C.J. Janovy: Bio

I'm a writer with deep roots in the American Midwest.

My current project is Queer Elder Expat on Substack. 

My book "No Place Like Home: Lessons in Activism from LGBT Kansas" (University Press of Kansas) is the epic story of how a few disorganized and politically naive Kansans, realizing they were unfairly under attack, rolled up their sleeves, went looking for fights, and ended up making friends in one of the country's most hostile states. Or, as I like to think of it, a love story. Winner of the 2019 Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize, it was also a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ nonfiction and a Kansas Notable Book for 2019.

Most recently I was director of content at KCUR, the city’s NPR affiliate, after learning radio as an arts reporter. I also helped launch Kansas Reflector, part of the national States Newsroom network of nonprofit news outlets covering state governments. As founding opinion editor, I wrote frequent columns on politics and life in this complex and iconic state. 

Before all that, I spent a decade as editor of The Pitch, Kansas City’s Village Voice Media-owned alt-weekly, where writers won numerous national and local journalism awards and were published in two Best Food Writing anthologies (Marlowe & Company, 2006 and 2007), two Best American Sports Writing anthologies (Houghton & Mifflin, 2005 and 2006) and Da Capo Best Music Writing 2008. 

Find some of my past work here.

Contact me at cj@cjjanovy.com