Oral history with Utah author Jennifer Nielsen, October 16, 2024

Jennifer Nielson, a Utah native, grew up in Bountiful and attended Weber State University with a double major in theater arts and communication education. She began writing as a hobby and found professional success after numerous rejections, eventually signing with Scholastic. Her breakout book, The False Prince, became a trilogy and received profound reader feedback, including life-saving testimonials. Nielson emphasizes the importance of creativity and imagination in education and founded the Book Drop initiative to provide free books to low-income students. She actively engages with young readers and supports the Utah literary community through events like the Storymakers conference.