Joni Marie Iraci '17 Places First in the Firebird Book Awards for 'Reinventing Jenna Rose'

Reinventing Jenna Rose by alumna Joni Marie Iraci '17 was recently announced as the first-place winner of the Firebird Book Awards in two categories, Coming of Age and Women's Issues, and the second-place winner in Legal Thriller and New Adult Fiction. Published by Fat Dog Books in 2019, Reinventing Jenna Rose is available for purchase.

The Firebird Book Awards is a quarterly contest organized by the radio show Speak Up Talk Radio. Hosted by author Patricia J. Rullo, Speak Up Talk Radio features guest interviews and radio programming that helps podcasters and authors promote their work while also raising money for various causes. 

Authors and publishers from around the world submit their work to the Firebird Book Awards to be read by a select panel of 17 judges. Judges read each book in its entirety and independently score each entry. Only entries with the highest scores are awarded the Firebird Award. Iraci placed for the 4th Quarter of 2021.

Reinventing Jenna Rose, Iraci's debut novel, follows a Californian teenager who escapes a difficult childhood by traveling across the country to track down her grandmother in New York City. As Jenna adjusts to her new life in the city, she attends a private school and meets her first real friend. Reinventing Jenna Rose is a multi-generational family saga and legal thriller that shines a light on a young woman's determination to realize her self-worth and overcome the hardships of her past.

Iraci is a retired Registered Nurse who raised three children before returning to college to pursue her life-long dream of becoming a writer. After receiving her bachelor's degree in liberal studies with a concentration in writing and literature from Sarah Lawrence College, she then received her MFA at the age of 66. Iraci lives in New York with her husband.