Rhoda Janzen

Rhoda Janzen is an American poetryAmerican poet, academic and memoirist, best known for her memoir Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.

Life
Janzen grew up in a Mennonite household in North Dakota. She earned a Ph.D. from UCLA. She teaches at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

In 2006, Janzen’s husband of 15 years left her for a man, and she suffered serious injuries in car accident a few days later. While on sabbatical from her teaching position, she went home to her Mennonite family in Fresno, California to heal from these crises. These experiences are recounted in her memoir Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.

Her second memoir will tell the story of her experiences surviving breast cancer, becoming a stepmom, and attending her new husband’s Pentecostal church.

In addition to her memoir, Janzen is the author of Babel’s Stair, a collection of poetry.

Poetry

 * Babel’s Stair. Word Press, 2006.

Prose

 * Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. Holt, 2009.