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{{short description|American writer}}{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}}

factoids

| birth_place = DeRidder, Louisiana, U.S.Princeton University (Bachelor of Arts>AB)| occupation = Novelist| nationality = American| genre =Fiction, Women's fictionGood in Bed (2001) In Her Shoes (novel)>In Her Shoes (2002)| spouse = Bill Syken (m. 2016)| children = 2jenniferweiner.com}}}}Jennifer Weiner (born March 28, 1970)WEB,weblink Official bio, Jenniferweiner.com, November 29, 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111126230015weblink">weblink November 26, 2011, is an American writer, television producer, and journalist. She is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her debut novel, published in 2001, was Good in Bed. Her novel In Her Shoes (2002) was made into a movie starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, and Shirley MacLaine.

Background and education

Weiner was born to a Jewish familyWEB, Bloom, Nate, The Next Carrie Bradshaw?, Cleveland Jewish News, August 14, 2013,weblink in DeRidder, Louisiana, where her father was stationed as an army physician. The next year, her family (including a younger sister and two brothers) moved to Simsbury, Connecticut, where Weiner spent her childhood.When Weiner was 16, her father abandoned the family. He died of a crack cocaine overdose in 2008.NEWS, McNeil, Liz, Why Author Jennifer Weiner Chose To Reveal Her Father Died From a Drug Overdose,weblink 29 September 2016, People, September 29, 2016, Her first novel, Good in Bed, is loosely based on her young-adult life: like the main character, Cannie Shapiro, Weiner's parents divorced when she was 16, and her mother came out as a lesbian at age 55.Weiner has said that she was "one of only nine Jewish kids in her high school class of 400" at Simsbury High School.NEWS,weblink Jennifer Weiner: Chic Lit, Hillel.org, July 6, 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120812001942weblink">weblink August 12, 2012, She entered Princeton University at the age of 17 and graduated summa cum laude with an A.B. in English in 1991 after completing an 86-page-long senior thesis titled "'Never Far From Mother --' On the Uses of Essentialism in Novels and Films."JOURNAL, Weiner, Jennifer Agnes, 1991, "Never Far From Mother --" On the Uses of Essentialism in Novels and Films,weblink At Princeton, Weiner studied with J. D. McClatchy, Ann Lauterbach, John McPhee, Toni Morrison, and Joyce Carol Oates. Her first published story, "Tour of Duty," appeared in Seventeen in 1992.

Career

After graduating from college, Weiner joined the Centre Daily Times, the daily newspaper of State College, Pennsylvania, where she managed the education beat and wrote a regular column called "Generation XIII" (referring to the 13th generation following the American Revolution), aka "Generation X." From there, she moved on to Kentucky's Lexington Herald-Leader, still penning her "Generation XIII" column, before finding a job with The Philadelphia Inquirer as a features reporter. She continued to write for the Inquirer, freelancing on the side for Mademoiselle, Seventeen, and other publications, until after her first novel, Good in Bed, was published in 2001. In 2005, her second novel, In Her Shoes (2002), was made into a feature film starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine by 20th Century Fox. Her sixth novel, Best Friends Forever, was a No. 1 New York Times bestseller and made Publishers Weekly's list of the longest-running bestsellers of the year."Bestsellers '10: The Year in Bestsellers". Publishers Weekly, January 10, 2011 To date, she is the author of nine bestselling books, including eight novels and a collection of short stories, with a reported 11 million copies in print in 36 countries."Jennifer Weiner Broadens From Best-Sellers to TV". Associated Press, July 28, 2011 Her novel The Next Best Thing was published by Simon & Schuster in July 2012. Her writing on gender and culture appears frequently in The New York Times.File:Weiner, Jennifer & Jong, Erica -MBFI 2013 fRF 02.jpg|thumb|left|Jennifer Weiner and Erica Jong at the Miami Book Fair InternationalMiami Book Fair InternationalIn addition to writing fiction, Weiner is a co-creator and executive producer of the (now-cancelled) ABC Family sitcom State of Georgia, and she is known for "live-tweeting" episodes of the reality dating shows The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. In 2011, TIME named her to its list of the Top 140 Twitter Feeds "shaping the conversation."weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110409021424weblink">TIME's "Top 140 Twitter Feeds". March 28, 2011 She is a self-described feminist.A feminist fights back against 'chick lit' label, San Francisco Chronicle

