About Me

My name is Jill (she/her) and I love words, the past, and stories. I'm a reference librarian, writer, historian, and researcher with a passion for the past and helping people connect to the stories that surround us. Through my work at the Wisconsin Historical Society, I help people discover their families’ stories and get access to incredible historical research collections. Dream job? 1000%.

With my creative partner Jamie Burgess, I write and co-host a history podcast called Let Genius Burn on the life and legacy of Louisa May Alcott. I have presented on Alcott for a variety of museums and libraries, as well as at the Bearing Untold Stories symposium at Lancaster University in England and the 2023 Thoreau Society Annual Gathering.

I have a BA in History from Winona State University in Minnesota. After college, I worked as a museum educator, historical interpreter, and a genealogy librarian. I cowrote a local history book on Boone County, Illinois and received the 2016 Priem Award from the Boone County Historic Preservation Commission. In 2015, I graduated from UW-Madison with my Master's in Library and Information Science degree (MLIS), with a specialization in Archives Management.

I live with my family in Wisconsin and enjoy writing poetry and creative non-fiction, gardening, walking, good coffee, yoga, reading, planning for our next Ireland trip, and baking bread.