Photo by Isabella Dell'olio
This isn’t work we can do alone.
Showing up, telling our stories, and taking good care of ourselves and each other through how we live and write — that’s why I’m here. Thank you for being on the other side of the words — and for sharing your own.
“Working with Jena has empowered me to explore and connect to my truth and heart more fearlessly, and to begin writing the stories I’ve been longing to tell.” ~ Tracey Wood Mendelsohn
I’m proud to serve as the Poet Laureate of the Jewish Community of Amherst. I’m a Certified Facilitator of the Jewish Studio Process. My Jewishness infuses and informs all of my work and appears throughout my writing. I started blogging in 2007 and now write a weekly newsletter on Substack, Dispatches from Daily Life. I love name stories and talking to strangers.
I’m an ambivert. I talk to trees and birds. I love fresh water swimming and babies and dogs. I’m dogged in the face of rejection. A good pun makes my day. I’m very gay and tattooed. I believe in people and multitudes and nuance, not boxes or categories. I deleted Facebook & Instagram in 2025 and never looked back. I’m an avid reader. I believe we’re all poets.
Kids teased me when I was little because of how my eyes scrunch up when I smile, and how, in my 50s, I’ve come to love my deep smile lines. Aging is a blessing. The sandwich generation is real. Therapy helps and so does a long walk or a good nap. For our 10th anniversary, M.J. and I put up a pink little free library in front of our Longmeadow, MA home.
“Jena is exactly what you hope for in a writing coach.
Her energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and she’s willing to share her own unedited work, too. She’s able to create an environment of trust and honesty. My experiences her writing groups have been unforgettable.”
~ Amy Carlson
All of my work, from writing groups to retreats to individual coaching, is devoted to creating safe and brave spaces where we get to connect, learn, and grow.
“A space of discovery that cracks you open.
Jena helps you remember why on earth you wanted to write in the first place. Practicing with her and the other participants was pure joy. There were no ‘shoulds’ or ‘have to’s’ or judgments. Just love, generosity, and practice. I am so grateful for this experience.”
~ Wendy Wisner
Let’s connect
Serendipitous connections, unexpected collaborations, and simple greetings — three of my favorite things. Get in touch!
“Jena creates, holds space, and inspires like nobody’s business.” ~ Emily Armstrong Oberto
My people: Aviva, Pearl, M.J., and Chalupa
My life and work have been anything but predictable, which is how I wound up here, promptressing and poeting and practicing. I talk a lot about practice: We don’t have to hit the bullseye, we just have to throw the arrow. Permission to stumble, self-forgiveness, fierce compassion for the ache and beauty of being human — these inform and guide me.
If there is one through-line in my work and life, it’s that I’ve never fit into any particular box. I used to struggle against this, berating myself for containing multitudes. But the truth is, boxing ourselves in has never worked. Boxes leave us contorted, sore, isolated, and probably cranky. What I want for all of us is to stretch and take up more room with more of our whole selves.