat down with 12th Street’s Jennifer Sky to discuss the politics of writing and the lure of the website for the literary world.

The Linnet's Wings, Autumn 2010

Fall Baby by Jennifer Sky

Up in her tree, where the roots became wild branches, she could disappear into the green and the clouds. Light sparkled above as she laid face up, running it through her fingers...

Read the whole poem

Spring, a girl by Jennifer Sky

The light ran along the lime colored grass. She lay waiting for him, spread out like the carpeting of clover under her thighs, facing the sky. The day was soft and warm over her bare legs...

12th Street The Tattoo Artist Download this story as a PDF.	Jordan sat facing the man. On the floor was a subtly bright Indian-looking rug; it made her think of longhaired white kids with B.O. and dream catchers. A sound machine sat in the corner spewing white noise she figured to both calm the patients and drown out the crying.
The Rumpus Dear HPV Read this article.	Blood is a fascinating substance. It feeds our bodies’ cells with both nutrients and oxygen, then transports away the waste products of those same cells. It contains proteins, mineral ions and carbon dioxide. It is mostly water by volume, over ninety percent. They say the closest thing to blood on earth is the sea.
Interview Magazine How Cheryl Strayed Found Her Path Read this article.	After years of grasping to come to terms with her mother's death, Cheryl Strayed found a book on hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. She quickly decided to attempt it. The thing was, she had never backpacked before and was set on going out alone—a beautiful blonde woman determined to hike ice, rock, and snow for over a thousand miles. Her new memoir, Wild, is a tale of facing those things that may just break us.
Interview Magazine Stephen Elliott's New Direction Read this article.	Stephen Elliott is a man who likes clean white T-shirts and new socks—simple things, easy to pack or replace. He is often on the move from his base in San Francisco to Los Angeles, to New York, to Berlin and back again in the span of weeks. He finds home in the rooms of friends, friends of friends, or in short-term rentals. Home is a tenuous thing.
TinHouse.com The Birthmark Read this article.	As a model and actress, Jennifer Sky has lived under the public eye. (Perhaps you recognize her from here?) Now as a writer, she turns her gaze back on the world of fashion and celebrity and tells us what we haven’t been seeing, in this web extra for our fiftieth issue: Beauty.
Love Magick Anthology Between the Folds of Clover	E-book edition now available on Amazon Kindle, Google Books, Indigo/Chapters Kobo, and Barnes & Noble Nook.
Electric Literature Dear Lad Mags: Sex Sells, But At What Cost? Read this article.	As a woman who has appeared on the cover of Maxim, been in FHM, Loaded, Stuff, and Gear, I am not ashamed of my body. But British “lad mags” have made me think twice about the consequences.
Freerange Nonfiction Open Letter to Mayer’s Head: In response to "John Mayer reviews The Marriage Plot" Read this article.	You won’t remember me. I am insignificant. Like the girl who recommended Jeffery Eugenides’ book. He also wrote The Virgin Suicides. Sofia Coppola made that into a movie, perhaps you saw that?
12thStreetOnline.com Grrrl in Ballet Flats - experimental fiction Read this article.	The girl with scratched pink ballet flats sat carefully counting her change. Piled on her lap: nickel, quarter, penny, dollar at a time, disappeared into the pocket of a black jacket.
The Rumpus.net Interview with Adam, an Occupy Medic. Read this article.	"Can you tell us what happened to the medic tent that was taken down in Zuccotti Park?"
Interview Magazine Interview with Colson Whitehead : in which we discuss his brains, and new zombie-novel "Zone One". Read this article.	We can't seem to outrun them. We have zombies on our big screens, our small screens, our streaming devices and cable.
TheRumpus.net Interview with Pulitzer Prize Nominee Jonathan Dee Read this article.	Google tells me there are many Jonathan Dees. One is an “authority” on practical astrology, color therapy and Feng Shui for the garden. Another was a doctor, an alchemist, had the largest library in England, came up with the idea of the British Empire, and was Queen Elizabeth’s advisor. But the Jonathan Dee who sits across from me is the author of a novel, The Privileges, for which he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
Interview Magazine This Ames is True Read this article.	Jonathan Ames on Bored to Death, crying, and his hobbies: "Going to the Russian Baths, sports on TV, & reading books."
The Devil In Mix Listen to the mix.	A dimple on the chin, the devil within. Pope Paul V1. A mix for the season by J.P. Gilbert and Jennifer Sky
The Ballad of Miss Irene a post hurricane soundtrack, southern gothic style Listen to the soundtrack.	East-coasters and friends: As we deconstruct the true meaning of aftermath...here's a link to my first soundtrack/mix, presented by HolyDiver.net. It includes Precious Bryant, The Blue Oyster Cult, Gillian Welch, Metric, The Joy Formidable, The Stranglers, The National, Dolly Parton, The Stones, The Dixie Cups, Rihanna, Robert Johnson...to name a few. "Keep ‘a chin up high and no swamp can get yaw down." - Hacksaw Jones
