The story behind the stories.
Born in Greece but raised in France and Japan, I grew up between languages — listening for the words people struggled to say. Those early years gave me a nuanced perspective on the subtext of communication, the underlying energy and dynamics of the words we exchange.
After graduating from Northwestern University, I settled in the Los Angeles area, where I raised my sons and taught in a variety of school settings. Teaching taught me how to listen. Thousands of conversations later, I began to listen to myself.
In 2019, my world erupted. A breast cancer diagnosis would become a catalyst for enormous change — I would come to understand the true value of conversation and connection, and begin to write to heal.
A classroom can hold an entire life.
John Glenn High School — a tough, gritty, underperforming school in Los Angeles County provided the backdrop for unexpected healing. Diagnosed with breast cancer at the start of the 2019-2020 school year, I couldn't have foreseen how profoundly changed I would be by the conversations I had with students. From the silly to the serious, their words stirred something within me, leading to transformation in every area of my life.
Years later, on the brink of divorce and separated from my sons, a quiet student pulled a chair up to my desk. What he told me would make me laugh, and it would also make me cry. It is these words, this wisdom gathered from students in a difficult, challenging school, that became the basis for my memoir, CONVERSATE.
to exchange thoughts, opinions, or ideas in speech
It's the word my students used. To talk, to chat, to laugh, to connect. Conversate is what you do — leaning in, pulling up a chair. That word became the title of my memoir, and the name of this community.
Jenny speaks with schools, book clubs, women's groups, and anyone willing to pull up a chair.
For speaking, media, and book club visits, she would love to hear from you.
