Artis Henderson is an American journalist and essayist known for ''Unremarried Widow'', her memoir of young marriage to a military officer. As a young widow, she experienced a rare event that put her at odds with her contemporaries, and her book is used as an example by the ''European Journal of Life Writing'' of a paradigm for the subgenre of young widow memoirs.

Education

Henderson has an undergraduate degree from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, a graduate degree from

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 ...

’s School of Journalism, and an MFA from the Program for Writers at

Warren Wilson College Warren Wilson College (WWC) is a private liberal arts college in Swannanoa, North Carolina. It is known for its curriculum that combines academics, work, and service as every student must complete a required course of study, work an on-campus j ...

Career

Henderson's drive to become a writer was inspired by a letter she received in her husband's possessions after his death, in 2006, while serving in Iraq. His letter told her that if anything should happen to him, she should "follow your dreams with all your heart, and with honor and decency”. Henderson's book ''Unremarried Widow'' began as a

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 ...

"Modern Love" column and was described as 'gold star work' by the New York Times Book Review. The book was a New York Times Editors' Choice winner and was named to more than 10 Best of the Year Lists. Her journalism work has covered

conservation easement In the United States, a conservation easement (also called conservation covenant, conservation restriction or conservation servitude) is a power invested in a qualified land conservation organization called a "land trust", or a governmental (muni ...

s in Florida, water quality on Florida’s southwest coast, the importance of mangroves and swampland for balancing development and the environment, the shrimping industry on San Carlos Island, and

wreck diving Wreck diving is recreational diving where the wreckage of ships, aircraft and other artificial structures are explored. The term is used mainly by recreational and technical divers. Professional divers, when diving on a shipwreck, generally ref ...

off the coast of Key Largo. As a

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...

journalist and recipient of the 2024

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

Award, she investigates the effects of

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

on the flora of

Shark Bay Shark Bay () is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The area is located approximately north of Perth, on the westernmost point of the Australian continent. UNESCO's listing of Shark Bay as a World Heritage S ...

in Western

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and the cultural implications for the

Malgana The Malgana, also known as the Malkana, are an Aboriginal Australian people of Western Australia. Language Malgana belongs to the Kartu language family. It died out by the mid-20th century, but a salvage grammar of the language, based on old ...

people.

Books

* ''Unremarried Widow: A Memoir'' (2016) A selection of reviews written about the book:
Book review: ‘Un-Remarried Widow,’ by Artis Henderson
– ''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...

''
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Unremarried Widow’ By Artis Henderson
– '' San Antonio Report''
Book review: Un-Remarried Widow, by Artis Henderson
– ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...

''
'Un-Remarried Widow': Toll of war touchingly told by soldier's wife
– ''

The Columbus Dispatch ''The Columbus Dispatch'' is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since ''The Columbus Citizen-Journal'' ceased publication in ...

''
'Unremarried Widow' recounts how Army wife lost husband in Iraq 4 months after wedding (review)
– ''

Mlive MLive Media Group, originally known as Booth Newspapers, or Booth Michigan, is a media group that produces newspapers from the state of Michigan in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded by George Gough Booth with his two brothers, Booth Newspapers was sold t ...

''
Review: "Unremarried Widow"
– '' Columbia Magazine''
Unremarried Widow: A Memoir by Artis Henderson
– ''

The Week ''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...

''
Book Shelf: Unremarried Widow
– ''

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is an American nonprofit organization that provides care and support to families and friends of members of the U.S. armed forces who died while serving. TAPS was founded in 1994 by Bonnie Carroll. T ...

''
’Artis Henderson’s memoir will be on my list of best of 2014’
– ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

''
REVIEW: 'Unremarried Widow,' by Artis Henderson
– ''

Minnesota Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the seventh-largest in the United States by circula ...

''
Nonfiction Reviews: Unremarried Widow
– ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

''
Unremarried Widow
– ''

The Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

''
Young war widow's memoir a revealing portrait of grief
– ''

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, th ...

'' * ''No Ordinary Bird: Drug Smuggling, a Plane Crash, and a Daughter’s Quest for the Truth'' (2025) Harper.

References

Reviews of ''Unremarried Widow''

External links

Official publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Artis Living people 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American women journalists 21st-century American writers 21st-century American women writers University of Pennsylvania alumni Columbia University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)