Jan Levine Thal began writing fiction in grammar school, winning a copy of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man in the Sea as first prize in a seventh-grade contest. Until then, she had no idea that writing might pay off. She awaits further confirmation. In the following decades, she received degrees from Harvard University, Northwestern University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She wrote for and edited myriad publications in several cities, including Beijing, China.
After settling in Madison, Wisconsin, she worked for more than three decades as the managing editor of an academic journal in the field of economics. In her spare time, she volunteered: she became a radio personality at WORT-FM, penned an advice column in the Madison Insurgent, and wrote and directed for community...
Jan Levine Thal began writing fiction in grammar school, winning a copy of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man in the Sea as first prize in a seventh-grade contest. Until then, she had no idea that writing might pay off. She awaits further confirmation. In the following decades, she received degrees from Harvard University, Northwestern University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She wrote for and edited myriad publications in several cities, including Beijing, China.
After settling in Madison, Wisconsin, she worked for more than three decades as the managing editor of an academic journal in the field of economics. In her spare time, she volunteered: she became a radio personality at WORT-FM, penned an advice column in the Madison Insurgent, and wrote and directed for community theater.
Four of her plays have been produced and are available for further productions. She also has two published novels. She has served on the board of directors of several theater companies, a theater venue, and a radio station. She comes from a musical family -- two of her brothers are professional musicians: Sam Levine of Nashville, TN and Michael A. Levine of Los Angeles, CA (yes, he's the one who wrote the music to the Kit Kat song).
Her third brother, Elliott Levine of La Crosse, WI, is a judge by day and plays in a rock band by night. Her son is also a musician who co-founded Found Sound Music, played with The National and Neutral Milk Hotel, and was a co-leader of OneBeat, an organization brings together emerging musical leaders from around the world. By contrast, Jan sings in the shower. She lives in Wisconsin and every winter, as the snow attacks and ice rumples the walkways, she remembers that she is meant to live in a temperate climate where it's always in the 70s. Despite that fantasy, she is unlikely to leave the wonderful creative community that is Madison, where a not-rich artist can live around brilliant and caring kindred spirits and collaborators.