Lisa Jahn-Clough is a Professor of Creative Writing at Rowan University in southern New Jersey and serves as a Graduate Adjunct in the MFAC (Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children) program at Hamline University. With over twenty-five years of experience in writing, illustrating, and teaching, she maintains an active dual academic appointment while continuing her creative work. Her professional focus centers on children's literature across multiple formats, with particular expertise in picture books, young adult fiction, and early reader series. Jahn-Clough earned her BA from Hampshire College and her MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, building a career that successfully bridges academic instruction and professional creative practice. Her publications demonstrate remarkable versatility across age groups and formats, with her most recent work 'The Kids of Cattywampus Street' (2021) receiving acclaim from literary figures like Lemony Snicket. Her body of work consistently explores themes of friendship, emotional development, and childhood experiences through both narrative and visual storytelling. Jahn-Clough's significant contributions to children's literature have been recognized with prestigious awards from Child Magazine, Parent's Choice, Bank Street, Raising Readers, Entertainment Weekly, and YALSA. As an advisor, she employs a question-based mentoring approach, encouraging students to explore their creative projects deeply while also assigning monthly creative activities outside of writing to foster new perspectives. Her former student Karuna Riazi published 'A Bit of Earth,' a middle-grade novel reimagining 'The Secret Garden.' During summers, Jahn-Clough runs a small art gallery and low-key gift and card publishing company on a Maine island, reflecting her ongoing commitment to both visual and written arts. She also collaborates with her partner, author/illustrator Ed Briant, on the Petal and Poppy early reader series.



