Rhoda Janzen


Rhoda Janzen is an American poet, academic and memoirist, best known for her memoir Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.

Biography

Janzen grew up in a Mennonite household in North Dakota. She earned a Ph.D. from UCLA. She teaches at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
In 2006, Janzen’s husband of 15 years left her for a man and a few days later she suffered serious injuries in a car accident. While on sabbatical from her teaching position, she went home to her Mennonite family in Fresno, California to heal from these crises. These experiences are recounted in her memoir Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.
Her second memoir, Mennonite Meets Mr. Right, tells the story of her experiences surviving breast cancer, becoming a stepmom, and attending her new husband’s Pentecostal church.
In addition to her memoir, Janzen is the author of Babel's Stair, a collection of poetry.