Criticism of gender bias in the media

Weiner has been a vocal critic of what she sees as the male bias in the publishing industry and the media, alleging that books by male authors are better received than those written by women, that is, reviewed more often and more highly praised by critics. In 2010, she told The Huffington Post, "I think it's a very old and deep-seated double standard that holds that when a man writes about family and feelings, it's literature with a capital L, but when a woman considers the same topics, it's romance, or a beach book – in short, it's something unworthy of a serious critic's attention. ... I think it's irrefutable that when it comes to picking favorites – those lucky few writers who get the double reviews AND the fawning magazine profile AND the back-page essay space AND the op-ed ... the Times tends to pick white guys.""Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner Speak Out On Franzen Feud". Huffington Post, August 26, 2010 In a 2011 interview with The Wall Street Journal blog Speakeasy, she said, "There are gatekeepers who say chick lit doesn’t deserve attention but then they review Stephen King.""Jennifer Weiner Talks 'Good in Bed,' Chick Lit and Cheating Husbands". The Wall Street Journal, May 24, 2011 When Jonathan Franzen's novel Freedom was published in 2010 to critical acclaim and extensive media coverage (including a cover story in TIMEweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100816043659weblink">"Jonathan Franzen: Great American Novelist". TIME, August 12, 2010), Weiner criticized what she saw as the ensuing "overcoverage,""Jennifer Weiner speaks out against Jonathan Franzen 'overcoverage,'" The Guardian (UK), August 25, 2010 igniting a debate over whether the media's adulation of Franzen was an example of entrenched sexism within the literary establishment."Can a Woman Be a 'Great American Novelist?" Slate.com, September 14, 2010"The READ: Franzen Fallout". The New Republic, September 7, 2010"Feminist 'Franzenfreude' Over Raves for 'Freedom,'" NPR, August 30, 2010 Though Weiner received some backlash from other female writers for her criticisms,"Smart people saying dumb things, part XXIV: Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Weiner". August 23, 2010 a 2011 study by the organization VIDA bore out many of her claims,"Women at Work: A new tally shows how few female writers appear in magazines". Slate.com, February 2, 2011"The Count 2010". vidaweb.org and Franzen himself, in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, agreed with her: "To a considerable extent, I agree. When a male writer simply writes adequately about family, his book gets reviewed seriously, because: 'Wow, a man has actually taken some interest in the emotional texture of daily life', whereas with a woman it’s liable to be labelled chick-lit. There is a long-standing gender imbalance in what goes into the canon, however you want to define the canon.""Jonathan Franzen interview". The Telegraph (UK), September 29, 2010As for the label "chick lit", Weiner has expressed ambivalence towards it, embracing the genre it stands for while criticizing its use as a pejorative term for commercial women's fiction. "I’m not crazy about the label," she has said, "because I think it comes with a built-in assumption that you’ve written nothing more meaningful or substantial than a mouthful of cotton candy. As a result, critics react a certain way without ever reading the books." In 2008, Weiner published a critique on her blog of a review by Curtis Sittenfeld of a Melissa Bank novel."'The Wonder Spot': Sophie's Choices". The New York Times Book Review, June 5, 2005 Weiner deconstructs Sittenfeld's review, writing, "The more I think about the review, the more I think about the increasingly angry divide between ladies who write literature and chicks who write chick lit, the more it seems like a grown-up version of the smart versus pretty games of years ago; like so much jockeying for position in the cafeteria and mocking the girls who are nerdier/sluttier/stupider than you to make yourself feel more secure about your own place in the pecking order.""A Moment of Jen". June 7, 2008In November 2019, Weiner participated in the harassment and abuse of Brooke Nelson, a college student who was mentioned in her local newspaper as saying she thought that author Sarah Dessen's YA novels were not suitable for the Common Read program run by Northern State University, Aberdeen, and that she had advocated for the inclusion of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson's memoir, Just Mercy, instead.NEWS,weblink Common Read hits 10 years at Northern, 12 November 2019, Aberdeen News, 23 November 2019, In a series of since-deleted tweets, Weiner described Nelson's opposition to Dessen's inclusion in the Common Reads program as "catty and cruel", part of "systemic discrimination" against young women, and linked it to coverage of gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's repeated sexual assaults on young women.WEB, Graham, Ruth, 2019-11-15, The 2017 College Grad Who Got Attacked by a Horde of YA Authors Had No Idea What She Was Getting Into,weblink 2020-09-07, Slate Magazine, en, WEB, Shapiro, Lila, 2019-11-16, Famous Authors Drag Student in Surreal YA Twitter Controversy,weblink 2020-09-07, Vulture, en-us, She later stated that she had "zero regrets" regarding these remarks. When the story was reported in Jezebel,WEB,weblink Bestselling Authors Band Together to Dunk on a College Student, Jezebel, The Guardian,NEWS,weblink War of words breaks out after YA novelist's fans go after critical reader, 15 November 2019, The Guardian, 23 November 2019, the Washington Post,NEWS,weblink A student opposed a YA novel for mandatory college reading. The backlash from famous authors was fierce., The Washington Post, 23 November 2019, and Slate,WEB,weblink The 2017 College Grad Who Got Attacked by a Horde of YA Authors Had No Idea What She Was Getting Into, Graham, Ruth, 2019-11-15, Slate Magazine, en, 2019-11-23, Weiner reportedly regretted her actions.NEWS,weblink Sarah Dessen Is Sorry, 11 November 2019, Jezebel, 23 November 2019,

