Jacqueline is a native Californian currently residing in Oakland. She’s been writing short stories and poetry since taking her first UC Extension creative writing class in 1999 on a dare, from herself. Jacqueline attributes much of her growth as a writer to the Voices of Our Nations Writing workshops she’s taken with Christina Garcia, Danzy Senna, Junot Diaz, Ruth Forman and David Mura. Her debut novel, Searching for Tina Turner, the story of a woman who conquers her fear of divorce and goes to France to thank Tina Turner for her inspiration, will be in bookstores January 27, 2010.