Jenny Birch is a middle school teacher of English, French, and history, and serves as a youth theater director for students in grades 7-12. She lives in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and three children. Jenny holds a BA in French and an MEd in Instruction & Learning and as an adoptee herself, she is a passionate advocate for children, particularly those in the foster care and adoption communities. When she’s not in her classroom or on stage with her students, you can find her either dancing in the kitchen with her family or flexing her overactive imagination.

I had the opportunity to interview Jenny, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank you so much for inviting me! My name is Jenny Birch, and I think I would best describe myself as a professional chaos coordinator. I’m a mom (through biology, foster care, and adoption!), a middle school teacher (ELA, French, and history!), and a high school musical director. I’ve been a book and theatre nerd for as long as I can remember. I think storytelling is one of the most essential endeavors of humankind. Through it, we can experience the world and all its people; we can grow with and relate to and learn from one another. Engaging with stories that open kids’ hearts has always been at the core of my work in the classroom and on the stage – and most days I still can’t quite believe I get to share my love of story with an even wider audience through my debut novel. I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped me harness this incredible opportunity!

What can you tell us about your book, Woven From Clay?  What was the inspiration for this story?

I think, at its heart, this is a story about agency and humanity. As an adopted person, I spent a lot of my childhood feeling that my story – or at least its beginning – was out of my control. There was so much about myself I didn’t know. And even though my parents loved me fiercely (and still do!), I always had this unshakeable fear that I must have somehow been fundamentally unlovable for my birth family to have relinquished me. With age and wisdom and therapy, I know that feeling is tied to trauma and not truth but carrying it with me for so long impacted my worldview – and my view of myself. So I think I poured a lot of Little Jenny into Terra. Terra has a deep-rooted compulsion to be perfectly good because she (and Mr. Quill) thinks worthiness is tied to perfection. It’s a journey for her to embrace the fact that she, like everyone, is inherently messy inside; in her case literally, since she discovers she’s a golem, a creature fashioned of magic and mud and animated by a warlock. Terra has challenges to overcome, prejudices to combat, and a life to fight for. Her true power and impact, however, come only when she accepts and harnesses her messy imperfections as essential and even beautiful parts of herself.

What attracts you about golems when it comes to storytelling?

Oh my gosh, so much! A few years ago, curious about my genetic heritage, I did one of those DNA tests. Most of the results were expected: Irish and Italian, a dash of French. And then, at the bottom, a surprise: a little bit of Jewish heritage! I was raised in a white, middle class, Christian household, so I was captivated by this piece of myself I had never known about and therefore never explored. I did a lot of subsequent reading about Judaism and the history of the Jewish people across the world, including the stories and myths of that culture. The golem struck me, I think, on an existential level. I find it really compelling to think about a creature who is created, shaped, and brought to life to serve a very narrow purpose. But once they’re alive, once they’re breathing and thinking and feeling, why shouldn’t they be able to carve out (pun intended!) their own place in the world? For me, it’s about agency and self-discovery and defying expectations. Plus, on a completely superficial level, I was a child the 90s who was a big fan of The Secret World of Alex Mack. I remember thinking what a cool, unique, incredible power it was to dissolve into a puddle and fight injustice in the most unlikely way. There are a few scenes in the book I wrote as an homage to that Nickelodeon icon!

As an author, what drew you to writing, particularly speculative fiction and romance? 

There is just something so universal about love and magic. Two things – one real, one probably not real – most people want (at least, most people I know!). And how we treat love and magic reveals so much about the core of who we are as individuals! What would we do to acquire love and magic? What would we do to keep them, what sacrifices would we make in the name of those elusive forces? And if we were lucky enough to have and hold on to love or magic: what would we ultimately do with those powers? I think these questions are the drumbeats that drive a lot of stories, be they in print, on screen, or on the stage.

How would you describe your writing process?