Film adaptations and television appearances

In Her Shoes

In Her Shoes (2002) was made into a major motion picture in 2005 with Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine. She also made a cameo appearance in this film.WEB,weblink In Her Shoes, www.imdb.com,

State of Georgia

After signing a development deal with ABC Family in 2008,"Jennifer Weiner does television". Philadelphia Daily News, June 22, 2011 Weiner wrote a pilot for a half-hour sitcom with producer Jeff Greenstein (Desperate Housewives), originally called The Great State of Georgia and starring a plus-sized young woman who aspires to be a Broadway star."ABC Family Orders More 'Melissa & Joey' & Picks Up Four More Pilots". Deadline.com, October 8, 2010 In 2010, the network ordered the show to series (renamed State of Georgia), and it went on to air 12 episodes in the summer of 2011. On September 16, Weiner announced the show's cancellation via Twitter."Alas: #stateofgeorgia is no more". Jennifer Weiner Twitter feed, September 16, 2011

Television appearances

Weiner made her TV debut on The Tony Danza Show in 2005, reappearing in 2006. She made a cameo appearance as herself in the Younger episode "The Jade Crusade" in 2016.

Personal life

Weiner married attorney Adam Bonin in October 2001.NEWS,weblink WEDDING; Jennifer Weiner, Adam Bonin, October 28, 2001, The New York Times, They have two children and separated in 2010. On March 19, 2016, she married writer Bill Syken.WEB, Jennifer Weiner on Instagram,weblinkweblink December 24, 2021, registration, Instagram, 20 April 2016, So this happened...last night, in the presence of family, friends, and way too much charcuterie, I married Bill Syken., {{cbignore}}

