Jan Jolly,

writer, urban gardener, and life-long learner

Well, fancy meeting you here! What a nice surprise...

You must have either gotten lost on the internet or sucked down a rabbit hole or actually Googled me to have ended up on my website.

However you found me, I'm glad you did.

Welcome!

Mail

Since you're already here...

...let me tell you a little (very little, I promise) about myself.

I spent 15 years behind bars at the Arkansas Department of Correction.

No, it's not what you think.

I went home every night to my home in Little Rock, unlike the 18,000 inmates I helped access the medical and dental care they so desperately needed.

When I retired in 2017, I set out to fulfill my bucket-list dreams of completing a bachelor's of science degree that I started in 1972 and earning both a second bachelor's in technical writing as well as a master's degree focused on nonfiction writing from the University of Arkansas Little Rock, which I finished in 2022, shortly after my 70th birthday.

Yep, you read that write. At the age of 70, I completed my master's but don't think for even ONE second that I'm done. Life-long learning is probably the strongest driving factor in my life, thanks to my parents who taught me through example the importance of keeping my brain constantly challenged.

I now write for pleasure, raise an urban kitchen garden, and live with my best friend and amazing husband, Jim.

This website is intended as a repository for my published and maybe unpublished writing samples and to provide a place where anyone interested in my writing can hang out a while. You'll find links below to some of my nonfiction work and fiction stories. I've also provided some links to my "go-to" books and websites for writing advice and inspiration on the Resources page.

The short stories are based loosely on my years at ADC, and the names and stories have been changed just enough to, as I like to say, protect the guilty. The essays don't really have a theme...just stuff I feel like writing about. One gets to indulge in such self-centered activities after retiring!

Check back in with me occasionally to see if I've had anything new published. I'll provide links to any of my stuff that's available on the web and notes for pieces that are only available in print.

I'm glad you are here and hope you enjoy your visit. Thanks for stopping by!

Jan