Jo Knowles

Jo Knowles (b. 1970) ’92, ’95MA, who studied English and Children’s Literature at Simmons, is the author of several young adult and middle grade novels, including Meant to Be, Where the Heart Is, and Still a Work in Progress. Most recently, she published her debut picture book, Ear Worm! Her work has received numerous awards, including a New York Times Editor’s Choice and Notable, the PEN New England Children’s Book Discovery Award, and an American Library Association Notable. Knowles teaches writing courses at the Mountainview MFA program via Southern New Hampshire University. She is also an occasional guest instructor at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont.

In a 2022 interview with Simmons News, Knowles shared her reaction when four of her books — See You At Harry's, Pearl, Jumping Off Swings, and Read Between the Lines — appeared on lists of challenged books: “We are in a very dangerous time when it comes to censorship. Most of the books being challenged involve issues exposing racism and books with LGBTQ characters. When libraries remove access to books that help kids feel seen, the message it sends is that something is wrong with who they are. The result is horribly damaging to young people…We have to counter those negative messages whenever we can.”