The Outlet: the Blog of Electric Literature The Notebook: a rememberance of Peter Falk Read this article.	The girl looked up and sniffed (careful to suppress the urge to wipe at her makeup), as Peter Falk’s afternoon cheese plate was “sent over” and offered to me. I had done well, it suggested.
12thStreetOnline.com Smoothies with Granma Read this article.	On Saturdays in June, Violet would take her Granma for fruit smoothies. She would find her Granma among the other patients, sit her in a wheelchair, sign her out for the hour and wheel her to the little car. The chemicals that balance emotion and reality were always mixing in Granma’s head, creating a “gifted” state, as her Mamma would say when Violet was little.
TheRumpus.net Friendship of Letters: The Rumpus Interview with Sigrid Nunez Read this article.	The photograph circulating of a young stunning Sigrid Nunez with long dark hair and a shining smile, sitting next to Susan Sontag, gives you the physical reminder of what caught David Reiff (Sontag’s son)’s attention. The Sigrid I have come to know has short-cropped hair and is often found in a tweed or houndstooth suit jacket, yet that smile is still at the ready, as she cuts straight to the problem in your prose. It is her caring as a teacher for the young writers at her table, to bring forth the best in our stories without even a hint of “you are just a student,” that has made me “fall” a bit myself.
Holy Diver Beyond Adderall: The Stephen Elliott Interview Read this article.	"I wanted to explore the idea of torture, and I think it’s a lot easier for people to understand torture when it happens to one of their own."
Anthology MOPEs Musings Volume II Purchase your copy.	MOPEs Musings is a collection of writings and doodles by select Pink Elephants, Jennifer Sky included. Each book is handcrafted, unique and a piece of artwork of it's own.
TheRumpus.net National Donate Life Month Read this article.	In honor of April being National Donate Life Month, here are some facts about organ donation: According to WomensHealth.gov the number of people needing a transplant continues to rise faster than the number of donors. About 4,100 transplant candidates are added to the national waiting list each month.
TheRumpus.net The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Roundup Read this article.	Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; as a person partaking in the national Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan that was implemented as part of the package, I see today as a day to celebrate. So let’s take a closer look at the PPACA, shall we?
Lemondrop 'ObamaCare' Saved My Life – a Maxim Cover Girl Shares Her Story Read this article.	When I applied to Blue Cross, I was promptly denied due to "pre-existing conditions." By the way, having your chest cut open is not the only way to be determined un-insurable. Pregnant? That's a pre-existing condition. Ever seen a therapist and been prescribed antidepressants? You have one, too. Susceptible to chronic urinary tract infections or kidney stones? You guessed it. Asthma? Ditto.
A personal example of why Obamacare is benefiting Americans Jennifer Sky Band, for the Stuart News October 29, 2010 Read this article.	As a 34-year-old divorced media studies student, with little outside income and a pre-existing condition, I am the exact reason the new health care law is so important. At 15, I began working as an actor; one of the perks was comprehensive insurance coverage through my union, the Screen Actors Guild. Until six years ago, I didn’t need it.
12thStreetOnline.com Stephen Elliott Interview Read this article.	Stephen Elliott, the author of seven books including The Adderall Diaries, and the Editor of the online literary site, The Rumpus http://therumpus.net, sat down with 12th Street’s Jennifer Sky to discuss the politics of writing and the lure of the website for the literary world.
The Linnet's Wings, Autumn 2010	Fall Baby by Jennifer Sky Up in her tree, where the roots became wild branches, she could disappear into the green and the clouds. Light sparkled above as she laid face up, running it through her fingers... Read the whole poem Spring, a girl by Jennifer Sky The light ran along the lime colored grass. She lay waiting for him, spread out like the carpeting of clover under her thighs, facing the sky. The day was soft and warm over her bare legs... Read the whole poem

Jennifer Sky

All Published Works

Nonfiction

Fiction

Interviews

12th Street

Download this story as a PDF.

The Rumpus

Read this article.

Interview Magazine

Read this article.

Interview Magazine

Read this article.

TinHouse.com

Read this article.

Love Magick Anthology

Electric Literature

Read this article.

Freerange Nonfiction

Read this article.

12thStreetOnline.com

Read this article.

The Rumpus.net

Read this article.

Interview Magazine

Read this article.

TheRumpus.net

Read this article.

Interview Magazine

Read this article.

The Devil In Mix

Listen to the mix.

The Ballad of Miss Irene

Listen to the soundtrack.

The Outlet: the Blog of Electric Literature

Read this article.

12thStreetOnline.com

Read this article.

TheRumpus.net

Read this article.

Holy Diver

Read this article.

Anthology

Purchase your copy.

TheRumpus.net

Read this article.

TheRumpus.net

Read this article.

Lemondrop

Read this article.

A personal example of why Obamacare is benefiting Americans

Read this article.

12thStreetOnline.com

Read this article.

The Linnet's Wings, Autumn 2010

Read the whole poem

Read the whole poem