Rhoda Janzen

Rhoda Janzen is an American poet, academic and memoirist, best known for her memoir Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.

Biography

Janzen grew up in a Mennonite household in North Dakota.[1] She earned a Ph.D. from UCLA.[2] She teaches at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.[3]

In 2006, Janzen’s husband of 15 years left her for a man and a few days later she suffered serious injuries in a car accident.[4] While on sabbatical from her teaching position,[5] she went home to her Mennonite family in Fresno, California to heal from these crises.[6] These experiences are recounted in her memoir Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.[7]

Her second memoir, Mennonite Meets Mr. Right, tells the story of her experiences surviving breast cancer, becoming a stepmom,[8] and attending her new husband’s Pentecostal church.[9]

In addition to her memoir, Janzen is the author of Babel's Stair, a collection of poetry.[10]

Bibliography
  • Babel’s Stair, Word Press, 2006
  • Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, Henry Holt and Co., 2009
  • Mennonite Meets Mr. Right, 2012

References
  1. “Interview: Rhoda Janzen, author of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress”, Laurel Rhame, Smith, April 22, 2010.
  2. “Rhoda Janzen: From Modern to Mennonite”, Andrea Sachs, Time, October 20, 2009.
  3. Hope College
  4. “Rhoda Janzen: From Modern to Mennonite”, Andrea Sachs, Time, October 20, 2009.
  5. “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress”, Jason Zasky, Failure Magazine.
  6. “The Simple Life Comes With Complications”, Cathy Horyn, The New York Times, December 2, 2009.
  7. “She Did Go Home Again”, Kate Christensen, The New York Times, November 5, 2009.
  8. “New Voices: Rhoda Janzen”, Carol Memmott, USA Today, 10/21/2009.
  9. “Interview: Rhoda Janzen, author of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress”, Laurel Rhame, Smith, April 22, 2010.
  10. The Poetry Foundation
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