Bibliography

Novels

• Good in Bed (2001) – Chronicles the experiences of Candace Shapiro, a Jewish journalist from Philadelphia. The plot of the story revolves around the distress that comes from leading an unstable love life while trying to balance a professional career. Candace learns the positive benefits of being independent during tough times in her life. Weiner often acknowledges the influence that her personal history played in her first official novel.WEB, Good In Bed {{!, Jennifer Weiner|url =weblink|website = jenniferweiner.com|access-date = 2015-08-27}}
• In Her Shoes (2002) – Published in September 2002, In Her Shoes tells the story of two sisters who have nothing in common, except their shoe size, and a grandmother neither of them ever knew. USA Today says the book “will make you laugh and possibly cry.” In October 2005, the novel was turned into a major motion picture, starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley Maclaine.WEB, About Jen {{!, Jennifer Weiner|url =weblink|website = jenniferweiner.com|access-date = 2015-08-27}}
• Little Earthquakes (2004) – This book contains the story of a newscaster, Ayinde, who moves to Philadelphia following her husband who is an NBA player for the 76ers. She becomes friends with Becky and Kelly and together they created an unbreakable sisterhood bond.BOOK, Little Earthquakes: A Novel,weblink Washington Square Press, 2004-01-01, en, Jennifer, Weiner, 9780743468930,
• Goodnight Nobody (2005) – This story follows the story of Kate Klein who relocates her family and herself to Upchurch, Connecticut. She lives the suburban mom lifestyle and later spends her time starting an investigation, along with two of her friends, about the death of Kitty Cavanaugh.BOOK,weblink Goodnight Nobody, 27 August 2015, Goodnight Nobody, 9780753176375, Weiner, Jennifer, 2007,
• The Guy Not Taken (2006) – This is a collection of eleven separate stories from Weiner. The stories cover many subject areas, from a teenage girl coping with the loss of her father, to a widow opening up her home to a pair of homeless girls.WEB, The Guy Not Taken {{!, Jennifer Weiner |url=http://jenniferweiner.com/books/the-guy-not-taken |website=jenniferweiner.com |access-date=2015-08-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009080551weblink |archive-date=October 9, 2015 }}
• Certain Girls (2008) – Certain Girls is the sequel to Good In Bed. Released in April 2008, it begins where Cannie, the heroine of Good In Bed left off with her debut novel becoming an overnight bestseller.WEB, Certain Girls {{!, Jennifer Weiner |url=http://jenniferweiner.com/books/certain-girls |website=jenniferweiner.com |access-date=2015-08-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816042816weblink |archive-date=August 16, 2015 }}
• Best Friends Forever (2009) - Two childhood friends named Valerie Adler and Adelaide "Addie" Downs are reunited when Valerie believes she accidentally ran over the star football player at their high school reunion.WEB, best friends forever,weblink 2022-08-10, Jennifer Weiner, en-US,
• Fly Away Home (2010)
• Then Came You (2011)
• The Next Best Thing (2012)
• All Fall Down (2014)
• Who Do You Love (2015) – This story is about two young children who meet in a hospital and are forced to part ways. Thinking that they will never see each other again, they move on with their lives, only to later end up in the presence of each other, where they must decide if their love can keep them together.WEB, Who Do You Love,weblink Goodreads, 2015-08-27,
• Mrs. Everything (2019)
• Big Summer (2020)
• That Summer (2021)
• The Breakaway (2023) NEWS, Newman, Catherine, 2023-08-23, Jennifer Weiner’s New Novel Covers Plenty of Ground, en-US, The New York Times,weblink 2023-11-26, 0362-4331, WEB, Video Jennifer Weiner talks about new book, ‘The Breakaway’,weblink 2023-11-26, ABC News, en, WEB, August 29, 2023, 'The Breakaway' explores how society impacts a woman's relationship with her body,weblink NPR, NEWS, Merry, Stephanie, 2023-08-27, For Jennifer Weiner, biking is a coping mechanism — and a plot point, en-US, Washington Post,weblink 2023-11-26, 0190-8286,

Short stories

• Disconnected (2013)
• Recalculating (2011)
• Swim (2012)
• The Half Life (2010)
• A Memoir of Grief (2012)
• Good Men (2013)

Nonfiction

• Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing (2016)

Essays

• “Victoria’s Secret Finally Set Its Angels Free. Better Late Than Never.” (New York Times, June 17, 2021)WEB,weblink Victoria's Secret Finally Set Its Angels Free. Better Late Than Never., Weiner, Jennifer, The New York Times, 17 June 2021, 18 June 2021,

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Further reading

• Black, Robin. "President Obama: Why Don't You Read More Women?" Salon.com, August 24, 2011.
• Ganahl, Jane. "A feminist fights back against 'chick lit' label." San Francisco Chronicle, October 30, 2005.
• Gervin, Cari Wade. weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120325081425weblink">"In Defense of Chick Lit: Jennifer Weiner, 'Women's Fiction,' and Franzenfreude a Year Later." Metro Pulse, September 7, 2011.
• Jacobs, Julie. "Jennifer Weiner: Chic lit {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812001942weblink |date=August 12, 2012 }}." Hillel.org, July 6, 2007.
• Mead, Rebecca. "Written Off" The New Yorker, January 13, 2014. A full Profile.
• Perry, Beth. "Happy Endings." People, September 26, 2005.
• Olya, Gabrielle. "Jennifer Weiner Is Posing in her Swimsuit to Promote Body Confidence." People, July 6, 2016.

External links

• Official website
• Author page on Simon & Schuster website
• Goodreads.com Author page
• 2010 radio interview at The Bat Segundo Show
• State of Georgia official website
• {{IMDb name|id=1497265|name=Jennifer Weiner}}

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