Alumni Spotlight: Jane Friedman ’94

Why did you decide to attend the Indiana Academy?
I attended a very small, rural school that was literally in the middle of a cornfield, about an hour from the nearest meaningful city. While I loved some of the teachers and classes at my hometown high school—and I was friends with a few people who were academically inclined like I was—I never fit in all that well. I was already looking forward to college, and the Academy seemed like a way to get a jumpstart on that. Also my mother strongly encouraged me to go, knowing the educational opportunity would make a big difference in my life. She was right about that, but also I finally felt accepted for who I was. That was just as big of a life-changing experience.

Where did you go to college and what was your degree path?
I attended the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana, specifically because they offered (and still offer) a BFA in creative writing. I wanted to pursue some kind of writing, editing, or publishing job. Later on I earned an MA in English from Xavier University in Cincinnati.

What is your career history and current profession?
I interned at a couple of publishing companies while I was still in college. One of them, based in Cincinnati, hired me upon graduation. I stayed at that publishing company for 12 years, where I ended up publisher and editorial director of Writer’s Digest. Afterward, I was an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati, where I taught writing and storytelling to students majoring in e-media. Then I returned to publishing to work at the Virginia Quarterly Review at UVA, where I also taught classes in publishing. In 2014, I left UVA to become a full-time freelance writer and editor.

What was your favorite class when you attended the Academy and why?
Shadow Literature with Miss Ney. What I learned in that class deeply affected how I think about myself and others—and my overall outlook on society and culture. I still find ways to reference the “shadow self” in my work today, and there’s now a bestselling book that I bet Miss Ney would’ve loved: The Shadow Work Journal.

Fun fact about yourself:
Almost every year for 20 years, I’ve returned to Muncie, Indiana, to speak at the Midwest Writers Workshop, which is partly affiliated with Ball State. I love still having a reason to return to the place where I had such a formative life experience.

Book or movie recommendation?
Movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Book: Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton

Academy Note:
Be sure to check out Jane’s website at janefriedman.com to learn more about the publishing industry and for valuable information on writing and working with an editor. Plus, check out her blog, newsletter, and resource books including the second edition of The Business of Being a Writer which comes out in the Spring of 2025.