Janae grew up in the suburbs of New York City, where she always wrote. She started out writing illustrated autobiographical stories in kindergarten, and then journal entries, stories to submit to Seventeen Magazine‘s short story contests, and letters to her pen pals and summer camp friends. She read a lot too, of course. Her books were among her prized possessions.
In high school, Janae thought she wanted to pursue musical theater. She loved being on stage, but eventually realized that she cared more about the stories than the performances. While getting her undergraduate English degree at Tufts University, she switched her focus to creative writing and never looked back. She took a literature class on "Girls’ Books," where she read Little Women, Harriet the Spy, Weetzie Bat, The Golden Compass, and others. She remembered how much she loved stories for children - and still connected with them, even as an adult. That love only grew when she got an MFA in Creative Writing (Writing for Children) from The New School. She’d found her passion! After college, she got an inside look at the publishing world while spending seven years working for a Big 5 publisher. Now, she lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughter, and miniature schnauzer named Cookie.
Janae wrote three young adult manuscripts before switching to middle grade and writing From the Desk of Zoe Washington. In 2017, that novel won the Tassy Walden: New Voices in Children's Literature Award in the middle grade category. Soon after she signed with her literary agent, Alex Slater. From the Desk of Zoe Washington was published on January 14, 2020 by HarperCollins Katherine Tegen Books. It received four starred reviews, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Star selection, a #1 Indie Next pick and an indie bestseller. It was also named Best Book of the Year by Parents Magazine, Book Riot, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Chicago Public Library, the Boston Globe and the Bank Street College of Education.
Her second middle grade novel, A Soft Place to Land, released on September 14, 2021, and was an Indie Next Pick and a Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year. She is also part of the middle grade anthology called Hope Wins, edited by Dr. Rose Brock, which released on May 10, 2022. Her third middle grade novel, On Air with Zoe Washington, released on February 14, 2023 and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Star selection. It was an instant New York Times and Indie bestseller. (from author's website)
24 Black Storytellers (including Janae Marks) and publishers met once a month for 9 months to hear and learn. (5:17 minutes)
Janae Marks is an author of middle-grade novels. Her debut, From the Desk of Zoe Washington, is an indie bestseller and was named a Best Book of the Year by Parents magazine, Book Riot, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Chicago public library and The Boston Globe. Her second novel is A Soft Place to Land. She has an MFA in writing for children from The New School and lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughter, and miniature schnauzer named Cookie. Visit her website at janaemarks.com.
On writing for children:
“I have always been interested in writing for this age group, since books were so important to me as a child. I want to continue telling stories about contemporary Black girls so they can feel represented in the books they read. In some ways, I write for my childhood self, since I never really saw myself books in back then.”
I loved getting to be in a space where we could speak openly about our experiences as Black authors and illustrators in a predominately white publishing world. The faculty and guest speakers shared incredibly useful advice. I also enjoyed connecting with the other creators in my cohort and hope to maintain these connections and friendships for years to come!
“Writing brings me joy, and I hope my stories entertain and inspire all kids.”
(Interview from: https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/janae-marks/)
(22:45 minutes)
(46:05 minutes)
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by 
On Air with Zoe Washington by 
A Soft Place to Land by