Janis F. Kearney is an author, book publisher, writing instructor and literary coach. She was born to southeast Arkansas cotton sharecroppers, attended Gould Public Schools, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a B.A. in Journalism. She served nine years as a project manager and public affairs director in Arkansas state government. She served briefly as managing editor for civil rights legend Daisy L. Gatson Bates’ historic Arkansas State Press Newspaper, before purchasing and becoming publisher of the newspaper in 1988, upon Bates’ retirement. 

From 1993-2001, Janis served in the Clinton Administration, working briefly in the white house media affairs office before being appointed by President Clinton, as Director of Communications for the US Small Business Administration. In 1995, she was selected by President Clinton as the first-ever Personal Diarist to a President. She served in that role through June 2001.

 In July 2001, Janis was selected as a fellow at the W.E.B. DuBois Institute of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and continued the fellowship for two years.  In 2003, Janis and her husband founded Writing our World Publishing, a small, independent publishing company.  She has written or co-written 17 books, including her first, the critically acclaimed Cotton Field of Dreams: A Memoir. Other WOW Publishing books include Something to Write Home About: Memories of a Presidential Diarist; Conversations: William J. Clinton…from Hope to Harlem; Daisy: Between a Rock and a Hard Place; Sundays with TJ: 100 Years of Memories on Varner Road and Writing our Lives: An Anthology of Southern Storytellers; Volumes I-III, a compilation of short memoirs contributed by southern writers.

In 2014, Janis founded the Celebrate! Maya Project. Its mission is to promote the life and legacy of Dr. Angelou through service to Arkansas’ communities and schools. She also founded the Read.Write.Share Writers Conference, which includes memoir-writing seminars, lectures and workshops around the state, The Writers Weekend is held in Arkansas each year.

Janis’ honors include:

  • 2016 Inductee into the Arkansas Writers Hall of Fame

  • Former president, and current board member of the AR Pioneer Chapter of Pen Women

  • Former executive board member of LifeQuest of Arkansas

  • Former board member of the AR Women’s Hall of Fame

  • Former board president of the International Women’s Forum of Arkansas.

  • Founder and president of the Celebrate! Maya Project of Arkansas.

  • Inductee into the National History Makers Archive

  • Recipient of the University of Arkansas’ Outstanding Alumni Award

  • Recipient of the prestigious University of Arkansas Journalism Lemke Award.

 Janis is married to Bob J. Nash, former Director of Presidential Personnel for the Clinton White House. They reside in Little Rock. They have a blended family of three children, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.