Kristopher Jansma () is an American fiction writer and essayist. Born in the Lincroft section of

Middletown Township, New Jersey Middletown Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in northern Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the ...

, he attended

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Career and accolades

His short fiction has appeared in ''ZYZZVA'', ''Adult Magazine'', ''Recommended Reading'', ''Columbia Magazine'', and ''The Blue Mesa Review''. His "Why We Write" was selected as a notable essay in ''Best American Essays 2014'', after being published in ''Slice Magazine''. He has also written essays and reviews for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

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'', '' Electric Literature'', ''

The Rumpus ''The Rumpus'' is an online literary magazine founded by Stephen Elliott (author), Stephen Elliott, and launched on January 20, 2009. The site features interviews, book reviews, essays, comics, and critiques of creative culture as well as origi ...

'', '' The Millions'', ''Johns Hopkins Magazine'', and '' The Believer''. He is the winner of the 2014 Sherwood Anderson Foundation Award for Fiction. His first novel, '' The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards'', received an Honorable Mention for the 2014 PEN/Hemingway Award, was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, and was also longlisted for the Center for Fiction's Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize. It was a

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Discover Great New Writers selection and an

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Indie Next Pick for April 2013. He wrote the Literary Artifacts column for ''Electric Literature'' from 2011 to 2013. In 2013 ''Flavorwire'' named him one of their 50 Up-and-Coming New York Culture Makers to Watch. ''

Paper Magazine ''Paper'' (also known as ''Paper Mag'') is a New York City-based independent magazine focusing on fashion, popular culture, nightlife, music, art, and film. Initially produced monthly, the magazine eventually became a quarterly publication, and ...

'' included him on their list of 2013's Beautiful People. His second novel Why We Came to the City came out in February 2016. Michael Schaub of NPR reviewed the book and later selected the book as one of the best books of 2016. He is an assistant professor at SUNY New Paltz College and a graduate instructor at Sarah Lawrence College. He has previously taught creative writing at Manhattanville College and SUNY Purchase College. Jansma lives in Westchester, New York with his wife and children.

Works

Books

* ''The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards'', 2013 * ''Why We Came to the City'', 2016 * ''Our Narrow Hiding Places'', 2024

Anthologies

* ''Legacy: An Anthology'', 2015

Essays and stories

* "The Samples", ''The Sun Magazine'', June 2019, * "Madame Bovary C'est Moi", ''Columbia Magazine'', June 30, 2014 * "Don't Write About Writing", ''Electric Literature'', June 8, 2014 * "The End, or Something", ''The New York Times'', April 21, 2014 * "A Star Is Born", ''The New York Times'', August 21, 2013 * "Twenty Nine Feet, Eight and a Quarter Inches", ''The Rumpus'', March 21, 2014 * "Saving Salinger", ''The Millions'', February 1, 2011 * "Elmore Leonard Rips off "Justified"!", ''Salon'', January 7, 2013 * "War Stories: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", ''The Believer'', February 1, 2013 * "The Smart Set", ''Johns Hopkins Magazine'', March 1, 2013

References

External links

*
Profile at The Sherwood Anderson Foundation“Kristopher Jansma’s Novel Approach” in Interview Magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jansma, Kristopher 21st-century American writers American male writers Columbia University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Living people Manhattanville University faculty People from Middletown Township, New Jersey State University of New York faculty Writers from Monmouth County, New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people)