Jennifer Ann Sinor is an American author and literary nonfiction writer and professor. She primarily writes memoir, research-based creative nonfiction, and personal essays that experiment with non-linear forms. Sinor's work focuses on the body, the ineffable, and the ordinary in our lives. It is often non-linear in form and relies on association, juxtaposition, and speculative leaps.

Jennifer Sinor
BornJennifer Ann Sinor
Kingsville, Texas
OccupationAuthor, professor
Alma materUniversity of Nebraska, Lincoln
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Michigan
Genrenon-fiction
Website
jennifersinor.com

Biography

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Born in Kingsville, Texas, Sinor was raised as a military dependent.[citation needed] Her father, a naval lawyer specializing in international ocean law, was stationed in Hawaii several times as well as the Pentagon. [citation needed]

Sinor graduated from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in 1987 with degrees in both English and Russian.[1] While teaching 7th and 8th graders at ASSETS school in Honolulu, Hawaii, Jennifer completed her MA in English from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 1995, she began her PhD in English and Education at the University of Michigan where she focused on women's autobiographical writing.[2] She graduated in 2000 and moved to Logan, Utah. Since then, Sinor has taught in the English Department at Utah State University where she is the chair of the creative writing emphasis and a professor of English.[3]

Writing career

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Sinor has published essays in many journals and anthologies including The American Scholar, The Utne Reader, Creative Nonfiction, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Fourth Genre, The Colorado Review and Seneca Review. Her essay, "Confluences," appears in the 13th edition of the Norton Reader.[4] Her essays have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize[5] and a National Magazine Award.[6]

Awards and nominations

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  • Finalist for the Modern Language Association's First Book Prize, 2002, The Extraordinary Work of Ordinary Writing: Annie Ray's Diary
  • Nomination for Pushcart Prize, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2016[citation needed]
  • Honorable Mention, Personal Essay, Utah Writing Competition, 2007, "Headwaters"[7]
  • Nomination for National Magazine Award, 2008, "Confluences," in The American Scholar [citation needed]
  • First place, Utah Original Writing Competition, Book-length Nonfiction, 2009, Rogue Wave[7]
  • First place, Utah Original Writing Competition, Novel, 2010 How Thin the Line[7]

Selected works

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Books

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  • The Extraordinary Work of Ordinary Writing: Annie Ray's Diary (University of Iowa Press, 2002) ISBN 978-0-87745-833-3[8][9][10]
  • Placing the Academy: Essays on the Landscape, Work and Identity. Co-editor with Rona Kaufman (University of Iowa Press, 2007) ISBN 978-0-87421-657-8[11]
  • Letters Like the Day: On Reading Georgia O'Keeffe (University of New Mexico Press, 2017) ISBN 978-0-8263-5783-0[12][13]
  • Ordinary Trauma: A Memoir (University of Utah Press, 2017) ISBN 978-1-60781-537-2[14]

Essays

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  • The Marlin,” Fourth Genre, Fall 2004
  • "The Marlin," Fourth Genre, Fall 2004
  • Running Through the Dark,” Creative Nonfiction 27, Summer 2008
  • "Running Through the Dark," Creative Nonfiction 27, Summer 2008
  • Confluences,” The American Scholar, Winter 2008
  • "Confluences," The American Scholar, Winter 2008
  • “Creating Voice,” The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction, 2012
  • "Creating Voice," The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction, 2012
  • Out in the West,” The American Scholar, Autumn 2011
  • "Out in the West," The American Scholar, Autumn 2011
  • The Wanting Creature,” Creative Nonfiction, Winter 2017, Issue #62

References

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  1. ^ "Department of English: Alumni: Jennifer Sinor". University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
  2. ^ "Joint PhD program in English and Education". University of Michigan.
  3. ^ "Jennifer Sinor". Utah State University.
  4. ^ "English prof's essay 'bears' and preserves story of Uncle's Death". Utah State University.
  5. ^ "Creative Writing Professor Jennifer Sinor to Read New Story at Kiger Hour". USU Today. November 8, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "Jennifer Sinor and Richard Robbins – Logan". Utah Humanities Review. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c "Utah Division of Arts and Museums:Original Writing Competition Winners" (PDF). Utah Department of Heritage and Arts.
  8. ^ "The Extraordinary Work of Ordinary Writing". Virginia Quarterly Review. July 1, 2003. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  9. ^ Logan, Lisa M. (November 22, 2004). "The Extraordinary Work of Ordinary Writing: Annie Ray's Diary (review)". Biography. 27 (3): 620–622. doi:10.1353/bio.2004.0070. S2CID 162325045.
  10. ^ Armstrong, Liahna; Spence, Polly; Richardson, Karl Spence; Sinor, Jennifer (August 1, 2004). "Moving out: A Nebraska Woman's Life". The Western Historical Quarterly. 35 (3): 384. doi:10.2307/25443026. JSTOR 25443026. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  11. ^ Kopcik, Corinne. "Placing the Academy: Essays on Landscape, Work, and Identity, Reviewed by Corinne Kopcik" (PDF). University of Cincinnati. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  12. ^ Williams, Tom. "Jennifer Sinor on Tuesday's Access Utah". Utah Public Radio. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  13. ^ Hagan, Debbie. "A Review of Jennifer Sinor's Letters Like the Day | Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction". Brevity. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  14. ^ Opsahl, Kevin. "'Ordinary Trauma': USU English professor opens up on new memoir". The Herald Journal. Retrieved February 18, 2018.