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. Before that, I received bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy from the University of New Mexico.

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.

As a freelancer, 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 Portland State University (PSU)’s graduate writing/book publishing program. I was honored to be the runner-up for PSU’s 2021 Adjunct Excellence Award for Instruction.

I’m also the managing editor of marketing at an interpreting services company. 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 industry for more than a decade, 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.