Josh Getzler
Sixteen and a half years ago, when my wife and I were dating, she introduced me to one of her closest friends, Jessy. Amanda had met Jessy when they were both singing in a chorus at Columbia, and they’d remained close through single life and early jobs.
We had brunch together, and all through the meal, Jessy and I kept looking at each other and thinking we’d met before. Finally, as we were getting the check, she said “I got it, I figured it out—we sat together at Amanda’s sister’s wedding and you never asked me to dance…you jerk!”
Nine months later, a couple of hours after she served as one of our bridesmaids, and right after I danced with Amanda, her mother and mine, I made my amends and hopefully was no longer a jerk.
Fast forward a decade and a half, and Jessy is living in Colorado Springs, where she is the Curator of Special Collections at Colorado College’s Tutt Library. She’s the author of two books: A young adult novel, The Wandora Unit (Ghost Road Press, 2009) and two books of poetry—the latest of which, Injecting Dreams Into Cows (Red Hen Press, 2012), is between Ferlinghetti and Lucille Clifton on the Amazon list of Hot New Poetry releases at number 15. Her poetry and prose are fun and quirky, literary and sharp, and deal with everything from parenthood to the relative merits of vegan cheese.
Beginning this Sunday, Jessy will take over the Librarian slot on Hey There’s A Dead Guy in the Living Room, taking over from Dale Spindel. (Thank you so much for your contributions, Dale!) I love the fact that every day there’s a different perspective on books, writing, and life from contributors located all over the country and world. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been Jessy’s friend (after she forgave me) for the last sixteen years. I can’t wait to hear what she has to say every week.
