Jeanne Mackin is an American author and a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

. Her published novels include ''A Lady of Good Family'', ''The Beautiful American'', ''The Sweet By and By'', ''Dreams of Empire'', ''The Queen's War'' and ''The Frenchwoman''. She published a trilogy of mysteries with

New American Library The New American Library (also known as NAL) is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948. Its initial focus was affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works as well as popular and pulp fiction, but it now publishe ...

, writing as Anna Maclean. The mysteries were also translated and published in Japan. She has authored several non-fiction books and written creative nonfiction and feature articles for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''Americana'', ''Fiberarts'' and other national publications. Working with Finger Lakes Productions, she helped develop, write and edit scripts for nationally broadcast radio programs including ''Nature Watch'' and the ''Ocean Report with Sylvia Earle''.

Biography

Mackin received her BA in English from

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and go ...

, and her MFA in creative writing from

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

. Earlier in her career, she worked as a program developer and script editor for ''Ocean Report'', a popular science program on the planet's oceans produced for national and international radio. She was also a staff writer for

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

Media Services and a writer for the

Ithaca Journal ''The Ithaca Journal'' is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper published in Ithaca, New York. It is locally edited and printed in Johnson City, New York, and publishes Monday through Saturday. It has been owned by Gannett since 1912. Publications ...

and Ithaca Times. Mackin's extensive experience as a writing instructor began in 1990 at Ithaca College, where she served as an instructor and academic consultant for the Ithaca Opportunity Program and Higher Education Opportunity Program of

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

, working with minority students and students from non-traditional backgrounds. From 1997 until 2004, Mackin taught writing at Ithaca College, and in the Masters of Fine Arts Program at

Goddard College Goddard College is a progressive education private liberal arts low-residency college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle, Washington. The college offers undergraduate and gra ...

. She was married artist and writer

Steve Poleskie Stephen 'Steve' Poleskie (born 1938 in Pringle, Pennsylvania) was an artist and writer. The son of a high school teacher, Poleskie graduated from Wilkes University in 1959 with a degree in Economics. A self-taught artist, Poleskie had his first on ...

until his death in 2019. She lives in upstate New York.

Awards and honors

* Creative Writing Fellowship from

* Excellence in Teaching Award from Ithaca College *

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

Scholarship in Creative Writing Summer Program * Excellence in News Writing, The State Council of New York for University Affairs and Development * Exceptional Achievement in News Writing,

Council for Advancement and Support of Education The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is a nonprofit association of educational institutions. It serves professionals in the field of educational advancement. This field encompasses alumni relations, communications, marketing ...

, Washington, D.C. * Excellence in News Writing Citation Award,

, Washington, D.C.

Bibliography

Novels

* ''The Last Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel (2019)'' * ''A Lady of Good Family, New American Library (2015)'' *''The Beautiful American, New American Library (2014)'' * ''Louisa and the Crystal Gazer'', writing as Anna Maclean (2006) * ''Louisa and the Country Bachelor'', writing as Anna Maclean (2005) * ''Louisa and the Missing Heiress'', writing as Anna Maclean (2004) * '' The Sweet By and By'' (2001) * ''Dreams of Empire'' (1996) * ''The Queen's War'' (1991) * '' The Frenchwoman'' (1989)

Nonfiction

* ''The Book of Love'', co-editor with Diane Ackerman * ''The Cornell Book of Herbs and Edible Flowers'' Her works have been published in 6 languages.

Reviews

Mackin's historical romance, ''Dreams of Empire'' (1996) was favourably received, with ''Publishers Weekly'' saying "Plenty of romance and intrigue, vital characters and exquisite details of both period and place ensure a vigorous and satisfying read." ''

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' described it as "A richly intelligent and charming spellbinder." Her novel ''The Sweet By and By'' (2001) was described by ''Kirkus'' as "a deft combination of historical fiction and ghost story, as well as a compelling meditation on the power of the past to alter the present". ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'' criticised it for veering off and "producing far more than one too many modern-day coincidences, going a little heavy on all that pining for the lost beloved", while concluding the story was "great fun for a stormy evening". Mackin's novels have been written about by Pulitzer Prize winner Alison Lurie in

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

, in which she described the mysteries written under the pen name of Anna Maclean as "historically accurate and entertaining".

References

External links

* *
Review of ''The Frenchwoman''

''History As A Narrative'' Article

Jeanne Mackin reads Rachel Pollack
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackin, Jeanne Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women novelists American mystery writers American historical novelists Ithaca College alumni Bennington College alumni Women mystery writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Women historical novelists Year of birth missing (living people)