About Jolee
Jolee Donnelly is an Iowa-based writer whose poetry explores the lessons women inherit and the voices they learn to claim.
Her work is rooted in the quiet curriculum many women experience throughout their lives: the stories we observe, the expectations we absorb, and the wisdom passed down through the women who came before us. Through reflective and honest poetry, she writes about identity, resilience, self-acceptance, and the courage it takes to live authentically.
Jolee spent ten years as a high school English teacher before becoming a school administrator. In her day job, she works closely with children and their families to support their academic as well as social and emotional well-being. She has a deep respect for people’s stories and feels honored when she can be part of someone’s journey, sometimes simply by listening and other times by serving as a guide along the way. Her belief in the power of reflection and storytelling is also why she encourages others to journal as a way to process experiences and better understand themselves.
Her debut poetry collection, An Inheritance of Breath: Lessons on Being a Woman, grew out of a desire to capture the lessons passed between generations of women and to offer language for experiences that are often felt but rarely spoken aloud. The book is part of the Lessons on Being a Woman series, which pairs poetry with reflective journaling to encourage readers to explore their identities, voices, and personal growth.
An introvert by nature, Jolee spends much of her free time reading and writing, often in small moments between family life. Most of her time outside of work is spent with her husband and their two daughters. When she does carve out a quiet pocket of time for herself, she can often be found riding her bike, playing the piano, meditating, or enjoying the company of Stella, her miniature American Eskimo, and Pete, her green-cheeked conure.