Let’s ask better questions, gain creative momentum, reconnect with nature, share stories of resilience, turn things inside out, and laugh at our fumbles along the way. I write this blog because I believe it’s time for creative people (and those who don’t yet realize they’re creative) to redefine what it means to flourish. So let’s become mavericks. Let’s explore deeper and more complex truths, inspiring and being inspired, and sharing what helps us along the way.
As a storyteller, educator, and coach, my posts dissect story and technique, explore craft, and discuss personal development (I also enjoy calling out charlatanism). The creative life can be beautiful, but it’s also very strange. Let’s explore it all together.
In a nutshell, here’s what I offer:
Creative writing prompts to spark inspiration and deepen self-expression
Personal essays that explore growth, resilience, and the human experience
Philosophical reflections that invite introspection and perspective shifts
Guidance on personal growth through storytelling and self-inquiry
Inspiration to stay grounded and authentic in both life and creative work
Why get a paid subscription?
Mindfulness tools to cultivate presence, reduce stress, and enhance focus
Monthly debriefs to get feedback on writing
Discount on quarterly workshops
A supportive, thoughtful community of readers interested in creativity and consciousness
Paid subscribers also have access to audio meditations and all archived posts, along with workshops and private sessions to discuss life and writing.
If you cannot afford a paid subscription but want to access a post, please let me know. I will grant you a year for free with no questions asked.
Any support, from likes to responses to financial support, is valued and seen. THANK YOU. Another way to support me is to buy my books.
Who am I?
Storytelling is about exploring the nuances of life—the anguish within beauty and the wisdom within pain. When we hold our stories inside, they weigh us down. When we release them, we find not only our voice but perspective and a different way of engaging with the world.
I was a high school dropout who went on to find purpose through writing, which led me to earn a BA in English from Otterbein University and an MFA from Bennington College. I worked multiple jobs for a decade to pay down educational debts and better understand what I did/did not want from my short journey here. All the while, I wrote. I explored. I came to conclusions and questioned conclusions. I began to study personal leadership.
At heart, I am a philosopher and unable to buy into too much dogma across any scale. But I also believe that writing has offered me something mystical and that creativity can tap potentials in humans that go beyond what we often see. Writing, to me, is like the reverberation of an elephant stomp or the rooted system of trees, a way of passing messages, like nutrients, to each other.
I am the author of We Arrive Uninvited (2023, Steel Toe Books Prose Winner), Chaos Magic (2025, Kallisto Gaia Press, Joshua Tree Prize Winner), The Glass City, and At Work (2027, forthcoming from Cornerstone UWSP). My shorter work has won awards, including the San Miguel de Allende Award in Nonfiction, the CutBank Montana Award for the Essay, and the Flash Fiction Award. You can find many of my stories and essays here.
After teaching creative writing for over a decade, I began coaching writers 1:1 and offering idea-to-publication services through Unleash Creatives, a holistic arts organization I founded and co-own. I teach leadership and practice what I share in both business and volunteer efforts. I aim to practice the same curiosity and personal inquiry in my writing and what I share.
“Jen Knox is a fearless writer. She can describe a Toledo community decimated by apocalyptic drought, a bakery in Nice during a terrorist attack, a surreal museum of living statues, and make every one of these things feel as real and intimate as your favorite worn-in flannel shirt. Acutely alert to the smallest moments that reveal character, her stories can give you a whole life in a few short paragraphs, laid bare in all its sorrow, glory and restless longing. She can work dialogue, twist a plot, make you laugh out loud, and then break your heart.” —Sheila Black, author of Iron, Ardent
"A talented writer exhibiting her intuition, Knox understands that our greatest fear is loneliness … she gifts us with myriad ways to find a cure." —Tara Lynn Masih, author of How We Disappear
"Jen’s feedback on my writing has been instrumental in propelling me forward and believing in my voice. She has helped me find my strengths and encouraged me to press further into the terrain of writing. This is the first time in my life where I feel confident to say, I’m a writer!" —Writing Circle Participant
