Jessica Bryant Klagmann grew up climbing mountains, canoeing rivers, and scampering through the woods of New Hampshire. She studied writing there, and then at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She and her family live in northern New Mexico, where she writes and is the lead illustrator for the indie game company, Only Then Studios, which she cofounded with her husband.

Fascinated by the natural world as a place filled with endless magic, Jessica’s writing explores the many ways humans connect to landscapes—where their hearts are, where they choose to live, where they call home. Her characters often find themselves isolated, entwined with their environments, reclaiming wilds both internal and external. Whether nature draws them out of their solitude or reminds them why they chose it, there is always a sense that lightness may be found where it is least expected.

Jessica’s work can be found in environmental journals like Whitefish Review, Terrain.org, Tiger Moth Review, Flyway, and echoverse, among others. Her short story collection was a finalist for the St. Lawrence Book Award and the Orison Books Fiction Prize.

Her debut novel, THIS IMPOSSIBLE BRIGHTNESS, was published in 2024. Her second novel, NORTH OF THE SUNLIT RIVER, was released September 9, 2025.