Jennifer Horne served as the twelfth Poet Laureate of Alabama (2017-2021) and was awarded the 2025 Hall-Waters Prize for Excellence in Southern Writing. 

The author of four collections of poems, Letters to Little Rock, Bottle Tree, Little Wanderer, and Borrowed Light, she also has written a collection of short stories, Tell the World You’re a Wildflower. Her first novel will be published by the University of Alabama Press in 2027.

Her biography of the writer Sara Mayfield, Odyssey of a Wandering Mind: The Strange Tale of Sara Mayfield, Author, was published by the University of Alabama Press in 2024 and was described as “mesmerizing”  and “a beguiling tale of madness and literature” by Publisher’s Weekly.

She has edited or co-edited five volumes of poetry, essays, and stories.

Her work focuses on identity, memory, and place, often seen through the lens of nature. She believes in the power of poetry to connect people, create meaning, provide solace, give joy, and honor mystery.