Circling back to my initial answer: coordinated chaos! I have ADHD and my brain is too neurospicy for strict outlines. As a reader, what really draws me to a story are relatable characters with compelling conflicts. So that’s where I start with my writing: by drafting a character – who and where they are, what they want, what makes them special, why I love them so much. I spend a probably-embarrassing amount of time finding the perfect name for all my characters (a process which is endlessly entertaining to my amazing and ever-patient husband). I also try to lay myself at the mercy of my imagination. It’s pretty good at presenting me with a clear opening scene as well as one or two other pivotal moments in the story. In place of an outline, I use a very general flowchart of events (usually scribbled on a piece of scratch paper or a crumpled notecard I find floating at the bottom of my backpack) to lay out the scenes in a hopefully-logical order. And then I write them! It’s usually during revisions that the chaos becomes coherence. For that part of the process, I give so much credit and endless thanks to my brilliant and generous critique group and my incredible agent Amanda Orozco for their invaluable insights and guidance. A lot of people think of writing as a solitary endeavor: a writer alone in their gloriously silent and invariably wood-paneled office with an expansive desk and reference materials alphabetized on floor-to-ceiling shelves. I would certainly never disparage that version of the Writer’s Life! (In fact, I yearn for floor-to-ceiling shelves!) The reality for me, however, is this: writing is a team sport. I think of it like the relay portion of the Pittsburgh Marathon. There’s a whole team of people helping my wild and crazy ideas cross the finish line as a meaningful story. Also, because I’m a full-time teacher/director/mom, I can never sit still long enough write in an office! I write in my van while I’m waiting in the parking lot of my younger son’s dance studio, I write in the lobby of the building that houses the batting cages for my older son’s baseball team, I write at the dining room table while my daughter sits in my lap and asks, “Mommy, what does THIS button do?” and accidentally erases entire chapters with her cute-and-curious fingers. But I don’t mind, because I write all my stories for them, anyway. I write so they learn to love literature and art, so they know they have a voice worthy of being heard, so they know to never give up pursuing the dream of their hearts (as writing is mine!). It is the most insane and beautiful process – the most insane and beautiful life – and I truly sit in awe and gratitude that I get to do it.

That was a very long answer. I’m sorry. I blame the ADHD!

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating/challenging?

My favorite elements of writing are having a world I can control and guarantee a happy ending for my characters. I love understanding why everything – good and bad – happens to them (oh, gosh, there is that pesky adoption trauma popping up again!). I love the moments when I write something unexpected and learn something about myself, too. I also love being part of the beautiful human tradition of creation and connection, which is something I think the modern world lacks but desperately needs.

The most frustrating or challenging part is trying to make the words on the page match the pictures in my head and the feelings in my heart. It’s laborious and exacting work – which ultimately makes it all the more rewarding. I tell my students all the time: the things that will bring you the most joy will require the most work and sacrifice from you. So when I have a day where I only end up with 12 words on the page because I wrote 2,000 and then realized 1,988 of them were gibberish, I remind myself that even one or two of those 12 words have the potential to someday impact someone and I try to hold on to that hard-won victory, small though it might be.

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

I’m obsessed with musicals! Oh my gosh, is there any more beautiful form of storytelling than a musical? I teach 7^th and 8^th grade during the day, and I do absolutely love my job, but from December through March of every school year, I also get to direct the high school musical at my district. And let me tell you: that is my FAVORITE PART of my job. It’s so much like writing a novel: developing characters, confronting the human condition, battling through fear and uncertainty, connecting people through art. Watching my students grow on stage, watching their talent and passion flourish, watching them fall in love with a story the way I do – it feeds my soul. Plus: the gorgeous music!

I’m also passionate about the foster care and adoption communities and take any opportunity I can to encourage people to get involved in some way. Being a foster parent is one of the best and hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, but I know it isn’t for everyone. Still, there are so many incredible advocacy groups and organizations for foster youth and their families. They all rely on the support of their local communities to continue their life-changing work. The Foster Love Project and Three Rivers Youth are two such organizations in Pittsburgh!

Also, I love my family so much. Every last one of them. I couldn’t do anything I do without their unending belief in me and their inextinguishable good humor!

