Jodi Picoult

Early life

Picoult was born in Nesconset, New York, on Long Island, and raised there by her parents; she has one brother, who is younger. Her family moved to New Hampshire when she was 13 years old. She has described her family as "non-practicing Jewish". Picoult wrote her first story at age five, entitled "The Lobster Which Misunderstood". Picoult's mother and grandmother were both teachers, and she says that their influence on her was very important.

Education

She studied creative writing at Princeton University with Mary Morris, and graduated in 1987. She published two short stories in Seventeen magazine while still in college. Immediately after graduation, she began a variety of jobs, ranging from editing textbooks to teaching eighth-grade English. She earned a master's degree in education from Harvard University. Picoult has two honorary Doctor of Letters degrees; one from Dartmouth College in 2010, the other from the University of New Haven in 2012.

In 2016, Picoult was selected to be Princeton's Class Day Speaker before commencement.

Career

Picoult became the writer of the DC Comics series Wonder Woman (vol. 3), following the departure of Allan Heinberg. Her first issue (number 6) was released on March 28, 2007, and her last was issue number 10, released on June 27, 2007.

Nineteen Minutes, Picoult's novel about the aftermath of a school shooting in a small town, was her first book to debut at number 1 on the New York Times best-seller list. Her book Change of Heart, published on March 4, 2008, and was her second novel to debut at number 1 on that list. Handle with Care in 2009 and House Rules in 2010 also reached number 1 on the Times best-seller list.

Advocacy

In 2016, Picoult joined the advisory board of Vida: Women in Literary Arts, a "non-profit feminist organization committed to creating transparency around the lack of gender parity in the literary landscape and to amplifying historically-marginalized voices, including people of color; writers with disabilities; and queer, trans and gender nonconforming individuals". Picoult's website says that VIDA: Women in Literary Arts is a research-driven organization.

She was a member of the inaugural Writers Council of the National Writing Project in 2013, an organization which recognizes the "universality of writing as a communicative tool and helps teachers enhance student writing". This inaugural group consisted of 30 published authors.

She was a spokesperson for Positive Tracks, which empowers young people to fundraise through the power of athletics and partners with other charitable organizations.

In 2010, Picoult led the 5th Annual Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hero Half Marathon & Relay 5K Walk around Occum Pond and through the town of Hanover, New Hampshire.

She is a member of the Advisory Committee for the New Hampshire Coalition Against the Death Penalty, an organization seeking to end the death penalty in the state of New Hampshire through outreach, education and advocacy.

She was the co-founder, with Marjorie Rose, of the Trumbull Hall Troupe in 2004 as a means of providing children with a fun, educational theatre experience. Children from grade 6 through grade 12 audition to be in an original musical written by Picoult and the composer Ellen Wilber. The proceeds are donated to local charities. The organization's contributions since its founding have exceeded $120,000.

On January 21, 2017, Picoult spoke at the New Hampshire Women's Day of Action and Unity in support of the Women's March on Washington.

Honors and awards

Personal life

Picoult has been married to Timothy Warren van Leer, whom she met in college, since 1989. They and their three children, Samantha van Leer, Kyle van Leer, and Jake van Leer, live in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Recurring characters

"It's always great fun to bring a character back, because you get to catch up on his/her life; and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel—you already know how he speaks, acts, thinks."

Film and television adaptations