About JoAnne Tillemans

I have a poetry book, Broken Light, which was chosen by Marcus Jackson as a semi-finalist selection for The Journal / Charles B.Wheeler Poetry Prize in 2024. I wrote a lyrical essay entitled “I Had Somewhat Left,” about an ectopic pregnancy, which was published in the anthology Rumors, Secrets & Lies, Poems About Pregnancy, Abortion & Choice by Anhinga Press in 2022. My essay was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. My work has been published in Mid-American Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, CALYX, The Dolomite Review, and other anthologies and journals.

I have an MFA in Poetry from Pacific University where I was mentored for the last year by Chris Abani. Prior mentors at Pacific were Leila Chatti and Joe Millar. Also, I worked for four years with the poet Esther Lin and studied formal poetry structures through The Poetry School in London.

I have a master’s degree from Stanford, grew up in prairie towns, was a modern dancer in New York, and a banker in London. Currently I tutor students in low-income schools on their college application essays and lead birding field trips for the Golden Gate Bird Alliance.