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

I think maybe I’d like more people to ask me: Why? I think we should all always be asking each other: Why? Why are we doing whatever thing we’re doing? In my case, it’s writing, but it could be anything. Big picture: why are we living our lives this way? or small-picture: Why are we making this choice in this moment?

I think our purpose as human beings is to love each other and lift each other up. I think asking each other why makes us evaluate, on a continuous basis, the choices we make, the words we speak and write, the interactions we have with other people.

I’m in no way shape or form a perfect person. I make plenty of mistakes – we all do. That’s the human condition! But I think if we asked each other why more often – and then truly listened to the subsequent answers – we’d not only understand each other better, but we’d be forced to come to terms with the impact we have on the world around us.

So: why do I write? Because I think sharing stories, sharing our hearts, finding common ground, giving a voice to people in pain, spreading hope and happy endings – it’s the best, hardest, most meaningful work I can do. It’s a way I can impact people, even people I have never and may never meet! I don’t know if Woven from Clay will ultimately achieve that, but I hope it does. And that’s why I wrote it. That’s why I write anything. The creation of art – music, literature, visual art, movies, fashion – is essential, connecting, healing work. It’s the hallmark of humanity.

Fun questions I wish people would ask me:

• What’s my favorite color? Pink and purple, but I’m partial to pastels in general!

• What’s my favorite song? My Heart Will Go On, because I came of age when Titanic was released, and everything about that movie became a part of my personality as a result. Plus, what a message! The human heart can survive so much; it is strong even when we feel weak.

• What’s my favorite musical? West Side Story. A beautiful blending of literary tradition, American history, and the devastating power of love.

• What instrument did I play growing up? The viola! Alto clef for life! I think every child in every school in America should be studying music every day in school.

• What languages do you speak? English, obviously, but also French! My college degree is in French. I also think every child in every school in America should be studying a second language every day in school.

What advice might you have to give for any aspiring writers?

Never stop! Keep reading, keep writing, keep believing. I’ve been writing my entire life, striving to become a published author. There were times – entire years, even – when that dream felt impossible and I was convinced it would never come true. But I pushed myself. I kept going. I read, wrote, and integrated critiques and encouragement to hone my art. And now here I am, just turning 41, experiencing in real life everything 10-year-old Jenny dreamed about. So don’t stop. Your words are important. Your stories matter. Your dreams are within reach!

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

I don’t do well with down-time because my mind is always racing (thanks, internalized ADHD!). So, yes, I’m ALWAYS working on projects. I have a middle grade novel that is now in the trusted hands of my agent Amanda Orozco, and I’m currently mid-draft on another YA novel. It’s one I have started and stopped about 6 times in the past decade. I’m committed to finishing it this time! The fact that it was and remains a hard story for me to tell means, in my opinion, that it is an important and necessary story to get out of my head and on the page! I never know what will ultimately happen with a manuscript. I certainly hope with all my heart these stories of mine find a safe, incredible, supportive publishing home like Woven from Clay did (truly, Wednesday Books has been a dream to work with and my editor, Christina Lopez, is brilliant and kind and I admire her so much!), I’m happy just to have the opportunity to put my words on the page no matter what!

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT? 

In the YA space, my long-time favorite authors are Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson. In 2024, I also read the Ouroboros Duology (Godly Heathens and Merciless Saviors) by H.E. Edgmon and it was new and unique and gorgeous and haunting and perfect. I’ve recommended it to everyone I know! My all-time favorite book, one I’ve read probably close to a hundred times, is definitely The Giver by Lois Lowry. It changed the course of young adult literature and every time I read it, I discover something new and beautiful in it.

For adult fiction, I’ve always loved Wuthering Heights. I read it the summer before my senior year of high school and it’s lived in my heart ever since. Some of my other recently-read favorites include An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner, and One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon. For people who love non-fiction, I usually recommend The Baby Thief: The Untold Story of Georgia Tann, the Baby Seller Who Corrupted Adoption by Barbara Bisantz Raymond. 

Thank you, again, for this opportunity! This is such an exciting and important milestone in my life and I’m grateful for everyone who is celebrating it along with me!