Lynn Harris

Writing

Harris has been a contributing writer for Salon.com and a contributing editor at Glamour Magazine. Her freelance journalism and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Nerve.com, NPR.org, and The Washington Post. She wrote the “Rabbi’s Wife” column for the former Nextbook.org. She is also the dating advice columnist for MSN.com.

Harris’ writing focuses on gender, health, politics, relationships, and culture. Her essay in Salon on female genital mutilation (“Our Daughters Should Not Be Cut”) was a recipient of a 2010 Planned Parenthood Maggie Award for online reporting. One of Harris’ articles for Glamour – “They’re Autistic, and They’re in Love” - won a Mental Health America Media Award. Another piece for Glamour, “Could You Get Hooked On These Pills?” won a Newswomen’s Club of New York Front Page Award.

Harris is also the author of two novels and three nonfiction books. Her most recent title is Death By Chick Lit (2007). The novel’s prequel, Miss Media, was published in 2003.

Breakup Girl

Harris is the co-creator, with Chris Kalb, of Breakup Girl, a character that debuted in her 1996 book He Loved Me, He Loves Me Not: A Guide to Fudge, Fury, Free Time, and Life Beyond the Breakup. (Avon) which she wrote and Chris Kalb illustrated. The character expanded into an online presence in 1997. BreakupGirl.net is a blog presented in the guide of a superhero known as "Breakup Girl" who "mends broken hearts worldwide with the help of the worldwide Web. Through comics, animation, and advice, all delivered with a humorous tone, the Breakup Girl character announces that her task "is to fight crimes of the heart, stop dating indignities, get your stuff back, help you help your mom through your breakup, make good relationships great."

The print adventures of Breakup Girl continued in 2000 with Harris' Breakup Girl to the Rescue! A Superhero's Guide to Love, and Lack Thereof (Back Bay Books), which also was illustrated by Chris Kalb.

Activism

Harris began her position as Communications Strategist with Breakthrough in March 2011. Breakthrough describes its mission as "a global human rights organization that uses the power of media, pop culture, and community mobilization to inspire people to take bold action for dignity, equality, and justice." It is based in India and the United States, and particularly focuses on gender-based violence, and issues relating to sexuality, HIV/AIDS, immigration, and racial justice.

Harris is also the public relations coordinator for the Afghan Women's Writing Project, which "works to nurture and support the voices of Afghan women, who traditionally have not had any outlet for sharing their powerful, often heart-breaking stories and their compelling voices," according to its website. She is also the former public relations director of the Boston chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW).

As a mentor-editor with The OpEd Project, Harris works with emerging female op-ed writers, offering feedback needed to improve their work and amplify women's voices in media.

GOLD Comedy

In early 2016, Harris founded GOLD Comedy, a mission-driven for-profit that provides girls, teens, and women comedy resources and tools to provide comedy skills and the life skills that come with them.

An Indiegogo campaign for a pilot series was 173% funded in 72 hours. Between September 2016 and March 2017, GOLD Comedy ran a sold-out pilot workshop series for teen girls. GOLD Comedy has been featured on comedy news outlet Splitsider and in NY Magazine.

Currently, GOLD Comedy is expanding its services to include a series of online courses.

Performance

A former stand-up comic, Harris co-wrote and co-starred with Betsy Fast in the Off-Off Broadway production of "Lynn Harris on Ice." Directed by Jim Gaylord, the production was promoted as featuring "cautionary campfire tales about snow sports, skating scandals, dotcom meltdowns, fellas with cold feet, and parents numb with worry."