The KJB Collective

KAYLIE JONES has published seven books, including a memoir, Lies My Mother Never Told Me, and her most recent novel, The Anger Meridian. Her novel A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries was adapted as a Merchant Ivory film in 1998. Jones has been teaching for more than twenty-five years, and is a faculty member in the Stony Brook Southampton MFA in Creative Writing & Literature program and in Wilkes University’s MFA in Creative Writing program. She is the author of Speak Now and the editor of Long Island Noir. Her newest endeavor is her publishing imprint with Akashic Books, Kaylie Jones Books.

Kristin Ivey (’21 MFA) is a fiction writer, a poet, and a freelance editor. She is currently serving as the managing editor for Kaylie Jones Books. Her work has been published in Hippocampus Magazine, Spark Anthology IV, the Pennsylvania Bards Review, and through Poetry in Transit. She has spent 23 years teaching writing to middle and high school students in Pennsylvania. When she isn’t working, you can find her playing in the woods with her boxer dog and his dog-agility training pals.

Michelle Polizzi is a freelance writer, content creator, and Graduate Assistant at Kaylie Jones Books. Her writing has appeared in publications like Bitch, Health, Business Insider, The Daily Beast, and more. She’s also a yoga teacher, world traveler and outdoor lover who’s passionate about living life beyond the limits of societal expectations. Michelle loves memoirs, literary fiction, and true crime podcasts, and she’s currently a student in the MFA program at Wilkes University where she’s working on her first book.

Jeannette Anndaisia Lawrence is a nonfiction author, playwright, singer, and songwriter. She presently serves as the Production Editor at Kaylie Jones Books. She is passionate about inspirational, motivational, and spiritual literature. She volunteers in her community supporting the enhancement of mental coping and emotional wellness through the use of creative arts. She is currently a student in the M.F.A. program at Wilkes University where she is working on her first full-length play.

Kaitlin Martin is a Chicago-based illustrator and animator. Her work deals with the act of haunting, nature, and the imagery and tropes of gothic fiction. Past works have been featured in Onion City Film Festival,  Chicago Underground Film Festival, Sideshow Gallery, and Grimoire Magazine. Her work can be found here.

Renette Zimmerly is an award-winning art director and graphic designer. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.