Kelly Jensen is an American writer, editor, and activist. She has been an editor at the literary website ''

Book Riot ''Book Riot'' is an independent literary website founded in 2011. The site publishes a range of book-related articles, book reviews, newsletters, and podcasts. The site is operated by Riot New Media Company, which was co-founded by Jeff O'Neal ...

'' since 2013, where she writes about books, book bans, and

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

. She has edited three

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

on topics including feminism, mental health, and the human body.

Education

Jensen earned an undergraduate degree in English, Psychology, and Writing from

Cornell College Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary (Methodist), the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell Co ...

in 2007. As an undergraduate, she interned at the college library, where she worked on a project about book bans. She earned her

Master of Science in Information Systems The Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS), the Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MSMIS) and Masters in Management Information Systems (MMIS) are specialized master's degree programs usually offered in a university's ...

from

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

in 2008.

Career

Jensen started her career working as a teen, youth, and adult librarian in

public libraries ''Public Libraries'' is the official publication of the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). It is devoted exclusively to public libraries. The print edition is published six times a year and i ...

in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. While working as a librarian in 2009, she and a graduate school classmate began a book blog called ''Stacked''. She later began writing a newsletter called ''Well Sourced''.

''Book Riot''

Jensen joined the literary website ''Book Riot'' in 2013. In 2015, after Courtney Summers' young adult fiction novel ''Some Girls Are'' was challenged by a parent at West Ashley High School in Charleston, South Carolina, Jensen worked with a local public librarian, Andria Amaral, to organize donations of copies of the books to ensure access to any student who wished to read it. They ultimately collected more than 1,000 copies of the book. That year, Jensen and Amaral were named "Free Speech Heroes" by the

National Coalition Against Censorship The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), founded in 1974, is an alliance of 50 American non-profit organizations, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups. NCAC is a New York–b ...

. In July 2021, Jensen began writing a regular "Censorship News" column for ''Book Riot'', tracking the increase in book banning in the United States. ''

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 ...

'' described her as "one of the most important voices chronicling hemovement to ban books, her column effectively creating a historical record as it unfolds". She has also worked with Chicago libraries to train staff on how to respond to book bans. ''Publishers Weekly'' named Jensen in their "People of the Year" list in 2022 for her anti-censorship work. In August 2023, the

American Association of School Librarians The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is a division of the American Library Association (ALA) that has more than 7,000 members and serves primary school and secondary school librarians in the U.S., Canada, and even internationally. P ...

formally commended Jensen's censorship column in ''Book Riot''. ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' listed Jensen on their 2024 "Movers & Shakers" list in the "Ban Battlers" category.

Anthologies

In 2017, Jensen compiled an intersectional feminist

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

for young adults titled ''Here We Are'', featuring writing from

Michaela DePrince Michaela Mabinty DePrince (born Mabinty Bangura; January 6, 1995 – September 10, 2024) was a Sierra Leonean–American ballet dancer who danced with the Boston Ballet, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Dutch National Ballet. DePrince rose ...

Amandla Stenberg Amandla Stenberg (born October 23, 1998) is an American actress. She began her career as a child and received recognition for playing List of The Hunger Games characters#Rue, Rue in the action film ''The Hunger Games (film), The Hunger Games'' ( ...

Nova Ren Suma Nova Ren Suma is an American #1 New York Times best selling author of young adult novels. Her best-known work is '' The Walls Around Us''. Her novels have twice been finalists for the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult from Mystery Writers of Ameri ...

Roxane Gay Roxane Gay (born October 15, 1974) is an American writer, professor, editor, and social commentator. Gay is the author of ''The New York Times'' best-selling essay collection ''Bad Feminist'' (2014), as well as the short story collection ''Ayiti ...

, and 40 others. ''

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American progressive online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenage girls and young women. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and ...

'' wrote, "''Here We Are'' not only presents an inclusive and hopeful vision for the future of feminism, it also boldly and proudly passes the torch to the next generation of leaders." In 2018, Jensen published ''(Don't) Call Me Crazy'', an anthology of writing about mental health. The anthology was included in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' "Best Children's Books of 2018" list, and was named an Honor Book by the

Schneider Family Book Award The Schneider Family Book Award is an award given by the American Library Association (ALA) recognizing authors and illustrators for the excellence of portrayal of the disability experience in literature for youth. There is a category for children ...

. Jensen's 2020 anthology, ''Body Talk'', discusses body-related topics including sexuality, gender identity, disability, and weight. The book was banned in school districts in several states, including Tennessee, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Florida.

Personal life

Jensen lives in

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Works

Books

* ''It Happens: A Guide to Contemporary Realistic Fiction for the YA Reader'' (2014)

Anthologies

* ''Here We Are: 44 Voices Write, Draw and Speak About Feminism for the Real World'' (2017) * ''(Don't) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy'' (2018) * ''Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy'' (2020)

References

External links

*
''Book Riot'' author page

''Well Sourced''
newsletter {{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Kelly 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American librarians 21st-century American women journalists 21st-century American women librarians American anthologists American civil rights activists American editors American feminists American free speech activists American women civil rights activists American women editors American women's rights activists Book censorship in the United States Cornell College alumni Librarians from Illinois University of Texas at Austin alumni Writers from Illinois Year of birth missing (living people) Living people