Jessie Stephens (born 21 December 1990) is an Australian writer, editor, novelist, television presenter and podcast host. She is an executive editor for ''Mamamia'''s flagship podcast ''Mamamia Out Loud'' and co-hosts the show with

Mia Freedman Mia Freedman, also known as Mia Lavigne, (born 1 October 1971) is the co-founder of women’s digital media company Mamamia. She was the youngest editor of the Australian edition of ''Cosmopolitan'' in 1996, aged 24. Career Freedman began her ...

and Holly Wainwright. Stephens majored in Modern History and Gender Studies at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, and has a Master of Research. She joined the staff of ''Mamamia'' as an editorial assistant in 2015. Stephens has toured with her ''Mamamia Out Loud'' co-hosts as they present live shows in a similar format to the podcast to audiences around Australia. They toured in 2018 (Tamworth, Newcastle, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Dubbo), 2019 (Hobart, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, Cairns, Orange, Geelong, Sydney), 2022 (Orange, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne Sydney), and 2024 (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney). Stephens is also a regular presenter on television current affairs and talk show '' The Project''.

Books

Stephens is the author of two books published by Pan Australia: the non-fiction book ''Heartsick: Three Stories About Love And Loss, And What Happens In Between'' (2021) and a novel, ''Something Bad is Going to Happen'' (2023). ''Heartsick'' was received very favourably. It was voted #8 in

Booktopia Booktopia Direct Pty Ltd is an Australian online bookseller. The company also owns Angus & Robertson, a major Australian online bookseller, publisher, and printer. In 2020, it had listed on the ASX, but a series of factors including a Post-COV ...

's Favourite Australian Book (FAB) award for 2021 and was included in the top 101 recommended books for 2022 by major Australian bookseller Dymocks. It was also shortlisted as general nonfiction book of the year at the

Australian Book Industry Awards The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) are publishers' and literary awards held by the Australian Publishers Association (APA) annually in Australia since 2001. The awards celebrate "the achievements of authors and publishers in bringing Au ...

in 2022. It was published internationally by

Pan Macmillan Pan Books is a British publishing imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. History Pan Books began as an indepe ...

in the UK and by Henry Holt in the US. Reviewer Rebecca Wu in ''Glam Adelaide'' highlighted Stephens' "wonderful skill of interweaving seemingly ordinary occasions of life in a way that tells a story without any drudgery. In fact, she makes it enticing." Although Emily Paull's review in ''

The AU Review Larry Heath is an Australian publisher, events organiser, and entrepreneur. He is the founder-owner of Heath Media, which publishes online magazine ''The AU Review'' and hosts the National Live Music Awards. Heath is associate producer at Soun ...

'' was generally unfavourable, she acknowledged that "the ideas behind the book are strong, and that there is a need for more books which examine the not so happy endings in life, and don't hold romantic partnerships up to be the thing that completes us as humans." The enthusiastic reception of the book in the US led Sue Smethurst in ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...

'' to call Stephens "our ustralian literature'snext big thing". ''Something Bad is Going to Happen'' deals with themes of the mental health of its young protagonists. For this, it has been likened to "a modern-day ''

Bell Jar A bell jar is a glass jar, similar in shape to a bell (instrument), bell (i.e. in its best-known form it is open at the bottom, while its top and sides together are a single piece), and can be manufactured from a variety of materials (ranging fr ...

''", and Alexandra Hill in ''The Australian'' called it "a very important new release."

Personal life

Stephens' identical twin sister, Clare Stephens, also works for Mamamia. In 2023, Jessie married Luca Lavigne, son of ''Mamamia'' founder Mia Freedman. The couple's first child, Luna, was born later that year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Jessie Living people 1990 births Australian columnists Australian women columnists Australian television personalities Australian women editors 21st-century Australian women writers 21st-century Australian writers Australian women novelists University of Sydney alumni